Solar companies in Austin, TX: who installs the most
A typical 7 kW system in Austin costs about $15,750 before incentives and pays for itself in about 14 years without the federal credit. Check the numbers for your home:
Your solar estimate
An estimate, not a quote: system size comes from your bill, production from NREL for your ZIP. No federal credit, rate increases, panel degradation or financing. How I calculate.
I went through utility interconnection records: 1,387 home solar systems were installed within 10.2 miles of central Austin in 2022–2024, by 10 companies with 30 or more systems each. The five most active: Freedom Solar (411), Lighthouse Solar Austin (267), Freedom Forever (93), 512 Solar (87), Sunrun (57). Today, quotes average $2.25/W in Austin (EnergySage, updated 2026-09-04) — about $15,750 for a 7 kW system before incentives.
I don't install solar or rank companies; these are counts from public records. Hank is our illustrated character, not a real homeowner or installer. If you request quotes, your request goes to a referral network of installers. How I calculate.
Solar installers in Austin by number of systems
| Company (as recorded) | Systems 2022–2024 | Earliest record here | Leased / PPA | With battery | Typical size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freedom Solar | 411 | 2009 | 0% | 28% | 7.4 kW |
| Lighthouse Solar Austin | 267 | 2008 | 0% | 20% | 7.5 kW |
| Freedom Forever | 93 | 2020 | 0% | 4% | 8.0 kW |
| 512 Solar | 87 | 2014 | 0% | 0% | 8.1 kW |
| Sunrun | 57 | 2017 | 0% | 23% | 7.8 kW |
| Longhorn Solar | 53 | 2009 | 0% | 19% | 8.3 kW |
| M2 Power Solutions | 43 | 2021 | 0% | 5% | 7.6 kW |
| Green Light Solar Tx | 32 | 2019 | 0% | 12% | 8.0 kW |
| J C Energy Enterprises | 32 | 2020 | 0% | 3% | 8.6 kW |
| Titan Solar | 31 | 2019 | 0% | 3% | 8.8 kW |
Counts of systems in utility interconnection records for ZIP codes within 10.2 miles of central Austin — not reviews, rankings or recommendations; I have no partnership with these companies. Company names are as reported and can include older brand names.
Get solar quotes in Austin
Enter your ZIP to request quotes from installers who work in your area.
How to check a solar quote in Austin
- Divide your quote by system size in watts. Austin quotes on EnergySage average $2.25/W; a typical 11.9 kW system there is quoted $22,674–$30,676 before incentives.
- Ask which utility credit the savings estimate uses. Power you send to the grid is credited at: Austin Energy 9.91¢/kWh.
- Paste the price and size into the quote checker or follow the six-step quote check.
Compare quotes for a home in Austin
Three short steps and I'll pass your request along. I'm not an installer: your request goes to partner installers who may contact you. Companies in the table above are not my partners.
Austin Energy: rates and export credits
| Utility | Typical energy charge | Credit for power sent to the grid | Export rate period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austin Energy | $0.068/kWh Residential, Residential - Outside Austin | $0.0991/kWh Value of Solar Rider (all production credited, charges for all consumption) | systems under 1 MW-AC, effective 2023-03-01, subject to change |
Parts of the Austin area near its edges are served by TXU Energy Retail Co. This page covers the utility serving most of the city.
Is solar worth it in Austin at today's prices?
At today's average quote of $2.25/W, a 7 kW system pays for itself in about 14 years for Austin Energy customers.
| Utility | Size | kWh/yr | Cost at $2.25/W | Credits and rebates | Savings/yr | Payback | 20-yr net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austin Energy | 5 kW | 7,415 | $11,250 | $4,000 | $618 | 11.7 yrs | $5,111 |
| Austin Energy | 7 kW | 10,381 | $15,750 | $4,000 | $865 | 13.6 yrs | $5,555 |
| Austin Energy | 10 kW | 14,830 | $22,500 | $4,000 | $1,236 | 15.0 yrs | $6,222 |
Rates used: Austin Energy 6.8¢ used at home, 9.91¢ exported. Half of production used at home, no federal credit, no rate increases or degradation — full method.
How much a system produces in Austin
Each 1 kW of panels produces about 1,483 kWh a year here — most in August (154 kWh), least in February (94 kWh).
Incentives and rules for Austin homeowners
- Federal tax credit: the 30% Residential Clean Energy Credit is not available for property placed in service after December 31, 2025 (IRS).
- Austin Energy: Excess Solar Bill Credit carries over month-to-month, non-transferable. Residential PV rebate $4,000 per project for systems larger than 3 kW, effective 2026-07-01 (https://austinenergy.com/about/news/news-releases/2026/Austin-Energy-increases-solar-incentives-for-residential-and-commercial-customers). FY2026 tariff (bills from 2025-11-01): residential energy charges tiered $0.04640-$0.07525+/kWh plus $16.50/month, other charges extra (https://austinenergy.com/-/media/project/websites/shared/pdfs/rates/tariff.pdf).
- Property tax: Tax Code Section 11.27: exemption of the appraised value added by a solar energy device primarily for production and distribution of energy for on-site use; apply to the county appraisal district with Form 50-123 between January 1 and April 30.
- Selling power back: No statewide net metering rule; export compensation is set by each utility. CPS Energy is a municipal utility outside the competitive market.
Texas rules and utility credits checked on 2026-09-14; price benchmark checked on 2026-09-15.
More cities
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Ready for solar quotes in Austin?
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Sources for Austin
- CPS Energy Rider E5 (effective 2008-09-01), received from CPS DG team 2026-09-14
- https://austinenergy.com/rates/residential-rates/value-of-solar-rate
- https://comptroller.texas.gov/forms/50-123.pdf
- https://data.openei.org/submissions/3
- https://developer.nlr.gov/docs/electricity/utility-rates-v3/
- https://developer.nlr.gov/docs/solar/pvwatts/v8/
- https://openei.org/services/doc/rest/util_rates/?version=7
- https://www.cpsenergy.com/en/my-home/savenow/solar-photovoltaic-rebate/comm-solar-rebate-faqs.html
- https://www.energysage.com/local-data/solar-panel-cost/tx/travis-county/austin/
- https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/residential-clean-energy-credit
- https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2025_Gazetteer/
Data collected on 2026-09-14.