Sunprint
The short answer
CenterPoint calls itself a regulated "poles and wires" utility: it delivers electricity on behalf of retail electric providers and doesn't sell it to you. So there's no CenterPoint net metering. Solar your home uses as it's made saves your plan's full price, delivery included. What the surplus earns depends on your provider's buyback terms, if your plan has any. CenterPoint's part is approving the connection, issuing permission to operate and reprogramming your meter.
Who does what
CenterPoint spells out four roles in a home solar project. Credits for the power you send out come from the third one, not from CenterPoint:
The account holder
Sign the paperwork with your installer, your retail electric provider and anyone else involved, such as an HOA. Billing questions go to your provider.
The solar company
Designs the system, files the applications and permits, and builds it to meet city, utility and code requirements.
The name on your bill
Handles all billing, including any buyback plan that credits the power you send out. CenterPoint notes that buyback options vary by provider.
The wires company
Approves and issues the interconnection agreement and permission to operate, and runs the meter, which it reprograms remotely to record exports.
What your solar is worth
On a solar home, every kWh either gets used in the house or flows out through CenterPoint's meter. The two are worth very different amounts:
Each square is 1 kWh out of every 100 a system sized to 85% of a home's yearly use produces. Average of our model of 200 Texas homes built from NREL data.
A kWh used at home never shows up on the bill, so it saves your provider's energy charge and CenterPoint's delivery charge. A kWh sent out earns only what your plan's buyback offers. Texas regulators note that buyback rates are "usually lower than the retail price that you pay," and some plans don't buy surplus at all. Our Texas buyback plans guide compares the plan types.
Running the pool pump, dishwasher or laundry in the middle of the day turns more of your solar into full-price savings instead of buyback credit.
What a monthly bill on CenterPoint's lines needs
Here's what our calculator works out for an average month at each bill size, with the average Texas plan price, CenterPoint's delivery charges and NREL's sun data for Houston:
| Average monthly bill | Yearly use (kWh) | System to cover 75% to 95% | Yearly savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| $100 | 6,800 | 3.8 to 4.8 kW | $480 to $840 |
| $150 | 10,500 | 5.8 to 7.3 kW | $740 to $1,280 |
| $200 | 14,100 | 7.8 to 9.8 kW | $990 to $1,720 |
| $250 | 17,700 | 9.8 to 12.4 kW | $1,240 to $2,160 |
| $300 | 21,300 | 11.7 to 14.9 kW | $1,500 to $2,600 |
Yearly use backs out CenterPoint's $4.90 in fixed monthly charges and divides by 16.66¢ per kWh, the 2024 average for Texas retail plans (federal EIA data). Systems produce 1,358 kWh per kW a year (PVWatts for a south-facing roof in Houston, less 5%). The low end assumes a smaller system and a wholesale-linked buyback; the high end, a larger system and a credit equal to the plan's energy charge.
Homes on CenterPoint's lines used about 1,099 kWh a month on average in 2024. PVWatts gives Houston a little less sun than Dallas, Austin or San Antonio, so a system here needs a few more panels for the same output.
CenterPoint's solar incentive
CenterPoint's energy efficiency plan, filed with the Public Utility Commission of Texas in April 2025, added a stand-alone Residential Solar Program. The plan budgets $1 million a year in incentives for 2025 and 2026, paid to "qualified service providers for the installation of photovoltaic systems" on existing homes. Only new systems qualify.
Two cautions. The money goes to the company installing the system, not to you, so it only helps if it comes off your price; ask to see it as a line on the invoice. And CenterPoint's older program web page and fact sheet no longer load, and we couldn't find a current page with 2026 terms, so don't count on the incentive until a seller shows it in writing.
Turning it on
CenterPoint's five steps are at the top of this page. Two rules matter most. The installer applies before building, and the system stays off until CenterPoint issues permission to operate. CenterPoint then reprograms the meter remotely to record what you send out.
Bought or rented a home that already has solar? CenterPoint says to email its residential distributed generation team at Residential.DG@CenterPointEnergy.com and go through the application before turning the system on. It sends you a revised interconnection agreement to sign, then permission to operate, and reprograms the meter.
Thinking about a portable generator with a transfer switch as backup? CenterPoint asks that the equipment be registered with its transfer switch team as well.
Before you sign
CenterPoint doesn't sell electricity, and it doesn't sell solar. Its job in your project is the connection and the meter. If a seller says a system comes through CenterPoint or a CenterPoint program, ask for that in writing on the contract.
Texas law gives you time to back out. Since September 1, 2025, Occupations Code 1806.156 lets you cancel a home solar purchase or lease in writing, without penalty, until the end of the fifth business day after you sign, and since September 1, 2026 the seller has to be registered with the state. Our Texas solar laws guide has the details.
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
Does CenterPoint offer net metering?
No. CenterPoint is a wires company that delivers power for retail electric providers and doesn't buy or sell electricity. Some retail providers offer buyback plans that credit the surplus solar power you send to the grid, at rates they set.
Who pays me for solar power I send back in the Houston area?
Your retail electric provider, under your plan's buyback terms. CenterPoint's meter records the power you send out, and your provider uses those readings for any credit. Buyback options vary by provider, and some plans don't pay for surplus at all.
Does CenterPoint have a solar rebate in 2026?
CenterPoint's energy efficiency plan budgets $1 million a year in 2025 and 2026 for a Residential Solar Program that pays incentives to qualified service providers for new systems on existing homes. Its older program page no longer loads, so ask any seller to show the incentive on the invoice.
How do I connect solar to CenterPoint's grid?
Your installer applies online through CenterPoint's interconnection portal. CenterPoint reviews the design, the installer builds the system, CenterPoint reviews the finished job, and then it issues permission to operate and reprograms your meter. The system should stay off until then.
I bought a home with solar on CenterPoint's lines. What do I do?
Email CenterPoint's residential distributed generation team at Residential.DG@CenterPointEnergy.com and complete the application before turning the system on. CenterPoint sends a revised interconnection agreement to sign, then issues permission to operate and reprograms the meter.
How much does CenterPoint charge to deliver power?
For homes, as of October 1, 2026: a $2.11 customer charge and a $2.79 metering charge each month, plus 6.5333 cents per kWh. On a 1,000 kWh month that's $70.23, before your retail provider's energy charges.
Related guides
- Texas solar buyback plans and net metering
- Average electric bill in Texas
- Texas solar incentives in 2026
- Solar batteries and Texas outages
- Solar for Entergy Texas customers
- Is solar worth it in Texas?
CenterPoint's delivery charges change with PUCT decisions, and retail plan prices and buyback terms change often. Check current terms before relying on a figure. Sources: CenterPoint Energy: solar energy and interconnection · CenterPoint 2025 Energy Efficiency Plan and Report · PUCT: CenterPoint monthly rate report · PUCT: thinking about solar panels for your home? · Occupations Code chapter 1806 · EIA Form 861 · PVWatts v8, National Laboratory of the Rockies (formerly NREL). Reviewed October 2026.
Next guideSolar for Oncor customers →