The Best Texas Solar Buyback Program
Make the most of your solar panels and put money back in your pocket all while supporting a clean, green future.
Here’s what you can expect from Octopus Energy’s solar buyback program:
- Unlimited credits with limitless rollover, no cap, and no expiration date.
- Your solar buyback rate is based on the Texas wholesale rate. (Pricing fluctuates based on seasonality!)
- Your solar credits can be applied to your whole bill, and not just parts of it.
- You can request cash back if your monthly solar credits exceed $50.
- Solar buyback is included in all of our renewable energy plans.
Here's how our buyback works:
We’ll credit your excess solar energy at the Texas wholesale rate. This means that whatever the wholesale rate is at the time you export, is the price we pay you for your excess solar energy which will be applied as a cash credit. This rate changes every 15 minutes depending on the market and during those hot summer months, the price is at its peak!
Unlike a traditional buyback plan, these credits can help cover all of your fees including TDU charges and taxes. Want to get paid for your solar? If there’s solar credits remaining on your account over $50, just call us and we’ll cut you a check! To take advantage of solar buyback credits, we encourage you to watch grid conditions so you’re not using more than what you’re exporting.
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Why Octopus Energy
There are a lot of other fish in the sea, but there are five reasons why, like our eight-legged namesake, Octopus Energy stands out from the rest.
🏷️ Transparent, honest pricing
⭐ Exceptional customer service
📈 Long-term value, not just short-term gains
📲 Smart tech for smarter decision making
♻️ Greener energy for a better future
Be part of something bigger
We believe Texans with solar panels should make the most of their investment because you’re a critical piece of building grid resiliency. When you export your unused energy back to the grid, you’re doing three awesome things:
- Earning money back at the wholesale rate
- Helping to stabilize the grid by generating power for others to use
- Promoting renewable energy resources and putting fossil fuels in the past (Where they belong.)
At Octopus Energy, our mission is to provide innovative energy-saving solutions that help keep our earth green while saving you some green.
Who is this plan right for?
All of our energy plans include our solar buyback option so you can’t go wrong with whatever you choose! We offer simple-to-understand pre and post-paid fixed-rate plans with 100% crystal-clear transparent pricing and zero funny business.
How to get started
To start earning solar credits through Octopus Energy, you’ll need a few things first:
- Completed permission to operate form. (This is done through your TDSP (CenterPoint, Oncor, AEP, TNMP.) You will not receive credits until this is on file.
- Enroll in any of our energy plans- they’re all 100% solar-compatible!
- That’s all! 🎉
How to make the most of your solar credits
To maximize your solar credits, it’s all about consumption vs. production. Ideally, you’re exporting more than you’re importing from the grid, but we understand that’s not always feasible. Your AC, dishwasher, washing machine, and dryer are effectively the biggest uses of energy in your home. Depending on the time of year, you will want to change your behaviors just a bit so you’re using energy at optimal times.
Here’s what we recommend:
👉 In winter, spring, and fall, aim to use your energy from 7 AM to 7 PM.
👉 In summer, aim to reduce your energy consumption as much as possible from 7 AM to 7 PM so you’re exporting when demand is highest.
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Knowledge is power
Learn more about how to make the most of your solar power
You have questions, we have answers.
What is the best buyback program for solar panels?
The best solar buyback program for solar panels can vary on a few things, but it most commonly comes down to the buyback rate, earning caps, and bill credits. Buyback programs vary with each provider, so you’ll want to do your research before choosing. There are a few things you’ll want to consider when choosing the plan for best for you.
- Find a plan that has good buyback rates, preferably no caps on your earning potential.
- The option to cash out. Most providers won’t let you cash out after a certain amount and can only apply credits to your bills. At Octopus Energy, you can cash out your earnings after $50 and use that money for anything you want.
- A straightforward and easy-to-understand plan that makes it easy for you to earn money back.
