Texas solar leads
Texas ranked third for small-scale solar in July 2026 at 3,392.3 MW in the EIA’s monthly estimates, and from September 1, 2026 residential solar sellers must register with TDLR. Summit Leads supplies solar leads in Texas by real-time ping/post, with filters and routing agreed during onboarding.
Summit Leads sells solar leads by real-time ping/post. Filters and routing are agreed during onboarding.
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Texas facts for solar lead buyers
| Fact | Value Source |
|---|---|
| Small-scale solar PV capacity, July 2026 | 3,392.3 MW (EIA estimate, July 2026), the third highest of the 49 states with an EIA estimateElectric Power Monthly, Table 6.2.B: Net Summer Capacity Using Primarily Renewable Energy Sources and by State U.S. Energy Information Administration |
| Small-scale solar PV capacity, July 2025 | 3,165.0 MW (EIA estimate, July 2025): 227.3 MW, or 7.2%, was added by July 2026Electric Power Monthly, Table 6.2.B: Net Summer Capacity Using Primarily Renewable Energy Sources and by State U.S. Energy Information Administration |
| Solar resource in Houston, the largest city | 5.18 kWh per square meter per day on a fixed array facing south at a 20-degree tilt (PVWatts version 8, typical-year weather, checked October 9, 2026)PVWatts Calculator (version 8): Houston, Texas National Laboratory of the Rockies (formerly NREL) |
| Average residential electricity price, 2024 | 14.94 cents per kWh (2023: 14.46 cents; EIA Form EIA-861 data, 2024)Electric Power Annual, Table 2.10: Average Price of Electricity to Ultimate Customers by End-Use Sector, by State U.S. Energy Information Administration |
| Detached single-family homes as a share of all housing units | 64.4% (7,809,439 of 12,128,515 units; ACS 5-year 2020-2024, table B25024)Table B25024, Units in Structure: Texas (ACS 5-Year 2020-2024) U.S. Census Bureau |
| Owner-occupied single-family detached homes | 6,091,247, or 88.5% of 6,879,255 owner-occupied homes (ACS 5-year 2020-2024, table B25032)Table B25032, Tenure by Units in Structure: Texas (ACS 5-Year 2020-2024) U.S. Census Bureau |
| Surplus electricity in customer choice areas | Sold to the retail electric provider serving the home at a value the owner and provider agree, which may be a carried-over bill credit (Utilities Code 39.916(j), checked October 9, 2026)Utilities Code 39.916, Interconnection of Distributed Renewable Generation Texas Legislature |
| Interconnection of distributed renewable generation | Utilities must allow it for systems up to 2,000 kW with a five-year warranty against breakdown or undue degradation (Utilities Code 39.916(a)-(b), checked October 9, 2026)Utilities Code 39.916, Interconnection of Distributed Renewable Generation Texas Legislature |
| Registration of residential solar retailers and salespersons | Required with TDLR from September 1, 2026 to sell or lease residential solar energy systems (Occupations Code 1806.101-1806.102; TDLR, checked October 9, 2026)Residential Solar Retailers: What’s in Effect When Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation |
| Who installs a residential solar energy system | A licensed electrical contractor, named with license number in the sale or lease agreement (Occupations Code 1806.155, in effect since September 1, 2025)Residential Solar Retailers: What’s in Effect When Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation |
| Cancellation of a residential solar agreement | Allowed without penalty by written notice on or before the fifth business day after signing (Occupations Code 1806.156, in effect since September 1, 2025)Occupations Code Chapter 1806, Residential Solar Retailers Texas Legislature |
| Property tax on an on-site solar energy device | The appraised value the device adds to real property is exempt (Tax Code 11.27(a), as amended in 2021, checked October 9, 2026)Tax Code 11.27, Solar and Wind-Powered Energy Devices Texas Legislature |
Last reviewed: October 9, 2026. A summary for education, not legal advice.
