Sunprint
At a glance
The season
Your first 12 months include every season, whichever month you start, so the yearly savings come out about the same.
Your electricity contract
In Oncor, CenterPoint, AEP Texas and TNMP areas you'll want a buyback plan. Switching in the 14 days before your contract ends avoids the fee.
Incentive budgets
Utility solar incentives run on a yearly budget, paid through installers. Early in the year, more of the money is still there.
No date makes panels cheaper or a roof sunnier. The dates that do change what you get are set by your electricity plan, your utility's program year and the tax calendar, and each one is below.
Texas solar output, month by month
We modeled a south-facing roof at a common pitch in six Texas cities with PVGIS, the European Commission's solar model, using NREL's weather data. Texas splits three ways. Dallas, Austin and San Antonio make the most in July and August. Houston peaks in May, because summer clouds off the Gulf hold it back. El Paso and Lubbock, with dry, clear springs, peak in April and May. All six are lowest in December.
What 1 kW of panels makes each month, kWh
PVGIS 5.2 with the PVGIS-NSRDB weather database, south-facing, 20 degree tilt, 14% system losses. Our calculator uses NREL's PVWatts, which runs a few percent lower; the monthly pattern is the same. For roof direction and pitch, see the best direction and angle for solar panels in Texas.
Is solar worth it in a Texas summer?
Yes. In much of Texas, summer is solar's best season. The average Texas home used 1,508 kWh in August 2025, its biggest month, and paid $232.27, according to EIA. A system in Dallas sized to make what that home used over the whole year, about 8.8 kW, would make about 1,330 kWh that August, 88% of the use. In June it covers all of it.
Percentages are the share of each month's use the system makes. EIA reports by billing month, so each month partly reflects the month before.
The gaps come at both ends of the year. Texas homes use a lot in winter too: 1,186 kWh in January 2025, when the panels make the least. Spring is when they make more than the home uses. What that spring surplus is worth depends on your buyback plan or utility: some credit it near the price you pay, some at a wholesale rate, some let credit roll over and some pay nothing. Our guide to Texas solar buyback plans compares them.
The Texas solar calendar
From the Texas Tax Code, Oncor, NOAA's Storm Events database (2016 to 2025), PVGIS on NREL weather data, EIA's 2025 Texas bills and the National Hurricane Center.
Line up your electricity contract
In the parts of Texas with retail choice, the Oncor, CenterPoint, AEP Texas and TNMP areas, the wires company doesn't pay you for solar power. Your retail electricity plan does, and many plans pay nothing for it. So most solar owners there switch to a buyback plan, and the timing of that switch can cost or save you a fee.
- LAST THIRD OF THE CONTRACTThree noticesYour provider must send at least three written notices of the end date.
- 30 DAYS BEFOREFinal noticeThe last one comes at least 30 days before a contract of more than four months ends.
- 14 DAYS BEFORENo termination feeSwitch in the last 14 days and no early termination fee applies.
Those are the Public Utility Commission's rules for fixed-rate plans. If your contract ends in the next few months, plan for the buyback plan to start when the system gets permission to operate. In the Oncor area, the meter is reprogrammed about three weeks after that, and TXU and Reliant say the first buyback credits can take up to three billing cycles.
If your contract runs another year or more, compare the fee with what a buyback plan would earn in the meantime. The fee is on your contract's Electricity Facts Label.
Customers of co-ops and city utilities, such as CPS Energy, Austin Energy and Pedernales, buy their power from the utility itself, so there's no plan to switch. The utility's own solar rules apply from the day the system is connected.
Utility incentive deadlines
The big wires companies pay solar incentives through their state-approved energy efficiency plans. The money goes to the installer, who should show it on your quote, and each program has a yearly budget:
| Utility | Program year and budget |
|---|---|
| Oncor | Typically February to November; 2026 projects finished and ready for inspection by 5 p.m. on November 30, or sooner if the budget runs out |
| TNMP | $100,000 for 2026, first come, first served, through November 30 |
| AEP Texas | $670,941 budgeted for home incentives in 2026 |
| CenterPoint | $1 million a year for its residential solar program in 2025 and 2026 |
If you're counting on one of these, an early start in the program year gives you the best chance the money is still there. Ask the installer whether the quote includes an incentive and what happens to the price if the budget runs out first. Austin Energy's own rebate and the rest of what's left are in our Texas incentives guide.
Hail season and hurricane season
Texas hail reports by month, 2016 to 2025, NOAA Storm Events database. March to June had 89% of the 12,919 reports, and May alone 36%.
