Is solar worth it in San Antonio in 2026?
A roof in San Antonio produces about 1,514 kWh a year per kW of panels. For a home with a $150 monthly bill, a 7.4 kW system costs about $29,612 at Texas's median price and pays for itself in roughly 28.4 years, with no federal tax credit. That is 5% more sun than Houston, the city on our Texas page.
1,514kWh per kW a year
Source: PVGIS, NSRDB data
16.1¢per kWh
Source: EIA, 2026 year to date
$4.00per watt
Source: Berkeley Lab
Calculator · 2026 data, no federal tax credit
How long would solar take to pay for itself?
Simple payback
28.4 years
- System size
- 7.4 kW
- Installed cost
- $29,612
- Savings, year one
- $1,044
- Net over 25 years
- $-5,019
Sized to cover your yearly use at today's price. Panels lose 0.5% a year; prices held flat. Method
How San Antonio homes get paid for solar
Export rules are set at the state and utility level, not by the city. San Antonio is under Texas's rules set by each utility: Texas has no statewide net metering rule for homes; export pay is set by your retail electric provider's buyback plan or by your city utility (Austin Energy, CPS Energy). The full rules, incentives and sources are on theTexas page.
Why the city matters
Two things change from one city to another in the same state: the sun, which sets how many panels you need, and the utility, which sets what exported power is worth. San Antonio gets 1,514 kWh per kW a year on a south-facing roof at a 20° tilt, so covering a year of use for a $150 bill at 16.1¢ takes about 7.4 kW, roughly 19 panels of 400 W. Electricity prices in the calculator are the Texas residential average; your utility's rate can be higher or lower, so put your own bill in.
Other Texas cities: Dallas, Austin.
Method: how we calculate payback. Compare all states in theranking or size a system with the panel calculator.