In short: most Dallas–Fort Worth homes get power over Oncor’s wires and buy it from a retail provider they choose. In 2024 Oncor customers averaged about 9 hours without power once storms are counted, and about 1 hour without them (EIA). Hail, ice and tornadoes drive the long outages, so plan backup first, then check your provider’s solar buyback.
This page covers what is different in the Metroplex: who owns the wires on your street, what each utility pays for solar, and where permits come from. For statewide rules (the Texas solar sales law, TDLR licensing and the property tax exemption), see our Texas energy guide.
Dallas–Fort Worth at a glance
- Oncor (wires company for most of the area): 532 minutes without power per customer in 2024 with major storms, 67 minutes without them; about 1.7 interruptions a year (EIA-861, 2024). You pay a retail provider; across Texas’s competitive areas, homes paid about 16.7¢ per kWh on average in 2024, of which roughly 5.2¢ covered Oncor’s delivery charges.
- CoServ (member co-op in parts of Denton, Collin and Tarrant counties): about 13.8¢ per kWh in 2024; 44 minutes without power with major events, 27 without.
- Denton Municipal Electric (City of Denton): about 12.8¢ per kWh in 2024; 81 minutes without power with major events, 23 without.
- Sun: about 4.7 kWh per square meter per day in Dallas and 4.8 in Fort Worth (NASA POWER, 2001–2020). Our rough estimate: 1,375 to 1,415 kWh a year per kW of panels.
- Top hazards: FEMA’s National Risk Index (December 2025) rates Dallas County “very high” for hail, tornadoes, ice storms, winter weather, cold waves, heat waves and inland flooding; Tarrant County “very high” for hail, tornadoes, ice storms, winter weather and cold waves.
- Public charging: Dallas had 790 public charging ports, Fort Worth 375, Plano 281, Frisco 192, Arlington 125, Denton 84 and McKinney 76 (AFDC Station Locator, October 3, 2026; public charging ports).
Your utility and what it means
Your bill tells you which of these applies. EIA lists Oncor in all four core counties (Dallas, Tarrant, Collin and Denton), plus several city utilities and co-ops at the edges, including CoServ, Farmers Electric, Grayson-Collin, Tri-County, Texas-New Mexico Power and the City of Garland.
- Oncor areas (Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington and much of the suburbs): Oncor owns the poles and wires and approves solar and battery connections, but your retail provider sets your price and decides what, if anything, it pays for solar you send back. Compare solar buyback plans before you sign a panel contract. Oncor also runs a Residential Solar Program that pays incentives through approved participating contractors for solar installed together with battery backup, up to 15 kW DC; Oncor’s program page shows current amounts and whether funds remain.
- CoServ: buys all the extra solar power you send to the grid at its “avoided wholesale cost”, which is lower than the price you pay. CoServ also offers a whole-home battery program in which a separate company owns and maintains the battery and you pay an installation fee and a monthly fee; solar members who join move to a different solar rate. CoServ has no EV charger rebate.
- Denton Municipal Electric: since January 1, 2025, pays 5¢ per kWh for extra solar power sent to the grid, down from about 10.65¢. The city ended its solar rebates in 2023.
Backup power in Dallas–Fort Worth
The gap between Oncor’s two numbers (532 minutes with storms, 67 without) says most lost hours come from a few big weather days. Oncor’s own 2024 annual report lists significant storms, large hail, damaging winds, heavy rain, ice storms, tornadoes and flash flooding that year, leading to prolonged outages. In the Metroplex the long outages come in two seasons: spring and early-summer thunderstorms, when losing air conditioning is the risk, and winter ice, when heat is.
- For a few hours: a portable power station keeps phones, Wi-Fi, lights and a CPAP going.
- For a day or more: a home battery wired to chosen circuits, ideally with solar to recharge, or a standby or portable generator on natural gas or propane, which is still the practical way to run central air or a heat pump for days.
Compare options in our backup power guide, and size them with the battery backup calculator and the generator sizing tool. Run any generator outdoors, at least 20 feet from the house with the exhaust pointed away from doors and windows (CPSC), and have a licensed electrician install the transfer switch; see generator installation.
Solar in Dallas–Fort Worth
A kW of panels in the Metroplex might make about 1,375 to 1,415 kWh a year (our estimate, flat-panel basis). What that is worth depends on your utility:
- Oncor areas: power you use yourself saves your full plan price (about 16.7¢ on 2024 averages, so roughly $230 a year per kW if you used it all at home, our estimate). Exported power earns whatever your provider’s buyback plan pays, if anything.
- CoServ: self-use saves about 13.8¢ per kWh; exports earn the lower avoided wholesale cost.
- Denton: self-use saves about 12.8¢; exports earn 5¢.
