Guide · Updated for 2026
Texas solar buyback plans compared (2026)
Most Texas Retail Electric Providers no longer offer true 1:1 net metering — the handful of plans still marketed as "1:1" almost always cap credits at your monthly usage and price energy above the market to compensate. Your realistic options in 2026 are a 1:1 bill credit plan (capped at consumption, higher energy rate), a fixed cents-per-kWh export credit that is usually well below retail, or a real-time wholesale plan that pays ERCOT market price for exports and can be excellent during summer peaks but zero at night. The plan that wins for your home depends on how much of your production you actually consume during the day.
Plan comparison
Verify every rate against the plan's current Electricity Facts Label (EFL) before switching — REPs revise terms often. Rows marked [VERIFY] are placeholders Isai is confirming.
- Fixed credit
Green Mountain Energy
Renewable Rewards Buyback
- Base fee
- $9.95
- Notes
- [VERIFY 2026 EFL] Fixed cents/kWh credit for exported solar; credits capped at monthly usage.
- 1:1 bill credit
TXU Energy
Home Solar Buyback
- Base fee
- $0
- Notes
- [VERIFY 2026 EFL] 1:1 bill credit up to your monthly usage; higher energy rate than non-solar plans.
- 1:1 bill credit
Reliant Energy
Simple Solar Sell Back
- Base fee
- $0
- Notes
- [VERIFY 2026 EFL] 1:1 credit up to consumption; excess exports typically forfeit.
- Fixed credit
Rhythm Energy
PowerShift 12
- Base fee
- $0
- Notes
- [VERIFY 2026 EFL] Fixed export credit; unused credits roll over.
- Fixed credit
Chariot Energy
Rise & Shine 12
- Base fee
- $0
- Notes
- [VERIFY 2026 EFL] 100% solar-sourced supply; fixed cents/kWh for exports.
- Real-time wholesale
Octopus Energy
Octopus Solar Rate
- Base fee
- $0
- Notes
- [VERIFY 2026 EFL] Exports paid at real-time ERCOT wholesale — high in summer peaks, low overnight.
- Fixed credit
MP2 Energy (Shell Energy)
Simply Solar
- Base fee
- [VERIFY]
- Notes
- [VERIFY 2026 EFL] Fixed export rate; typically below retail energy price.
- Fixed credit
AEP Texas (TDU only)
N/A — wires company
- Base fee
- TDU delivery charges apply
- Notes
- AEP is the TDU across most of the RGV — they deliver power but do not sell energy or buy back. Your buyback comes from whichever REP you choose.
What this means in the Rio Grande Valley
The entire RGV — McAllen, Edinburg, Mission, Pharr, Weslaco, Harlingen, Brownsville — sits inside AEP Texas Central territory. AEP is the wires company that delivers your power and reads your meter; they do not sell you energy and they do not buy your exports. Your energy rate, your export credit, and your buyback structure all come from whichever Retail Electric Provider you signed up with.
Valley homes with solar tend to over-produce March through May and again in the shoulder of fall, then import heavily on August afternoons when the A/C runs and panel output drops. That production/usage shape is why "1:1" plans capped at monthly consumption often waste spring exports, and why real-time wholesale plans can look very different for two neighbors with identical panels.
Frequently asked
›Is 1:1 net metering still available in Texas in 2026?
In deregulated Texas (which includes the Rio Grande Valley on AEP Texas), there is no state-mandated 1:1 net metering. A handful of Retail Electric Providers still offer plans that credit exported solar at the same rate you pay for imported energy, but they usually cap credits at your monthly consumption and charge a higher energy rate or monthly base fee to make it work. True 1:1 is the exception, not the rule.
›What is the difference between real-time wholesale, fixed credit, and 1:1 bill credit?
Real-time wholesale pays you the live ERCOT market price for each kWh you export — this can be excellent during summer peak hours and near zero overnight. Fixed credit pays a set cents-per-kWh rate for every exported kWh, usually well below retail. 1:1 bill credit gives you a credit equal to your retail energy rate, but almost always capped at your monthly usage so you cannot bank a check.
›Does the buyback plan matter more than the energy rate?
No. For most Valley homes, the retail energy rate you pay for imported power moves your bill more than the export credit. A plan with a great buyback rate but a high energy rate or high base fee can lose to a boring plan with cheap energy. Model both sides — imports and exports — against your actual production and usage before you switch.
›Why does my Valley neighbor pay less than me on the same size solar system?
Almost always one of three things: they self-consume more of their production (bigger daytime loads or a battery), they are on a plan whose energy rate fits their usage profile, or the previous owner locked in a legacy 1:1 plan that is no longer sold. The panels themselves are rarely the difference.
›How do I pick the right buyback plan for my RGV home?
Pull a full year of hourly usage data from Smart Meter Texas, get your system's actual production from the monitoring app, and compare at least three plans across their real energy rate, base fee, buyback structure, and any credit caps. If you would rather not do the math, send us your bill and monitoring screenshot and we'll do it for free.
Not sure which plan wins for your home?
Send us your latest bill and a screenshot of your solar monitoring app. We'll compare the plans you qualify for against your actual production and usage — free.
Get a free bill review →Last updated: July 18, 2026