Solar panels in Austin, TX: payback and output

A kW of south-facing panels in Austin produces about 1,483 kWh a year, 4% more than Houston, the Texas reference city. Summer months produce 1.5× what winter does. To cover a typical 10,500 kWh/yr home on paper you'd need roughly 7.1 kW.

Output by month in Austin (kWh per kW)

Best: Aug · weakest: Feb.

Example 7 kW system in Austin

Installed cost (example): $21,000
Production, year 1: 10,382 kWh
Savings, year 1: $1,649
Payback: 12.1 years
25-year net gain: $29,221

Uses the Texas average price (15.88¢/kWh, EIA July 2026), full net metering and no incentives. Your utility's rate and export credit may differ — change them below.

Calculate your home in Austin

Your roofLocation

FacingRoof pitch

System sizekWA typical modern panel is 0.4 kW.

Your usageAnnual electricity usekWh/yrAdd up 12 months of bills. U.S. homes average roughly 10,000–11,000 kWh.Use while the sun is up%30–40% if nobody is home during the day; 50–60% if you work from home.

PricesElectricity price$/kWhBlank = Austin, TX average from EIA ($0.159/kWh). Use your bill's all-in rate.Credit for exported powerInstalled cost$/kWYour quote divided by system size. Example value.Rebates and incentives$The 30% federal credit ended for systems placed in service after Dec 31, 2025.

Advanced

Maintenance & insurance$/yrElectricity price change%/yrAssumption. Try 0% for a conservative case.

First-year savings

$1,649

Payback

12.1 years

25-year net gain

$29,221

Return (IRR)

7.4%

Production vs. use by month

10,382 kWh/yr produced · covers 40% of your use directly · 40% of output used on the spot.

Production Use

Which size pays off best?

Same usage and prices, only size changes. Best 25-year net gain: 8 kW.

kW	Cost	Year-1 savings	Payback	25-yr gain
3	$9,000	$707	12.9 years	$11,095
4	$12,000	$942	12.5 years	$15,627
5	$15,000	$1,178	12.3 years	$20,158
6	$18,000	$1,413	12.2 years	$24,690
7	$21,000	$1,649	12.1 years	$29,221
8	$24,000	$1,667	13.0 years	$30,455
10	$30,000	$1,667	15.7 years	$24,455
12	$36,000	$1,667	18.2 years	$18,455

Estimate based on NLR PVWatts and EIA data. See the methodology.

Read the full Texas solar guide for net metering, orientation and price trends.

Other cities in Texas

Data: NLR PVWatts v8 (U.S. DOE National Laboratory of the Rockies, formerly NREL), TMY weather near Austin (30.27, -97.74), 14% losses, retrieved 2026-10-11. Published 2026-10-11.