Garland’s electric utility is Garland Power & Light (GP&L), a city-owned municipal utility, so unlike Dallas or Plano you do not shop a retail electric provider here. GP&L runs its own solar interconnection and pays a surplus generation credit of about 8.19 cents per exported kWh (GP&L, verify current). According to MySolarFY’s analysis (August 2026), a typical 6 kW roof in ZIP 75040 makes about 9,130 kWh a year (NREL PVWatts).
Going solar in Garland is a different process than in most of the Dallas metro, and the reason is your utility. Garland is one of the few North Texas cities served by a city-owned power company, Garland Power & Light, instead of the deregulated retail market that covers Dallas, Plano, and Fort Worth. That changes who you interconnect with, how your extra power is credited, and what permits you pull. This page covers what solar realistically produces in Garland, how GP&L’s solar buyback works, the two approvals your project needs, and the dated federal tax-credit facts, then you can check your address in about a minute.
Why solar in Garland works differently: you have a municipal utility
Your electricity in Garland comes from Garland Power & Light, a city-owned municipal utility. That is the key fact, because most of the Dallas metro does not work this way. Most of the Dallas metro sits in the ERCOT deregulated market, where homeowners pick a retail electric provider and solar owners sign up for that provider’s “solar buyback” plan. Garland is not part of that retail-choice market. GP&L is the one electric provider in the city, it sets the rates, and it runs its own solar interconnection and export-credit program (Garland Power & Light solar installation requirements, as of August 2026). So when a neighbor in Plano or Dallas describes shopping buyback plans, that choice does not exist in Garland, for better and for worse: you have one clear set of rules, but only one.
What this means in practice is that your whole solar project routes through GP&L, not a competitive retailer. Your interconnection application, your bi-directional meter, and your export credit all come from the city utility. For the statewide picture of how Texas handles solar, net metering, and incentives, see our Texas solar guide, and for how export credits work in general, see how net metering credits your solar exports.
| Feature | Garland (GP&L municipal) | Deregulated DFW (Dallas / Plano) |
|---|---|---|
| Who you interconnect with | Garland Power & Light (city utility) | Oncor wires + your retail provider |
| Can you shop providers? | No, GP&L is the only provider | Yes, many retail electric providers |
| Export credit | GP&L surplus credit near 8.19 cents/kWh | Varies by provider’s solar buyback plan |
| Rules set by | City of Garland / GP&L | Each retail provider |
What a Garland roof produces, and what it offsets
North Texas has strong sun, and a typical Garland roof turns that into real output. According to MySolarFY’s analysis (August 2026), a typical 6 kW system in Garland (ZIP 75040) produces about 9,130 kWh a year, modeled with the NREL PVWatts calculator at roughly 5.48 kWh per square meter per day of sun. That is a modeled estimate for a well-placed roof; your own output depends on pitch, shading, and orientation, so estimate your specific roof with PVWatts before you size a system.
The value of that output depends on the rate it offsets. Texas residential electricity averages about 16.44 cents per kWh (EIA, as of May 2026). At that rate, 9,130 kWh a year is worth roughly $1,501 of avoided grid electricity. GP&L sets its own municipal rates rather than a competitive-market price, so read the energy charge on your GP&L bill for your exact number (GP&L residential rates, as of August 2026). Because your GP&L retail rate is higher than the roughly 8.19 cents GP&L pays for exported power, the power you use as your panels make it is worth more than the power you export, which is why sizing to your usage, and sometimes a battery, matters here.
See what solar programs are available at your Garland address
Solar buyback credits, interconnection rules, installer availability, and electric rates change by utility and location. Enter your ZIP and we’ll match you with licensed installers who serve your area.
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How GP&L’s solar buyback and net metering work
GP&L credits your extra solar through a bi-directional meter and a fixed buyback rate, not a shopped retail plan. When GP&L approves your system, a meter technician installs a bi-directional meter that records both the power you pull from the grid and the excess solar you send back. Each month those readings are netted for billing, and GP&L buys back each excess kWh at a surplus generation credit of $0.0819 (GP&L solar installation requirements, as of August 2026, verify current). This is a real credit, but it is below GP&L’s retail energy rate, so the power you consume directly is worth more than the power you export.
