Bandera Electric Cooperative and solar
Bandera Electric Cooperative is an electric cooperative serving about 35,906 homes in Texas. Here's what its rates and export rules mean for solar: for a typical customer, solar is a close call.
- Average price (2026 est.)
- 13.2¢17% below Texas average
- Typical bill
- $1581,191 kWh a month
- Exports credited
- ~45%No statewide net metering
- Typical payback
- 16.2 yrs4.7 kW, cash
Export rules for Bandera Electric Cooperative customers
No statewide net metering (Texas rule).
Texas has no statewide net metering. In the deregulated ERCOT market you pick a retail electricity provider, and a few offer 'solar buyback' plans (typically 3-9 c/kWh, some match retail). Municipal utilities and co-ops set their own rules, e.g., Austin Energy's Value of Solar credit.
Solar for a typical Bandera Electric Cooperative home
| System | 4.7 kW (50% of 1,191 kWh/month) |
|---|---|
| Cost | $13,370 |
| First-year savings | $813 |
| Payback | 16.2 years |
| 25-year net | $9,525 |
Uses the utility's average price.
Solar adoption
- Homes with solar (2025)
- 609
- Share of customers
- 1.7%
- Residential solar capacity
- 6 MW
- Residential customers
- 35,906
EIA-861, 2025.
Questions about Bandera Electric Cooperative and solar
Does Bandera Electric Cooperative have net metering?
Bandera Electric Cooperative follows Texas's rules: Texas has no statewide net metering. In the deregulated ERCOT market you pick a retail electricity provider, and a few offer 'solar buyback' plans (typically 3-9 c/kWh, some match retail). Municipal utilities and co-ops set their own rules, e.g., Austin Energy's Value of Solar credit.
How much does electricity cost with Bandera Electric Cooperative?
Residential customers paid an average of 12.8¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA), about 13.2¢ adjusted to 2026. The typical home uses 1,191 kWh a month, a bill of about $158.
Is solar worth it with Bandera Electric Cooperative?
For a typical customer, solar is a close call: a 4.7 kW system costing about $13,370 pays back in about 16.2 years, with $9,525 net over 25 years.
How many Bandera Electric Cooperative customers have solar?
About 609 homes had net-metered solar at the end of 2025, roughly 1.7% of residential customers (EIA-861).
Legal name: Bandera Electric Coop, Inc (EIA ID 1175). Data: EIA-861 2025 and monthly data through 2026, state policy research October 2026.