What net metering means
Net metering is a billing rule in which power sent to the grid runs the meter backward, or is credited at the retail rate, so the bill reflects only the difference between use and production. Many states require it. Texas does not have a statewide requirement of that kind.
What Texas law does say
- Utilities Code 39.916 requires a utility to allow interconnection of on-site generation of 2,000 kW or less if it carries a five-year warranty and fits the service capacity.
- In competitive areas the owner "must sell the owner's surplus electricity" to the REP serving the home "at a value agreed to" by the two. The provider "may contract" to credit the net value.
- PUCT rule 25.217 repeats this: surplus is sold at "a value to which both parties agree".
- PUCT rule 25.213 says owners "may begin selling out-flow at any time" and requires utilities to offer a two-meter or outflow-measuring setup on request.
Sources: Utilities Code 39.916, rule 25.217, rule 25.213.
The narrow exception
Rule 25.213(c) says utilities covered by a specific part of the Utilities Code must offer "interconnection through a single meter that runs forward and backward", but only for a small set of customers: low-income elderly apartment houses, or a qualifying facility of 50 kW or less. That is why this page says Texas has no statewide net metering requirement rather than that net metering exists nowhere in the state.
So where does the credit come from?
From your plan. Retail providers set their own buyback terms, and some offer credits close to the retail price while others pay far less. City utilities and co-ops set their own. The buyback plans guide lists where to read the terms, and the structures comparison shows how the shape of a plan changes the first-year value.
Questions
Can my provider refuse to buy my power?
The Power to Choose site says a company "is not required to purchase this power". That is the provider's choice, not a state mandate.
Does the 2,000 kW figure matter for a house?
No. A rooftop system is a few kW. The figure is the ceiling for what counts as distributed renewable generation under 39.916.
Is there a statewide required price?
None was found in the statute or the PUCT rules read for this page.
This page is general information, not advice for your situation.