Sunprint
The short answer
Texas homes used 1,118 kWh a month on average in 2025, according to federal EIA data. To cover 85% of that, a home in Dallas needs about 7.9 kW of panels, or 18 panels at 440 watts each. The same home would need 15 panels in El Paso and 20 in Houston.
Your own number depends on two things: how much power you use in a year, and how much sun your roof gets. The estimator below takes both.
The math in three steps
- Yearly use. Add up the kWh on your last 12 bills. If you only have one, multiply a mid-season month by 12; Texas use swings from about 830 kWh in April to 1,520 in August on average.
- Size in kW. Multiply yearly use by the share you want to cover, then divide by what one kW of panels makes in a year where you live: about 1,760 kWh in El Paso, 1,450 in Dallas and 1,360 in Houston.
- Panels. Divide kW by the panel size in kW (0.44 for a 440-watt panel) and round up.
Average Dallas home: 1,118 × 12 × 0.85 ÷ 1,447 = 7.9 kW ÷ 0.44 = 18 panels.
Estimate yours
Panel area is the panels alone, about 21 square feet each, before the gaps and edge space a layout needs.
Panels by monthly use
| Average monthly use | El Paso | Lubbock | Austin | Dallas | Houston | Beaumont |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500 kWh | 7 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
| 750 kWh | 10 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
| 1,000 kWh | 14 | 14 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 18 |
| 1,250 kWh | 17 | 18 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 22 |
| 1,500 kWh | 20 | 21 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 26 |
| 2,000 kWh | 27 | 28 | 33 | 33 | 35 | 35 |
| 2,500 kWh | 33 | 35 | 41 | 41 | 43 | 44 |
440-watt panels, sized to cover 85% of yearly use. Sun: NREL PVWatts for a south-facing 6/12 roof in each city, less 5%, as in our calculator. East or west roofs and shade need more panels.
Why not cover 100%?
Most Texas utilities and retail plans pay less for power you send to the grid than you pay for power you buy; the state regulator says the buyback rate "is usually lower than the retail price." Panels beyond your own use mostly make power you export at that lower price, so each extra panel saves less than the ones before it. That's why our calculator sizes systems at 75% to 95% of yearly use.
There's a legal line too. Under Utilities Code 39.916(k), you aren't treated as an electric utility or retail provider as long as the system's estimated yearly output is no more than your home's estimated yearly use when it's installed. Our Texas solar laws guide covers it, and our buyback guide explains what exports earn.
Austin Energy is the main exception: its Value of Solar credit pays the same for every kWh your panels make, used or exported. See our Austin Energy guide.
What a panel is today
Median 440 W; the middle half of models run 420 to 455 W
We used 440 watts because it's the median rating of the 1,229 home-size panel models (under 2.2 square meters) added to the California Energy Commission's certified equipment list since January 2025. A quote with 400-watt panels needs about 10% more of them for the same kW; one with 455-watt panels needs about 3% fewer. Compare quotes by kW, not panel count.
Roof space
Those panels average about 21 square feet each, so 18 panels cover about 377 square feet before any spacing. Which way the roof faces matters too: in NREL's model for Dallas, a west-facing roof makes 85% and an east-facing one 83% of what a south-facing roof does, so they need about 17% and 20% more panels for the same power.
If you're in an HOA, Texas law lets it set some placement rules but not ban solar; our HOA guide explains the 10% rule for roof placement.
From panels to price
Price follows kW, not panel count. At $3.00 to $3.50 a watt, the middle of what Texas homeowners paid in Berkeley Lab's data, the average Dallas home's 7.9 kW comes to about $24,000 to $28,000 before any rebate. Our Texas cost guide breaks that down by home size and utility, and is solar worth it in Texas shows the payback.
Your estimate in three steps
- Enter your billYour ZIP code, your utility and last month's bill.
- See your estimateA yearly savings range based on your utility's rates and the sun where you live.
- Choose what's nextAsk for a quote call if you want real pricing, or just keep the number.
See what solar could save you
It takes about a minute. You don't need a site visit, a commitment or a sales call to see your number.
Common questions
How many solar panels does an average Texas home need?
About 15 to 20 panels of 440 watts, covering 85% of the 1,118 kWh a month the average Texas home used in 2025: about 15 in El Paso, 18 in Dallas and 20 in Houston, because the same panels make more power in West Texas.
How many solar panels do I need for 1,000 kWh a month in Texas?
About 14 to 18 panels of 440 watts to cover 85% of it, from El Paso to Beaumont. In Dallas it's about 17.
How many panels for a 2,000 square foot house in Texas?
Texas single-family homes of 2,000 to 2,499 square feet averaged about 15,465 kWh a year in federal survey data. Covering 85% of that in Dallas takes about 9.1 kW, or 21 panels of 440 watts. Your own bills are a better guide than square footage.
What size solar panel is standard now?
The median rating of home-size panel models added to the California Energy Commission's certified list since January 2025 is 440 watts, and the middle half run 420 to 455 watts.
Should my solar system cover 100% of my use in Texas?
Usually a bit less. Most Texas utilities and plans pay less for exported power than retail, so panels beyond your own use add less savings. Texas law also treats you as a utility only if the system is expected to make more than your home uses in a year. Our calculator sizes systems at 75% to 95% of yearly use.
How much roof space do I need for solar in Texas?
Today's home-size panels average about 21 square feet each, so the average Dallas home's 18 panels cover about 377 square feet before spacing.
Related guides
- How much solar panels cost in Texas
- Is solar worth it in Texas?
- Average electric bill in Texas
- Texas solar buyback plans
- Texas HOA solar rules
- Texas solar laws
Estimates are ours, from the same model as our calculator. Shade, roof direction and your own use change the real number. Sources: EIA Form 861M, Texas residential sales, 2025 · PVWatts v8, National Laboratory of the Rockies (formerly NREL) · California Energy Commission PV module list (September 2026) · Texas Utilities Code 39.916 · PUCT: thinking about solar panels for your home? · Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 2025 data update · EIA Residential Energy Consumption Survey 2020 microdata. Reviewed October 2026.
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