Harris County Breaks Ground on NRG Center Solar Monday

Harris County breaks ground Monday, September 14, on a rooftop solar array at NRG Center. It is the centerpiece of a county program to put solar and battery storage on six to ten county-owned sites, which commissioners authorized at $88.3 million in March. The array is sized to generate about as much electricity in a year as 500 homes use.

The part that reaches residents comes later. The county plans to open enrollment in 2027 for its Affordable Community Energy program, which passes the county's own energy savings through to income-qualified households as lower electric bills. The county puts that at roughly $1,000 a year for about 10,000 households. Treat it as a projection rather than a credit anyone is collecting yet, because the enrollment rules have not been published.

Solar comes up in Houston listings a lot more than it did five years ago, and the first question I ask is whether the panels are owned or leased. Owned panels convey with the house. A lease or a power purchase agreement is a contract the buyer has to qualify for and assume, and that belongs in the option period, not the week of closing. My degree is in accounting, from UH-Downtown, so I will say the plain thing about a savings figure attached to a program that has not opened yet: wait for the enrollment terms before you budget around it. If you are buying or selling a house with panels on it and want to know what actually transfers, call or text me at 281-818-8177.