Big Country Electric Cooperative and solar
Big Country Electric Cooperative is an electric cooperative serving about 9,533 homes in Texas. Here's what its rates and export rules mean for solar: for a typical customer, solar is not worth it.
- Average price (2026 est.)
- 13.8¢13% below Texas average
- Typical bill
- $111803 kWh a month
- Exports credited
- ~43%No statewide net metering
- Typical payback
- 17.3 yrs3.2 kW, cash
Export rules for Big Country 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 Big Country Electric Cooperative home
| System | 3.2 kW (50% of 803 kWh/month) |
|---|---|
| Cost | $10,220 |
| First-year savings | $573 |
| Payback | 17.3 years |
| 25-year net | $6,040 |
Uses the utility's average price.
Solar adoption
- Homes with solar (2025)
- 40
- Share of customers
- 0.4%
- Residential solar capacity
- 1 MW
- Residential customers
- 9,533
EIA-861, 2025.
Questions about Big Country Electric Cooperative and solar
Does Big Country Electric Cooperative have net metering?
Big Country 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 Big Country Electric Cooperative?
Residential customers paid an average of 13.3¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA), about 13.8¢ adjusted to 2026. The typical home uses 803 kWh a month, a bill of about $111.
Is solar worth it with Big Country Electric Cooperative?
For a typical customer, solar is not worth it: a 3.2 kW system costing about $10,220 pays back in about 17.3 years, with $6,040 net over 25 years.
How many Big Country Electric Cooperative customers have solar?
About 40 homes had net-metered solar at the end of 2025, roughly 0.4% of residential customers (EIA-861).
Legal name: Big Country Electric Coop, Inc (EIA ID 1591). Data: EIA-861 2025 and monthly data through 2026, state policy research October 2026.