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Get a Free QuoteRound Rock solar costs $2.00–$2.40/W in Oncor territory. A 10 kW system runs ~$22,000 gross. Austin's largest suburb sits outside Austin Energy's territory — an Oncor-served address here gets TXU retail-match buyback and up to $9,000 in solar+battery rebates, while the Pedernales Electric Cooperative pockets of the city get neither. No federal 25D tax credit.
2026 Alert: The federal residential solar tax credit (Section 25D) expired December 31, 2025. Round Rock homeowners who purchase solar with cash or a loan receive $0 in federal tax credits. All prices shown are full installed cost. Programs like Propel Solar use a third-party owner to access the commercial ITC with $0 down.
What a Round Rock homeowner actually pays in 2026. Austin-area Oncor cities tend to run slightly cheaper than DFW due to lower labor costs and shorter permitting timelines in Williamson County.
Oncor's solar+battery rebate is the best utility solar incentive in any deregulated Texas territory. Here is how it works for Round Rock homeowners.
A typical battery (Tesla Powerwall 3, 13.5 kWh) costs $12,000-$13,000 installed. With the $9,000 Oncor rebate, your net battery cost drops to approximately $3,500. For Round Rock homeowners, battery backup is valuable during ERCOT summer grid stress events — central Texas heat waves can push the grid to its limits. If backup power and energy independence matter to you, the Oncor rebate makes the battery an excellent deal.
Central Texas gets moderate hail — less severe than DFW Hail Alley but still worth planning for during spring thunderstorm season.
| Panel | Hail Rating | Max Hail Size | Warranty |
|---|---|---|---|
| SunPower Maxeon 7 | IEC 61215 enhanced | 35mm (1.4 in) | 40 yr product + performance |
| REC Alpha Pure-RX | IEC 61215 enhanced | 35mm (1.4 in) | 25 yr product, 92% at yr 25 |
| Canadian Solar HiKu7 | Standard + enhanced testing | 25mm (1 in) standard | 25 yr product, 84.8% at yr 25 |
| Qcells Q.Peak DUO | IEC 61215 enhanced | 35mm (1.4 in) | 25 yr product, 86% at yr 25 |
An Oncor-served Round Rock address reaches the best solar buyback plans in Texas, including TXU Energy's retail-match, which is only sold in Oncor territory. Round Rock homes served by Pedernales Electric Cooperative are outside retail choice and cannot buy any plan in this table.
| REP | Plan | Buyback Rate | Contract | Rollover |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TXU EnergyTop Pick | Solar Buyback 24 | Retail-match | 24 mo | |
| TXU Energy | Solar Buyback 12 | Retail-match | 12 mo | |
| Green Mountain Energy | Solar Buyback 36 | 8.5¢/kWh fixed | 36 mo | |
| Chariot Energy | Solar Buyback 24 | 7.0¢/kWh fixed | 24 mo | |
| Constellation | Solar Buyback 12 | 6.5¢/kWh fixed | 12 mo | |
| Shell Energy | Solar Buyback 24 | 6.0¢/kWh fixed | 24 mo | |
| Rhythm Energy | Solar Buyback | Wholesale (variable) | Mo-to-mo |
TXU Energy's Solar Buyback plan credits exported solar at the exact same rate you pay for consumption. This is effectively 1:1 net metering — the gold standard that most states mandate but Texas does not. If your TXU consumption rate is 15 cents per kWh, every kWh you export also earns 15 cents. The TXU retail-match is only available in Oncor territory (DFW, Round Rock, Waco, Midland) — Houston and South Texas cannot access this plan.
The 100% Texas property tax exemption is the second-largest financial incentive for Round Rock solar owners after the Oncor battery rebate.
File Form 50-123 with the Williamson Central Appraisal District (WCAD) by April 30 following your solar installation. This is separate from your homestead exemption. At 1.98% rate on a $22,000 system, this saves approximately $436per year in the first decade. Round Rock's rapidly growing population means property values continue rising — making the solar property tax exemption even more valuable as it shields your solar investment from assessments.