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Texas small-scale solar, July 2025 to July 2026
Behind-the-meter systems below 1 MW, mostly rooftop arrays on homes and businesses, are what the EIA counts as small-scale solar. Its Electric Power Monthly, Table 6.2.B put Texas at 3,392.3 MW in July 2026, against 3,165.0 MW a year earlier. That is 227.3 MW of growth, or 7.2%, and only California and New York were higher in July 2026.
| Month | Capacity (MW) | Source |
|---|---|---|
| July 2025 | 3,165.0 | EIA EPM Table 6.2.B, July 2025 |
| July 2026 | 3,392.3 | EIA EPM Table 6.2.B, July 2026 |
For a buyer, the figure measures equipment already on Texas roofs. Installers that add batteries, expand arrays or service older systems work from that base; the estimate does not count homeowners who are shopping for a first system today.
Solar resource in Houston
Houston is the largest Texas city in the Census Bureau’s July 1, 2025 estimates, so it stands in for the state here. The PVWatts calculator, developed at NREL and now run by the National Laboratory of the Rockies, returns 5.18 kWh per square meter per day for the city (checked October 9, 2026).
Method in brief: PVWatts version 8 with its default array, fixed and open-rack, facing due south at a 20-degree tilt, placed at Houston’s Census gazetteer coordinates and run on typical-year weather from the National Solar Radiation Database. Texas is large enough that El Paso or the Panhandle would returnReturnA buyer's request for credit on a lead that fails agreed standards, such as a disconnected number, a duplicate or a lead outside the filters. Glossary a different value, and no single home is modeled.
What Texas households paid per kWh
The EIA’s annual price table averages residential revenue per kWh across every utility and retail provider in the state. The two most recent years are listed below as reference data.
| Year | Cents per kWh | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 14.46 | EIA Electric Power Annual, Table 2.10 |
| 2024 | 14.94 | EIA Electric Power Annual, Table 2.10 |
Surplus solar power and interconnection under Texas law
This section is general information, not legal advice. It summarizes official sources as of October 9, 2026; check the current text of each rule before relying on it.
Texas sets the basic terms for home solar in statute rather than in a single net metering tariff. Utilities Code 39.916 (checked October 9, 2026) defines distributed renewable generation as up to 2,000 kW installed on the customer’s side of the meter, and requires a transmission and distribution utility or electric utility to allow interconnection when the system carries a five-year warranty against breakdown or undue degradation and does not exceed the utility’s service capacity.
Where customer choice has been introduced, subsection (j) says the owner sells surplus electricity to the retail electric provider serving the home at a value the two agree on. The statute gives examples: a value based on the clearing price of energy when the power reaches the grid, or a credit that carries over to later billing periods. Subsection (e) bars the utility or provider from requiring extra liability insurance for a system that meets the commission’s standards.
Because the credit terms are set by each retail provider, a solar installer in a choice area often asks which provider and plan the homeowner has before quoting.
Texas registration for solar retailers and salespeople
This section is general information, not legal advice. It summarizes official sources as of October 9, 2026; check the current text of each rule before relying on it.
Senate Bill 1036 of 2025 created the Residential Solar Retailer Regulatory Act, Occupations Code chapter 1806, administered by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. TDLR’s “What’s in Effect When” page (checked October 9, 2026) sets out two stages:
- Since September 1, 2025: a sale or lease that includes installation at a residence must say the work will be done by a licensed electrical contractor and name that contractor and license number, and the buyer may cancel without penalty by written notice on or before the fifth business day after signing (sections 1806.155 and 1806.156).
- From September 1, 2026: residential solar retailers and solar salespersons must be registered with TDLR to sell or lease residential solar energy systems, and the prohibited acts in section 1806.201 become enforceable (TDLR, checked October 9, 2026).
Section 1806.201 lists those prohibited acts. They include false or misleading statements during residential solar retail, falsely claiming an affiliation with a utility or government agency, soliciting at a home that posts a no-soliciting sign, and letting anyone other than an electrical contractor install the system. TDLR also says it is suspending enforcement of its contract disclosure and educational materials rules (sections 71.41 and 71.43 of its rules) until November 1, 2026.
