Sam Houston Electric Cooperative and solar
Sam Houston Electric Cooperative is an electric cooperative serving about 88,424 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.)
- 14.7¢8% below Texas average
- Typical bill
- $1741,184 kWh a month
- Exports credited
- ~41%No statewide net metering
- Typical payback
- 14.8 yrs4.7 kW, cash
Export rules for Sam Houston 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 Sam Houston Electric Cooperative home
| System | 4.7 kW (50% of 1,184 kWh/month) |
|---|---|
| Cost | $13,370 |
| First-year savings | $890 |
| Payback | 14.8 years |
| 25-year net | $12,195 |
Uses the utility's average price.
Solar adoption
- Homes with solar (2025)
- —
- Share of customers
- —
- Residential solar capacity
- —
- Residential customers
- 88,424
EIA-861, 2025.
Questions about Sam Houston Electric Cooperative and solar
Does Sam Houston Electric Cooperative have net metering?
Sam Houston 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 Sam Houston Electric Cooperative?
Residential customers paid an average of 14.2¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA), about 14.7¢ adjusted to 2026. The typical home uses 1,184 kWh a month, a bill of about $174.
Is solar worth it with Sam Houston Electric Cooperative?
For a typical customer, solar is a close call: a 4.7 kW system costing about $13,370 pays back in about 14.8 years, with $12,195 net over 25 years.
How many Sam Houston Electric Cooperative customers have solar?
Sam Houston Electric Cooperative did not report residential net-metered solar to EIA for 2025.
Legal name: Sam Houston Electric Coop Inc (EIA ID 16613). Data: EIA-861 2025 and monthly data through 2026, state policy research October 2026.