Williamson County grew outward across territory that Pedernales Electric Cooperative had wired decades earlier, and the boundary still runs through Round Rock. NREL's SolarTRACE dataset — the federal log of what completed residential rooftop projects actually took, phase by phase — carries Round Rock rows under both utilities. The permit desk treats them identically. Nothing else does.
| Utility of record | Cohort | AHJ permit | Utility pre-install review | Inspection wait | Final IX → PTO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oncor Electric Delivery Company LLC | 2024 · 47 installs | 2 d | 0 d | 6 d | 1 d |
| Pedernales Electric Coop, Inc (PEC) | 2024 · 47 installs | 2 d | 7 d | 6 d | 5 d |
| Texas, all jurisdictions | 2024 · 2673 installs | 4 d | 3 d | 5 d | 4 d |
Round Rock clears plan review in a median of 2 days against a 4-day Texas median, and does it on a 2024 cohort of 47 completed installs — deep enough that the figure describes a routine, not a run of luck. Inspection sits at 6 days against 5 statewide. Both utilities share those two numbers, because both are the city's work, not the utility's.
The two utility-controlled steps are where the rows diverge. Oncor returned a 0-day pre-install review and a 1-day close-out to permission-to-operate; Pedernales Electric Cooperative returned 7 and 5. Eleven extra days is the smaller half of the story. PEC is member-owned and sits outside ERCOT retail choice, so a PEC-served address cannot buy the TXU retail-match buyback these payback figures assume and is not eligible for the Oncor solar+battery rebate. Same city, same permit queue, different economics.
Source: NREL SolarTRACE Dataset v9-9-2025 (data.nlr.gov), median timelines for 0-10kW residential PV. Install counts are recorded per jurisdiction-year, so the same total appears against each serving utility; blank cells in the federal file are shown as “not reported”.
Estimate your Round Rock-area solar costs, production, and savings. Accounts for 25D expiration, Oncor territory rates, and the Texas property tax exemption.
Estimate your solar cost, payback period, and 25-year savings for any major TX metro.
Federal Residential Solar Tax Credit (Section 25D) Expired
Homeowners who purchase solar with cash or a loan receive $0 in federal tax credits. Section 25D expired December 31, 2025.
CenterPoint delivery area. Deregulated — choose a solar buyback REP for best export value. High humidity reduces panel efficiency slightly. Strong solar irradiance despite cloud cover. Largest TX solar market by installed capacity.
Cost Range
$2.00–$2.40/W
Peak Sun Hours
5.3 hrs/day
Avg Electric Rate
$0.14/kWh
County Tax Rate
2.31%
Annual Production
15,476
kWh/year
Annual Savings
$1,800
per year
Payback Period
12.2
years
25-Year Savings
$65,627
total
Estimates based on average 2026 TX solar pricing, 5.3 peak sun hours/day, 0.5%/year panel degradation, 3%/year electricity rate increase, and TX property tax exemption (Tax Code §11.27). Actual costs vary by installer, roof condition, and system configuration. Section 25D residential ITC expired Dec 31, 2025 — $0 federal tax credit for cash/loan purchases.
The calculator reflects $0 federal tax credit for cash and loan purchases. Section 25D expired December 31, 2025. Programs like Propel Solar use a third-party owner to claim the 30% commercial ITC (Section 48/48E) for projects beginning construction before July 4, 2026.
The Oncor solar+battery rebate of up to $9,000 is not automatically included in the calculator. If you plan to add battery storage, subtract the applicable rebate from the total system cost for a more accurate net cost estimate.
With the federal 25D credit gone, Propel Solar gives Round Rock homeowners $0 down solar with a fixed payment and full ownership by year 5.
A third-party financing company owns your system and captures the 30% Section 48 commercial ITC — savings that homeowners cannot access since 25D expired. That tax benefit funds your $0 upfront cost.
If your Round Rock electricity bill is $150/mo, your Propel payment is approximately $135/mo — saving roughly 10% from day one. The payment is fixed and predictable, unlike utility rates that increase 3-5% annually.
Full ownership transfers to you after approximately 5 years at no additional cost. Silfab 440W American-made panels with free maintenance during the financing period. You own the panels for the remaining 20+ years of their lifespan.
Common questions about solar panel costs in Round Rock.
Full guide to the Oncor rebate program — eligibility, amounts, and how to apply.
Read guideAustin Energy territory — Value of Solar, $2,500 rebate, different economics.
Read guideComplete guide to REP buyback rates including TXU retail-match details.
Read guideComplete overview of going solar in Texas — incentives, timeline, and what to expect.
Read guidePrices, rebate amounts, REP buyback rates, and utility programs may change. Contact NuWatt Energy or Oncor for current information.
NuWatt Energy partners with experienced central Texas solar installers who know Oncor territory — from the battery rebate application to TXU buyback optimization. Get a free assessment tailored to your Round Rock home.