For a lead buyer, the practical point is that whoever calls a Texas homeowner about a solar purchase or lease is engaging in residential solar retail under the act. Electrical contractors are licensed under Occupations Code chapter 1305, and section 1806.004 exempts an electrical contractor that sells through its own employees from the retailer registration, though its agreements still follow sections 1806.155 and 1806.156.
Texas statutes on solar property tax and HOA rules
This section is general information, not legal advice. It summarizes official sources as of October 9, 2026; check the current text of each rule before relying on it.
Tax Code 11.27 (checked October 9, 2026) exempts from property tax the appraised value that a solar or wind-powered energy device adds to real property when the device is primarily for producing and distributing energy for on-site use. Since a 2021 amendment, subsection (a-1) also covers a device the person owns on land the person does not own.
Property Code 202.010, last amended in 2025, says a property owners’ association may not prohibit or restrict a solar energy device, with listed exceptions: an association may still require prior approval, a designated roof area, panels that do not extend above the roofline and frames in silver, bronze or black. A homeowner may choose another roof area if a modeling tool from NREL shows more than 10 percent higher annual production there.
Neither statute sets a dollar figure, and none is given here.
How many Texas homes are detached and owner-occupied
A rooftop system usually needs an owner who controls the roof. The Census Bureau’s table B25024 counts 7,809,439 detached single-family homes among 12,128,515 Texas housing units in the 2020-2024 ACS, or 64.4%. In table B25032, 6,091,247 of the state’s 6,879,255 owner-occupied homes are detached houses: 88.5% for 2020-2024.
Housing age and home values are covered on Texas window replacement leads, and heating fuels and degree days on Texas HVAC leads.
Texas counties ranked by owner-occupied detached homes
Ten counties lead the state in owner-occupied single-family detached homes in the ACS 5-year 2020-2024 county estimates, table B25032. The table shows housing stock only and nothing about lead origin.
| County | Owner-occupied detached homes | Owner-occupied homes | Detached share of owner homes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harris | 857,636 | 961,437 | 89.2% | ACS 2020-2024, B25032 (county) |
| Dallas | 440,189 | 498,911 | 88.2% | ACS 2020-2024, B25032 (county) |
| Tarrant | 438,210 | 463,669 | 94.5% | ACS 2020-2024, B25032 (county) |
| Bexar | 412,536 | 441,921 | 93.4% | ACS 2020-2024, B25032 (county) |
| Travis | 260,824 | 304,165 | 85.8% | ACS 2020-2024, B25032 (county) |
| Collin | 254,133 | 268,813 | 94.5% | ACS 2020-2024, B25032 (county) |
| Denton | 221,729 | 235,923 | 94.0% | ACS 2020-2024, B25032 (county) |
| Fort Bend | 215,541 | 225,271 | 95.7% | ACS 2020-2024, B25032 (county) |
| El Paso | 173,468 | 192,456 | 90.1% | ACS 2020-2024, B25032 (county) |
| Williamson | 159,561 | 167,540 | 95.2% | ACS 2020-2024, B25032 (county) |
Suburban counties are the most detached: Fort Bend at 95.7% and Williamson at 95.2% of owner homes, against 85.8% in Travis, home to Austin, in the same 2020-2024 county data. Harris alone has more owner-occupied detached homes than the next two counties combined.
Planning Texas solar coverage around these facts
Three points connect the numbers and rules above for a buyer setting up Texas solar coverage:
- Registration changes who may sell. From September 1, 2026, TDLR requires residential solar retailers and salespersons to register, so a buyer can confirm the registration of each installer or sales team it places Texas requests with.
- Surplus credit depends on the provider. Under Utilities Code 39.916(j) (checked October 9, 2026), the retail electric provider and the homeowner agree on the value of exported power in choice areas, so the conversation starts with the homeowner’s provider.
- Most owners live in houses. With 88.5% of owner-occupied homes detached in the 2020-2024 ACS, a homeowner filterFilterA rule that decides which leads a buyer is offered, based on fields such as vertical, sub-type, state, ZIP code, homeownership or accident details. Glossary does most of the work of excluding apartments.