Everywhere in the area, the more solar you use at home (summer afternoons with the air conditioning running), the better it pays. Hail is the local wrinkle: Dallas, Tarrant and Collin counties are all rated “very high” for hail losses, so ask any installer which hail rating the panels carry and how your homeowner’s insurance treats rooftop solar. Try your own roof in the solar potential tool and the solar savings calculator, and read how solar installation works.
Home batteries
Batteries make the most sense here when you want quiet backup through storm outages, or when your solar exports earn little (true for CoServ and Denton and for many retail plans), because storing midday solar for the evening is worth more than selling it cheaply. Oncor’s solar incentive requires a battery, and CoServ members can join its battery program instead of buying one. See home battery installation and what a home battery costs.
EV charging
At about 16.7¢ per kWh, a typical EV using 30 kWh per 100 miles costs about $5 per 100 miles to charge at home (our estimate, before charging losses); on CoServ or Denton rates it is closer to $4. A plan with cheaper night hours can lower it further. We found no EV charger rebate from Oncor, CoServ or Denton Municipal Electric. A Level 2 charger needs a 240-volt circuit and, in most cities, an electrical permit; see EV charger installation and the EV charging cost calculator.
Drive on another fuel? See every alternative fuel station in Dallas: hydrogen, propane, natural gas, E85 ethanol, biodiesel and renewable diesel.
Permits and inspections
- Dallas: Development Services (320 E. Jefferson Blvd.) has published a solar permitting guide: installers register with the city as building contractors (and electrical contractors for the wiring), every solar job gets a plan review, and structural plans need an engineer’s seal.
- Fort Worth: Development Services requires a building permit for solar panels and wind turbines and an electrical permit for electrical work; permits are applied for online by a registered contractor, or by a homeowner under a homestead permit.
- Plano, Frisco, McKinney, Arlington, Denton: each city’s building inspection department issues its own permits. A 2025 state law (SB 1202) lets licensed third-party reviewers handle home backup power permits; ask your city how it applies it.
- Utility approval: Oncor, CoServ or Denton must approve a solar or grid-tied battery system before you switch it on.
- HOAs: Texas Property Code section 202.010 generally stops homeowners associations from banning solar panels, though they can set placement rules (for example, roof panels within the roofline); check your rules before you sign.
Wiring, gas lines and roof work should be done by licensed professionals. Check an electrician’s license on TDLR’s site (details on our Texas page).
Cities we cover
- Dallas
- Fort Worth
- Plano
- Frisco
- McKinney
- Arlington
- Denton
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Dallas–Fort Worth energy questions
Does Oncor buy back solar power?
No. Oncor only owns the wires and approves the connection. In Oncor areas, your retail electricity provider decides whether to credit the solar power you export and at what rate, through its own buyback plans. Plans differ a lot, so compare them before you install, and check that the plan you pick still makes sense for your usage after the panels are on.
How long are power outages in Dallas–Fort Worth?
In 2024, Oncor customers averaged 532 minutes (about 9 hours) without power counting major storms, and 67 minutes without them (EIA). Most of the lost time comes from a few severe weather days, such as hail and wind storms or ice. CoServ and Denton Municipal Electric customers averaged well under two hours in 2024.
Is there a solar rebate in Dallas–Fort Worth?
Oncor pays incentives through participating contractors for home solar installed with battery backup (up to 15 kW DC); check Oncor’s program page for amounts and availability. Denton ended its solar rebates in 2023, and CoServ offers none. Statewide, the value solar adds to your home is exempt from property tax; see our Texas page.
Can my HOA in Frisco or McKinney stop me from installing solar?
Generally not. Texas Property Code section 202.010 makes most HOA bans on solar energy devices void, but associations can still regulate placement, such as keeping roof panels within the roofline or ground panels below the fence line, and different rules can apply while a developer still controls a new subdivision. Ask for approval in writing before installation.
Does hail damage solar panels in North Texas?
Hail is a real risk here: FEMA rates Dallas, Tarrant, Collin and Denton counties “very high” for hail losses. Panels are tested for hail, but ratings differ. Ask installers for the panels’ hail rating and warranty terms, and ask your insurer how rooftop solar is covered before you buy.
Sources
Utility prices, delivery charges, service areas and outage minutes: U.S. Energy Information Administration, EIA-861 2024 data (prices are 2024 averages, revenue divided by sales). Sun: NASA POWER, 2001–2020. Hazards: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025. Oncor 2024 Form 10-K and Oncor’s Residential Solar Program; CoServ solar buyback, battery and EV pages; City of Denton (October 23, 2024); City of Dallas and City of Fort Worth Development Services; Texas Property Code section 202.010; CPSC generator safety. Checked October 3, 2026. Estimates are ours and labelled as such.