Looking for general advice for a new installer in Texas.

[Leviathan]

Hey all,

I'm starting to look at designing and installing residential systems in Texas (native to Arizona). One of the first things I noticed is that most of the homes in the Dallas/Fort Worth area have the meter on the outside of the house, often behind a fence, but the load center will be inside the house or garage. Also, there are a lot of smaller utility companies. In Arizona we have like 4 major utilities and a handful of smaller ones. I'm aware that the only way to really know if I'm designing according to AHJ and Utility requirements would be to contact and find each jurisdiction or utilities' requirements. I'm mostly just looking for some rules of thumb.

For instance, compared to Arizona, Texas doesn't seem to care as much about the location of the service panel. The meter and ac disconnect are often in the backyard, without unrestricted access. What sort of things should I generally be aware of when designing a system in Texas?

Are there any things to know about the different utilities? From what I understand, the different utility companies are essentially energy brokers that purchase power from a larger company. Like I said, I'm only familiar with Arizona requirements so I'm particularly interested in how Texas differs.

Lastly, thank you whoever reads this thread. I appreciate any advice or resources that people have for me. I'd also be interested to hear about other peoples experiences or advice when approaching new and unfamiliar markets.

Thank You

 

[Leviathan]

I'm curious about some other things as well. Is it common to have to upgrade utility wires from the transformer? Is it preferred to any of a derate, MPU, line side tap compared to the others? I've heard that the Texas rules and regulations are a little bit looser than other states. Again, thanks to everybody who responds.

 

[ggunn]

Texas is a mosaic of AHJ's with different requirements for PV installations, and yes, it's complicated; many places have an overlay of utility and municipality rules. In general, they all require a bladed lockable PV AC disconnect on the outside of the building, but many other variables are individually determined by local authority. Some enforce fire code and some don't, and of those that do, some enforce the 2015 version and some enforce a later version. Most will allow line side PV interconnections, some do not, and at least one will allow nothing else; one in particular only allows a PV connection outside the customer's meter as a separately metered service. Some require a separate PV meter, some don't.

In addition to that stuff, utility tariff structures vary as well with different rules for compensation for customers' PV energy production; some have traditional net metering and some do not. Are you looking to start your own company or do you want to join an established organization?

 

[Leviathan]

I appreciate the response. We already do installations in Arizona and are looking to expand into Texas. The way that it works in Arizona is you get whichever utility services the are that you live in - the resident doesn't really get much of a choice. The way that Texas does things is a little foreign to me. I was wondering if it's common or even suggested that the customer switch their utility company to one that's more "solar-friendly" and if there any caveats to that. Thanks again.

 

[xformer]

Texas is a mosaic of AHJ's with different requirements for PV installations, and yes, it's complicated; many places have an overlay of utility and municipality rules. In general, they all require a bladed lockable PV AC disconnect on the outside of the building, but many other variables are individually determined by local authority. Some enforce fire code and some don't, and of those that do, some enforce the 2015 version and some enforce a later version. Most will allow line side PV interconnections, some do not, and at least one will allow nothing else; one in particular only allows a PV connection outside the customer's meter as a separately metered service. Some require a separate PV meter, some don't.

In addition to that stuff, utility tariff structures vary as well with different rules for compensation for customers' PV energy production; some have traditional net metering and some do not. Are you looking to start your own company or do you want to join an established organization?

That sounded like a big - "neither".

 

[Leviathan]

That sounded like a big - "neither".

Hah, I'm a designer for a small solar company that's looking to expand to other markets. Texas is just big and scary.

 

[Carultch]

Texas is a mosaic of AHJ's with different requirements for PV installations, and yes, it's complicated; many places have an overlay of utility and municipality rules.

Are there public articles with tables that help Texans keep track of all these local idiosyncrasies, so you can know in advance before submitting your applications? Or is every company expected to build their own reference table from trial and error?

 

[ggunn]

Are there public articles with tables that help Texans keep track of all these local idiosyncrasies, so you can know in advance before submitting your applications? Or is every company expected to build their own reference table from trial and error?

I don't know of any, and that's what we have done. It keeps changing; we fail an inspection, we update the spreadsheet.