Hail season isn't a reason to wait. Panels are tested against hail, and installing in July doesn't protect them from next spring's storms. Two things are worth timing, though. Tell your insurer before the panels go up, so the policy covers them from day one. And if a spring storm leaves you with a roof claim, put the solar on the new roof instead of paying to remove and reinstall panels later. Our hail guide covers what panels survive and how claims work.
On the Gulf Coast, hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30, peaking around September 10, the National Hurricane Center says. A grid-tied system without a battery shuts off when the grid goes down, so if backup power is your reason for solar, aim to have the battery working before June. See solar batteries and Texas outages.
Taxes: no year-end rush
The 30% federal tax credit for home systems ended for systems finished after December 31, 2025, so there's no December deadline to beat. If you lease, the company may be counting on its own federal credit, section 48E, which for a system leased now generally needs it in service by the end of 2027. That's the company's deadline, but ask whether the lease price depends on it.
Texas's property tax exemption doesn't care which month you install, but it does have a filing window. Texas appraises homes at their January 1 value, so panels installed during 2026 first show up on the 2027 appraisal. File Form 50-123 with your appraisal district between January 1 and April 30, 2027. Our property tax exemption guide walks through the form.
How long it takes, so you can count back
- Five business days to cancel. Texas law lets you cancel a home solar purchase or lease in writing until midnight of the fifth business day after you sign.
- Permits. These vary by city. Our permits guide covers the 2025 laws and what Dallas, Houston and Austin require.
- Connection. With pre-certified equipment, PUC rules give electric utilities four weeks from a completed application to connect the system. Co-ops and city utilities set their own timelines.
- First credits. Meter changes and buyback plans add a few weeks to a few billing cycles. See how long solar takes in Texas for each utility.
What a free quote call gets you
- One verified local installer
- The installed price for your roof
- Your payback years from that price
- Free, with no obligation
See what solar could save you
About a minute, and no phone number needed. If the number looks good, a free quote call gets you the exact price.
Common questions
What is the best month to install solar in Texas?
Any month. Your first year includes every season whichever month you start, so the yearly savings come out about the same. The dates that matter more are when your electricity contract ends, when your utility's incentive budget runs out, and the January 1 to April 30 window to file for the property tax exemption.
Do solar panels make more power in the Texas summer?
In Dallas, Austin and San Antonio, yes: July and August are the best months, at about 150 kWh per kW of panels. Houston peaks in May, and El Paso and Lubbock in April and May. Every Texas city we modeled is lowest in December.
Is solar worth it in the summer in Texas?
Yes. A Dallas system sized to the average Texas home's yearly use covers about 86% to 102% of use from June to September. What extra spring power is worth depends on your buyback plan or utility.
When should I switch to a solar buyback plan in Texas?
Aim for the plan to start when your system gets permission to operate. If you're on a fixed-rate contract, Public Utility Commission rules say no early termination fee applies in the 14 days before the contract's end date, and your provider must send a final notice at least 30 days before a contract of more than four months ends.
Should I wait until after hail season to install solar in Texas?
No. Texas hail season is March to June, with 89% of reports from 2016 to 2025, but panels are tested against hail and waiting doesn't make them safer. Tell your insurer before installation, and if a storm means a new roof, install the solar on the new roof.
When do I file for the Texas solar property tax exemption?
Between January 1 and April 30 of the year after the panels go up. Texas appraises homes at their January 1 value, so panels installed during 2026 are claimed on Form 50-123 between January 1 and April 30, 2027.
Related guides
- How long does solar take in Texas?
- Texas solar buyback plans
- Texas solar incentives in 2026
- Solar panels and hail in Texas
- Texas solar property tax exemption
- Average electric bill in Texas
Solar output is modeled, not measured, and your roof, shade, plan and utility change the numbers. Program budgets and dates are as each utility published them for 2026; confirm yours before you sign. Sources: European Commission JRC, PVGIS 5.2 (PVGIS-NSRDB weather data) · EIA Form 861M sales and revenue data, Texas, 2025 · PUC: 16 TAC 25.475 (PDF) · PUC: 16 TAC 25.211 (PDF) · Oncor: residential solar program · TNMP amended 2026 Energy Efficiency Plan and Report (PDF) · AEP Texas 2026 Energy Efficiency Plan and Report (PDF) · CenterPoint 2025 Energy Efficiency Plan and Report (PDF) · TXU Energy: solar buyback · Reliant: compare solar plans · NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database · National Hurricane Center: tropical cyclone climatology · Tax Code 23.01 · Texas Tax Code 11.27 · Comptroller Form 50-123 · Occupations Code chapter 1806 · IRS FAQs on the 2025 credit changes · IRS Notice 2025-42 (sections 45Y and 48E). Reviewed October 2026.
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