Greater Houston · CenterPoint Energy
Solar Panel Cost in Houston, Texas
Humidity and long cooling seasons push Houston bills high, so offsetting usage on-site tends to pay back faster than the state average.
- Typical system size
- 10.1 kW
- Gross installed cost
- $27,030
- Net after 30% credit
- $27,030
- Estimated payback
- 10.3 years
Run the numbers for your Houston home
Pre-loaded with Houston rates and sun hours. Change your bill to match your own.
Free Texas Solar Calculator
Estimate your solar system
Enter your electricity bill and home details to estimate solar system size, production, cost, savings, and payback.
Use your average bill from the last 12 months if possible.
Estimated solar system
24 panels at 410 watts each
Annual production
14,363 kWh
Installed cost
$26,765
First-year savings
$2,160
Monthly savings
$180
Simple payback
11 years
25-year net savings
$48,605
Your estimate
Based on Dallas electricity rates, local solar resource, estimated system losses, roof conditions, and current installed-cost assumptions.
Planning estimate
This calculator is designed for early-stage planning. A professional site assessment is required for an installation quote.
No email required
You can use the calculator without submitting an email address or requesting an installer quote.
Texas-specific
City selection changes the electricity rate, solar resource, and installed-cost assumptions used in your estimate.
Estimates are for educational and planning purposes only. Actual solar production, project cost, savings, incentives, and payback can vary based on roof conditions, equipment, utility rules, financing, installation requirements, electricity rates, and other factors. This calculator does not automatically apply a federal tax credit to 2026 estimates.
What solar costs in Houston right now
Installers in the Greater Houston market are quoting close to $2.68 per watt for a straightforward cash purchase. For a home using about 1,240 kWh a month, that means a 10.1 kW array around $27,030 before incentives. The 30% federal residential clean energy credit brings $0 of that back, landing your net cost near $27,030.
Financed proposals in this market frequently arrive 20% to 30% higher for identical hardware, because the lender's dealer fee is folded into the contract price. Ask for the cash price alongside the financed price before you compare anything.
Electricity rates and why they matter here
Houston households pay roughly 15.6¢ per kWh, which puts a typical monthly bill near $193. Every cent of that rate is money a solar array can offset, which is why two homes with identical roofs in different Texas cities can have payback periods two or three years apart.
CenterPoint Energy and what happens to extra power
No statewide net metering. Several Houston-area REPs offer solar buyback plans.
This is the detail most Houston homeowners skip, and it is the one that most often makes a real system underperform its proposal. Read our guide to Texas solar buyback and net metering before you approve a system size, because weak export credit is a strong argument for a smaller array.
Sun exposure in Houston
Houston averages about 4.7 peak sun hours per day. After a realistic 14% loss for inverter efficiency, wiring, soiling, and summer heat, each installed kilowatt produces roughly 1,475 kWh a year here.
Orientation matters as much as geography. A south-facing plane with no shading is the baseline. East-west splits lose roughly 10% to 18%, and meaningful tree cover can take 30% off production. A shade study using drone or satellite modeling should be part of any serious proposal.
Incentives available to Houston homeowners
- 30% federal residential clean energy credit on the full installed cost, including labor and qualifying storage
- Texas property tax exemption on the added appraised value, filed with your county appraisal district
- Local utility rebates where CenterPoint Energy offers them, subject to annual budget
Choosing an installer in Houston
Get three quotes, and make at least two of them local companies that have completed CenterPoint Energy interconnections before. Ask each for cost per watt, the production estimate in kWh with its modeling assumptions, the workmanship warranty length, and who files the interconnection paperwork.
Then compare those quotes against the estimate above. A proposal within about 15% of this model is in the normal range. A proposal 40% higher needs an explanation you can point to on the page.