In short: El Paso works differently from most of Texas. El Paso Electric sells you power directly, outside the ERCOT grid, at about 13.5¢ per kWh on average in 2024, and its customers lost only about 56 minutes of power that year (EIA). With much stronger sun than Houston or Dallas, solar here pays mainly through the power you use yourself.
Below: El Paso’s utility rules, a battery pilot, EV credits and permits. For statewide rules (solar sales law, TDLR licensing, property tax exemption), see our Texas energy guide.
El Paso at a glance
- El Paso Electric (EPE): the utility for the city and most of El Paso County, with about 312,600 Texas home customers. Homes paid about 13.5¢ per kWh on average in 2024. Customers lost 56 minutes of power in 2024, with or without major events, over fewer than one interruption on average (EIA-861, 2024). The Texas average was about 21 hours with major events.
- No retail choice: EIA lists EPE as its own balancing area, not ERCOT, and EPE sells power directly. You cannot pick a retail provider here.
- Rio Grande Electric Cooperative: serves some rural areas of El Paso County; about 18.5¢ per kWh in 2024, and 332 minutes without power with major events (233 without).
- Sun: about 5.9 kWh per square meter per day (NASA POWER, 2001–2020), against 4.65 in Houston. Our rough estimate: about 1,720 kWh a year per kW of panels, more with well-tilted south-facing panels.
- Top hazards: FEMA’s National Risk Index (December 2025) rates El Paso County “very high” for lightning and winter weather, and “relatively high” for hail, heat waves, strong wind, inland flooding and drought.
- Public charging: 184 public charging ports at 64 locations in El Paso: 102 Level 2 and 82 DC fast (AFDC, read October 2026).
Your utility and what it means
El Paso Electric is regulated by the Public Utility Commission of Texas and sets its own solar rules in its tariff (Rate Schedule No. 48, effective July 1, 2025). What it means for a home solar system:
- Net metering up to 50 kW. A renewable system of 50 kW or less, sized to no more than your yearly use, can run on a single meter that counts forward and backward. You pay the normal rate for the net power you use.
- Extra exports earn little. When you send out more than you use, EPE buys that net excess at its fuel or avoided energy cost, which is well below the retail price, and the tariff caps those purchases at 10% of your yearly use. Size the system to your own use, not bigger.
- Application and meter. EPE charges an $85 application fee for systems from 1 to 100 kW and installs the bi-directional meter. The steps run: design approval, city permit, installation, city electrical inspection, EPE field inspection, new meter, then switch on. See EPE’s Texas interconnection page.
- Time-of-day rate. EPE’s optional time-of-day rate charges several times more for energy on summer weekday afternoons (2 to 7 p.m., June to September) than at other hours. A battery covering those hours can cut bills on this rate; check the current tariff first.
EPE also runs a home battery pilot with a battery company: in select neighborhoods where the grid is tight, qualifying homeowners can get a whole-home backup battery installed at no cost, which EPE can draw on during peak demand. The first installation was in March 2026, and the first 500 homes installed also get up to $500. Space is limited, so check EPE’s customer programs page to see if your address qualifies.
If you are on Rio Grande Electric Cooperative in the rural county, ask the co-op for its own solar and interconnection rules before you sign anything.
Backup power in El Paso
El Paso has some of the steadiest power in Texas: 56 minutes out per EPE customer in 2024, with no major-event days. Backup here is less about week-long blackouts than about the outages that do happen: summer storms with lightning, wind and hail, and winter freezes, when heat or cooling matters most.
- Short outages: a portable power station keeps Wi-Fi, a CPAP, lights and the fridge going for hours, quietly and safely indoors.
- Medical needs or working from home: a home battery switches over on its own; with solar it recharges each day.
- Whole-home or multi-day: a standby generator on natural gas or propane, installed by licensed pros with a transfer switch. See generator installation.
Our backup power guide compares the options, and the battery backup calculator and generator sizing tool size the job. Run any generator outdoors only, at least 20 feet from the house with the exhaust pointed away, and keep carbon monoxide alarms on every level (CPSC).
Solar in El Paso
El Paso’s sun is its big advantage: about 5.9 kWh per square meter per day, roughly a quarter more than Houston. A rough estimate (ours, not a quote): each kW of panels makes about 1,720 kWh a year. Every kWh you use at home saves about the retail price, around 13.5¢ at 2024 averages, so a kW of panels is worth up to about $230 a year when you use all of it yourself. Because EPE pays little for net excess and caps it, a system sized to your own use, with air conditioning soaking up afternoon power, gets the best value.