Because export pays less than retail, the smart design in Garland leans toward self-consumption. Sizing your array close to your annual usage, shifting big loads to daytime, and in some homes adding a battery all raise the share of your solar you use at the higher retail value instead of exporting at the lower buyback rate. This is a different optimization than a full one-for-one net-metering state, and it is closer to how California’s net-billing homes now think, though the numbers and the utility here are entirely Garland’s. For the general mechanics, see how net metering and export credits work.
Permits in Garland: two approvals, not one
A Garland solar project needs two approvals: a City of Garland permit and a GP&L interconnection sign-off. Your installer pulls the electrical permit (and a building permit with plan review for larger systems) from the City of Garland Building Inspection Department, and a licensed, registered electrical contractor must do the work and schedule the final green-tag inspection (City of Garland electrical and solar permitting, as of August 2026). Separately, GP&L reviews your interconnection application, its Distribution department contacts you to schedule a function test, and only after that is the system approved and the bi-directional meter set (GP&L, as of August 2026).
The practical takeaway is to hire an installer who has worked in Garland specifically. A company that regularly does GP&L interconnections already knows the city’s contractor-registration rules and the function-test step, which keeps your Permission to Operate from stalling. Fees and processing times change, so confirm the current permit fee and timeline with the City of Garland before you sign. For questions to ask before you hire, see the right questions to ask a solar installer.
The federal tax credit ended, and what still applies in Texas
The 30% federal homeowner credit is gone for 2026 systems. The federal Residential Clean Energy Credit (Section 25D) ended for systems placed in service after December 31, 2025, under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, so a Garland homeowner who buys solar with cash or a loan in 2026 cannot claim it (IRS Residential Clean Energy Credit; SEIA, as of 2026). You will still see installer ads implying the 30% credit is available; the accurate answer for 2026 is that the homeowner version already ended. Texas has no statewide personal income tax, so there is no state income-tax credit to replace it, and Texas has no mandatory statewide net metering, which is why the local GP&L buyback above is what shapes your payback. For the full timeline, see what the federal solar tax credit change means in 2026.
One federal exception exists, and it is not the homeowner’s to claim. A separate commercial credit, Section 48E, is claimed by the business that owns a leased or power purchase agreement (PPA) system, not by the homeowner (IRS Clean Electricity Investment Credit, as of 2026). On a lease or PPA the third-party owner files for that credit; the 25D homeowner credit, by contrast, ended after December 31, 2025. Texas does exempt the added home value from a solar system from property tax, which helps the case for owning (Texas solar incentives in 2026).
How to pay for solar in Garland
There is no single right way to pay for solar; the best fit depends on whether you want to own the system or avoid an up-front cost. A lease or PPA can mean no up-front cost for eligible homeowners, but it is a long-term agreement with monthly payments, not free solar, and on a lease or PPA the system owner, not you, holds the tax benefits. To weigh the long-run numbers, see whether solar panels are worth it.
| Path | Up-front cost | Who owns it | Who keeps tax benefits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cash purchase | Highest | You | You |
| Solar loan | Low to none | You | You |
| Lease / PPA | Often none | The provider | The provider |
Check which solar programs are available at your Garland address →
Garland solar FAQ
Reviewed by the MySolarFY team. Figures were verified against the linked Garland Power & Light, City of Garland, EIA, NREL PVWatts, IRS, and SEIA sources as of August 2026; the GP&L surplus generation credit, GP&L retail rates, and Garland permitting requirements can change, so confirm current terms with Garland Power & Light and the City of Garland before you decide. MySolarFY does not provide tax or financial advice; consult a licensed professional about your own situation. Learn more about the MySolarFY team and how we work.
MySolarFY is a free service that matches homeowners with licensed solar installers. We are not an installer, financing company, or government program. “No up-front cost” refers to qualifying lease or PPA financing, where eligible homeowners may have no out-of-pocket cost at installation. Lease and PPA terms typically run 20 to 25 years, may include an annual price escalator, and total payments may exceed the cost of a cash purchase; on a lease or PPA the tax benefits go to the company that owns the system, not the homeowner. Homeowners do not get the federal residential credit that ended after December 31, 2025. Solar panels are not free and monthly payments apply. Eligibility, savings, incentives, and rates vary and are not guaranteed. See our full disclaimer.
