Sunprint
At a glance
Plan on a few months from signature to the first credit on your bill. The steps with fixed clocks: 5 business days to cancel after you sign, 3 business days for a city permit if your installer uses the state's new third-party review route, and up to 4 weeks for utilities under the PUC's rule to connect a system once they have a complete application. After that, meter changes and billing cycles take another 1 to 3 months before your electricity plan can pay you for exports.
Your panels don't wait for that last part. Once the utility gives permission to operate, the system can run, and the power your home uses as it's made cuts your bill right away.
Step by step
| Step | How long | What sets it |
|---|---|---|
| Cancel window | 5 business days after you sign | Texas law: you can cancel in writing, without penalty, until midnight of the fifth business day. |
| Permit | Set by your city or county | Under the 2025 third-party review route, the city must issue the approval within 3 business days of the notice. Other routes follow the city's own review times. |
| Utility application | Filed by your installer | Some utilities approve before installation (Austin Energy before the permit goes active; CenterPoint before installation in Houston). GVEC wants it 120 days before work starts. |
| Installation and inspection | Set by your installer and city | The city or utility inspects the finished work. At PEC, the final inspection visit comes 10 to 15 business days after the request. |
| Permission to operate | Within 4 weeks of a complete application | For utilities under the PUC rule, with pre-certified equipment (6 weeks otherwise). City utilities and co-ops set their own steps. |
| Meter and readings | About 7 to 12 weeks at Oncor | Oncor reprograms the meter in about 3 weeks, then one billing cycle of 30 to 60 days passes before readings reach your provider. |
| First buyback credit | Up to 3 billing cycles at TXU and Reliant | Both say the first credits can take that long after permission to operate. |
Times from Occupations Code 1806.156, Senate Bill 1202 (2025), the PUC's interconnection rule (16 TAC 25.211) and the utilities and providers named.
After the application: the longest stretch
In the parts of Texas where you choose an electricity provider, three clocks run back to back once your installer files a complete application. Taking each at its longest stated time, readings reach your provider about 11 to 16 weeks later in the Oncor area.
- Permission to operate (PUC limit)
- Meter reprogrammed (Oncor)
- One billing cycle, 30 to 60 days (Oncor)
Oncor itself puts the meter and billing steps at about 7 to 12 weeks after permission to operate. At AEP Texas, the meter is reprogrammed within 15 days instead of about 3 weeks.
By utility
The PUC's four-week rule covers investor-owned utilities and the companies that deliver power in the retail-choice areas. Texas law doesn't count city-owned utilities and electric co-ops as "electric utilities", so Austin Energy, CPS Energy, PEC and the other co-ops set their own steps.
| Utility | Approval | After approval | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oncor, CenterPoint, TNMP | Within 4 weeks of a complete application (PUC rule) | Oncor: meter in about 3 weeks, readings to your provider after one 30 to 60 day billing cycle | Oncor guide → |
| AEP Texas | Agreement and permission to operate within 30 days of the application | Meter within 15 days; readings to your provider 30 to 60 days later | AEP Texas guide → |
| Entergy Texas, SWEPCO, Xcel, El Paso Electric | Within 4 weeks of a complete application (PUC rule) | Each utility's own meter and billing steps | Buyback by utility → |
| CPS Energy | Review in about 7 to 10 business days (up to 30 over 25 kW) | Final commissioning scheduled 5 to 10 business days after the request | CPS Energy guide → |
| Austin Energy | Interconnection agreement approved before the permit goes active | Rebate check 7 to 10 business days after its quality review | Austin Energy guide → |
| PEC | Its own interconnection process | Final inspection visit 10 to 15 business days after the request | PEC guide → |
| GVEC | Application at least 120 days before construction | Written notice at least 30 days before you turn it on | GVEC guide → |
What slows it down
- An incomplete application. The PUC's four weeks start when the utility has a completed application, and applications are handled in the order received.
