What matters most
Identify the wires utility, retail electricity provider, and exact solar buyback plan before accepting any savings estimate. Texas does not have one statewide residential export arrangement.
Export value is plan-specific
In competitive retail areas, buyback terms can change by provider and plan. Some municipal utilities and electric cooperatives publish their own tariffs and interconnection rules. Review import price, export price, monthly fees, contract length, caps, and whether credits expire.
A proposal that assumes full retail credit without identifying the actual plan is not reliable.
Backup power and self-consumption
A battery can increase self-consumption and provide outage resilience, but value depends on the spread between import and export rates, usable storage, efficiency, and essential loads. Ask for separate solar-only and solar-plus-battery models.
Build your own baseline
Start with your bill and a cash installation price, then compare the result with the installer's model.
Open the calculator →Questions to ask before signing
- Which utility and retail plan is assumed?
- What are the import rate, export rate, fixed fees, and credit-expiry rules?
- Who submits interconnection paperwork and pays related charges?
- Are local incentives available and still funded?
- Which loads can a proposed battery support during an outage?
Methodology and primary sources
Primary references include the Public Utility Commission of Texas, utility and retail-provider tariff documents, ERCOT, US EIA electricity data, NREL PVWatts, and DSIRE. Plan terms should be checked on the day a proposal is assessed.