Federal tax credits for home solar ended after 2025, and we found no EPE solar rebate in Texas. Texas’s property tax exemption still applies (see the Texas guide). To check your own roof, try the solar potential tool and the solar savings calculator, then read how solar installation works and what solar costs.
Home batteries in El Paso
Here a battery earns its keep three ways: backup when storms knock power out, storing midday solar you would otherwise sell cheaply, and covering the 2 to 7 p.m. summer peak if you choose EPE’s time-of-day rate. Before you buy one, check whether your address qualifies for EPE’s no-cost battery pilot. If not, see home batteries, battery costs and battery installation. A battery that connects to your panel needs a licensed electrician, a city permit and EPE’s approval.
EV charging in El Paso
El Paso has 184 public charging ports, 82 of them DC fast, but most owners charge at home. EPE’s Texas EV programs reward night charging rather than paying for the charger:
Drive on another fuel? See every alternative fuel station in El Paso: hydrogen, propane, natural gas, E85 ethanol, biodiesel and renewable diesel.
- Whole-House EV rate rider: a credit of about 2.5¢ per kWh on everything your home uses from midnight to 8 a.m., which EPE says averages about $8 a month. Your EV must be registered at the service address; no extra meter is needed.
- EV Smart Rewards: managed charging with a $125 sign-up incentive, $50 after a year and small payments for peak events, limited to the first 880 customers.
Our estimate: at 13.5¢ per kWh and about 30 kWh per 100 miles, 100 miles costs about $4; with the overnight credit, closer to $3.30, before charging losses. Try your own numbers in the EV charging cost calculator. A Level 2 charger needs a 240-volt circuit by a licensed electrician; see EV charger installation.
Permits and inspections
- City of El Paso: Planning & Inspections issues building and trade permits through its One Stop Shop (811 Texas Ave.) and the online Citizen Access portal. We did not find a published solar, generator or EV charger checklist, so ask what your project needs.
- Outside city limits: ask El Paso County Public Works what applies to your property.
- Utility: EPE must approve solar and grid-tied batteries, and inspect them, before you switch them on.
- Who does the work: a TDLR-licensed electrician for wiring; a licensed professional for gas lines. Your installer should pull the permits.
- HOAs: under the Texas Property Code, an HOA generally cannot ban solar panels or a permanent standby generator, but it can set rules on placement and screening. Get approval first.
Cities we cover
- El Paso
Get help in El Paso
Are you a licensed installer in El Paso? Join SolutionEnergy and get requests from homeowners and businesses →
Tell us about your project and we will connect you with a licensed, independent installer who serves the El Paso area. It is free, there is no obligation, and only the installer you choose gets your details. Read how it works.
El Paso energy questions
Is El Paso on the ERCOT grid?
No. EIA lists El Paso Electric as its own balancing area, separate from ERCOT, which runs most of Texas’s grid. EPE sells power directly, so El Paso homes cannot choose a retail provider. Solar rules, rates and programs come from EPE’s tariffs.
Does El Paso Electric have net metering?
Yes, for renewable systems of 50 kW or less sized to your yearly use: a single meter runs forward and backward and you pay for the net power you use. Net excess is bought at EPE’s fuel or avoided energy cost, well below retail, and capped at 10% of your yearly use under Rate Schedule No. 48.
Can I get a free home battery from El Paso Electric?
Possibly. EPE’s battery pilot installs whole-home backup batteries at no cost for qualifying homeowners in select areas where the grid needs support, and EPE can use them at peak times. Space is limited, and the first 500 homes installed also get up to $500. Check EPE’s customer programs page to see whether your address qualifies.
How often does the power go out in El Paso?
Rarely, by Texas standards. In 2024 the average El Paso Electric customer lost 56 minutes of power, over fewer than one interruption, with no major-event days (EIA-861). Lightning, hail, wind and winter weather are the main risks FEMA lists for El Paso County.
Is there an EV charging discount in El Paso?
Yes. EPE’s Whole-House EV rate rider credits about 2.5¢ per kWh on your home’s use from midnight to 8 a.m. if an EV is registered at the address, which EPE says averages about $8 a month. Its EV Smart Rewards program pays for managed charging. We found no EPE rebate on the charger itself in Texas.
Sources
EIA-861, 2024 data (price = residential revenue ÷ sales); El Paso Electric tariffs (Schedules 48 and 01), interconnection, EV and customer program pages, and its March 5, 2026 battery release; NASA POWER, 2001–2020; FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025; AFDC Station Locator; City of El Paso Planning & Inspections; Texas Property Code 202.010 and 202.019; CPSC. All read October 2026. Estimates are ours and labelled.