- No expiration date on your earnings. Some other energy providers have a “use it or lose it” policy.
- A flexible energy plan that includes solar buyback. You’ll sometimes see energy providers that provide plans just for solar panel owners, but that can be limiting in terms of price or buyback potential. Look for plans that offer solar buyback as a feature, rather than a separate option. All of our Octo 12 energy plans come with solar buyback so whichever one you choose, you can still export all that good solar energy and earn some sunny money while you’re at it.
Is the rate at which I’m buying energy from the grid the same rate as what I sell back?
No, when you get energy from the grid, you’re incurring transmission and subscription fees and taxes. When you sell that energy back, you aren’t incurring any additional charges so what the wholesale market rate is, is what you get. You can monitor real-time market rates on ERCOT’s dashboard. Keep in mind, the prices are in MWh, so you’ll need to divide by 1,000 to get the kWh.
How often do I get credits?
You accumulate credits daily, depending on how much excess solar electricity your panels have produced. You can track all things solar through Smart Meter Texas, a free and official website with detailed information about your energy usage.
Do you offer any programs for solar batteries?
Yes! Our Octo GridBoost program pays you $480 annually to connect your battery to Octopus. We will optimize your charge and discharge automatically to help keep Texas’ grid in balance.
Does Texas buy back solar energy?
Yes, you can sell your solar energy back to the Texas power grid. Most power companies will buy back your unused solar through buyback programs or net metering.
What is the buyback rate for ERCOT solar?
ERCOT doesn't have a set rate because they don't buy back the solar energy directly. However, if your provider’s buyback is based on wholesale prices, those prices will be set by ERCOT.
How much can you make selling solar in Texas?
It’s difficult to tell the exact price you can get paid or credited since it depends on many factors such as the rate, your system's size, and how sunny it is. However, you can always estimate your solar credits by calculating the average amount you export times the average rate they’re bought back at, with terms of your buyback program in mind of course. In August, the top 10 highest-producing Octopus Energy solar customers earned an average of $635 each, with the top customer bringing in over $900 in take-home credits.
Can I use my credits toward base and delivery charges?
Yes, you can use your solar credits towards your entire bill, including any charges or fees.
How will I get paid?
You have the option between letting credits accumulate or cashing out in the form of a check if you acquire $50 worth of credits at any point.
What is the average solar buyback rate?
Solar credits peak in the summer, when energy demand is highest, and typically when you will see the biggest buyback rates, averaging 14-17¢/kwh. Winter, spring, and fall are usually when you’ll see the lowest rates, averaging between 1-3¢/kwh.
Is there a cap on how much I can export?
There is no cap on how much you can export! We will credit you for all your excess energy. Important to note: When the wholesale rate goes negative (i.e. there’s too much power on the grid) you may be charged for any solar energy you try to export. This is very rare but it can happen.
Do my solar credits expire?
Your credits will never expire! If you don’t use all of your credits within one billing cycle, they’ll roll over to the next billing cycle. If you switch away, we’ll pay out your credit amount.
What is the difference between total production and excess production?
Total production is the total energy produced by solar panels. Excess production is when your solar panels produce energy, part of that gets consumed by the household, and the unused portion gets exported back to the grid.
How does solar work for Lubbock Customers?
Solar is defined in Lubback as solar distribution generation rates. For LP&L customers with solar panels, your billing structure differs from those without solar panels. LP&L does not impose a base charge on customers who don’t have solar panels. However, if you have panels installed, you will incur a monthly fee of $30. While this might seem like a lot, it comes with a benefit – a reduction of 3¢/kWh in your LP&L delivery rate. This reduction means that if your electricity consumption exceeds 1000 kWh in a billing cycle, you will pay less for electricity compared to what you would pay without solar panels. However, if you consume less than 1000 kWh, you will end up paying more for electricity compared to someone without solar panels. In addition, you’ll still be rewarded a cash credit from every kilowatt you export with our solar buyback plan