- Upgrades to the grid. If connecting your system needs substantial upgrades, the utility gives you a schedule and cost estimate first, then connects within two weeks of finishing the work.
- A missed deadline. A utility that can't connect a system in time has to tell you in writing, with the reason and an estimated date.
- A failed inspection. It means another visit, and at PEC a $100 charge for each extra one.
- Long lead times at some co-ops. GVEC asks for the application 120 days before work starts.
Your utility's permission-to-operate notice is the date every later step counts from. Keep it with your contract, and send a copy to your electricity provider when you switch to a buyback plan.
Keeping it moving
- Choose a buyback plan early. In the retail-choice areas, your plan decides what exports earn. TXU and Reliant both need your interconnection agreement, and first credits can take up to three billing cycles. Our buyback plans guide shows what to compare.
- Ask your installer which permit route it uses, and who files the utility application.
- Watch for rebate deadlines. Oncor's 2026 program, for example, needs projects finished and ready for inspection by 5 p.m. on November 30, 2026, or sooner if the money runs out, and within 60 days of the reservation. Our guide to the best time to install solar in Texas lays out the year's other dates.
- Don't turn the system on early. The PUC rule requires an application and an interconnection agreement before a system connects to the grid.
- Use your five days. Read the contract and the state's disclosure form before the cancel window closes; our cancellation guide counts the days.
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
On the call: Ask who files the permit and the utility application, and how long each usually takes where you live.
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
How long does it take to go solar in Texas?
Usually a few months from signing to the first buyback credit. Texas gives you 5 business days to cancel after you sign; a city permit can take 3 business days under the 2025 third-party review route; utilities under the PUC's rule must connect a system within 4 weeks of a complete application; and meter and billing steps then take another 1 to 3 months before your plan can pay for exports.
How long does Oncor take to approve solar?
As a utility under the PUC's interconnection rule, Oncor must connect a system with pre-certified equipment within four weeks of receiving a complete application. After permission to operate, Oncor says reprogramming the meter takes about three weeks, and the readings then need one billing cycle of 30 to 60 days to reach your provider.
What is permission to operate?
It's your utility's written approval to run a solar system connected to the grid, issued after the interconnection agreement is signed. The PUC rule requires an application and an interconnection agreement before a system connects.
When will I see solar credits on my electric bill in Texas?
In the retail-choice areas, after the meter is reprogrammed and a billing cycle passes. TXU and Reliant both say the first credits can take up to three billing cycles after permission to operate. Solar your home uses as it's made lowers your bill from the first day the system runs.
Do co-ops and city utilities follow the PUC's four-week rule?
No. Texas law doesn't count city-owned utilities or electric co-ops as electric utilities, and only one part of the rule applies to co-ops. Austin Energy, CPS Energy, PEC and the other co-ops set their own steps, such as GVEC's request for an application 120 days before construction.
How long do I have to cancel a solar contract in Texas?
Until midnight of the fifth business day after you sign, in writing, under Occupations Code 1806.156.
Related guides
- Solar panel permits in Texas
- Texas solar buyback plans
- How to cancel a solar contract in Texas
- Solar for Oncor customers
- Electric bill still high after solar?
- How to check a solar company in Texas
Times are the limits and estimates the rules and utilities publish; your installer, city and utility set the actual dates. Sources: PUC: 16 TAC 25.211 (PDF) · Utilities Code 31.002 · Occupations Code chapter 1806 · Texas Legislature: SB 1202, enrolled (2025) · Oncor: renewables and solar FAQ · Oncor: residential solar program · AEP Texas: solar overview and interconnection timeline · CPS Energy: residential solar process (PDF) · PEC: interconnection process · GVEC: Tariff for Electric Service (PDF) · Austin Energy: Solar Permitting Manual (PDF) · Austin Energy: solar for your home · City of Houston: solar PV permit and inspection guide (PDF) · TXU Energy: solar buyback · Reliant: compare solar plans. Reviewed October 2026.
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