These points describe Texas rules and housing. They make no claim about how many solar leads exist or where any would come from.
What Texas solar buyers filter on
A Texas solar campaign is normally narrowed with a short list of lead fields, each tied to something on this page:
- Homeowner status: the owner signs the sale or lease agreement and its five-day cancellation notice; the detached owner counts are above.
- Project type: the solar project the homeowner described, in general terms; the final options come with the solar form.
- Timeframe: how soon the homeowner wants to move ahead, from ready now to still comparing.
- ZIP code: the area a buyer’s installers can reach, which the county table helps outline.
The filters for Texas solar leads are agreed with each buyer during onboarding. Exclusive or shared routing for solar leads is agreed with each buyer during onboarding. The full field list is on the sample solar lead.
Where buyers filter in Texas
Texas solar crews tend to work out of one metro and drive to the ZIP codes around it. The six largest Texas metro areas in the Census Bureau’s July 1, 2025 estimates all sit inside the state, from Dallas-Fort Worth to the Rio Grande Valley. Each buyer’s coverage area is agreed during onboarding, inside these metro areas or outside them.
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: 8,477,157 (July 1, 2025 estimate)
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: 7,904,627 (July 1, 2025 estimate)
- San Antonio-New Braunfels: 2,813,140 (July 1, 2025 estimate)
- Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: 2,620,945 (July 1, 2025 estimate)
- McAllen-Edinburg-Mission: 921,549 (July 1, 2025 estimate)
- El Paso: 881,291 (July 1, 2025 estimate)
Source: Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Area population estimates, Vintage 2025 (cbsa-est2025-alldata), U.S. Census Bureau.
Consent records for Texas solar leads
Each Texas solar lead carries the TCPATCPAThe Telephone Consumer Protection Act, the federal law that governs telemarketing calls and texts, autodialers, prerecorded voice messages and the Do Not Call Registry. Glossary consent record captured on the form. Texas registration and calling-hour rules for telephone solicitation are summarized under Texas in the state telemarketing laws table, while leads in Texas brings together every verticalVerticalThe industry or product category a lead belongs to, such as roofing or car accident. Glossary Summit covers in the state.
Texas solar lead questions
When do Texas solar salespeople have to register with TDLR?
From September 1, 2026, according to TDLR’s Residential Solar Retailers page (checked October 9, 2026). Retailers and individual salespersons register separately under Occupations Code sections 1806.101 and 1806.102. This is general information, not legal advice.
How long does a Texas homeowner have to cancel a solar contract?
Until the fifth business day after signing, by written notice and without penalty, under Occupations Code 1806.156, in effect since September 1, 2025. The agreement must show the last calendar date of that period. This is general information, not legal advice.
Who buys excess solar power from a Texas home in a customer choice area?
The retail electric provider serving the home, at a value the owner and provider agree on, under Utilities Code 39.916(j). The value may be tied to the clearing price of energy or given as a bill credit that carries over. This is general information, not legal advice.
Which Texas county has the most owner-occupied detached homes?
Harris County, with 857,636 in the Census Bureau’s 2020-2024 ACS county estimates (table B25032), followed by Dallas (440,189) and Tarrant (438,210).
Is it possible to limit Texas solar leads to a list of ZIP codes?
Coverage and filters are agreed with each buyer during onboarding; email us the ZIP codes you want covered.
Request Texas solar leads
Email us the Texas ZIP codes you cover, your daily volume or caps and how you take delivery. Return terms are agreed on the onboarding call, before you go live.
Start small, with no long-term commitment
- No long-term contract. Pause or stop at any time.
- No setup fee and no monthly fee. You pay only for leads delivered that match your filters.
- Start with a small test volume and scale when the numbers work.
- MVA and home improvement leads are exclusive by default: each lead is sold to one buyer.
- Return terms are agreed on the onboarding call, before you go live.
Or write to team@summitleads.ai. We reply by email.
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