DAC Tariff in Mexico: How It Works, How to Get Out and Whether Solar Pays Off

What DAC is

DAC stands for Doméstica de Alto Consumo, or high-consumption household. It is the tariff for homes that went over their town's usage limit. It has no steps and no subsidy: every kWh costs the same, plus a fixed charge.

That is why it is usually the most expensive home tariff, and also where efficiency and solar panels deserve the closest look. It's a signal to analyze your case, not a guarantee that any system will pay off.

The limit for each tariff

CFE works out your average monthly usage over the last 12 months and compares it with your town's limit. If you go over, it reclassifies you to DAC. The limit is monthly, even if you are billed every two months.

How to check whether you're close

One expensive bill doesn't put you on DAC, and one cheap bill doesn't get you off. What counts is the rolling average: each new bill enters the calculation and the oldest one drops out.

For example, on tariff 1 with these made-up two-month readings: 420, 380, 460, 610, 700 and 590 kWh. They add up to 3,160 kWh in a year, or about 263 kWh a month, above the 250 limit, even though four of the six bills are under 500.

What it costs

The price changes every month and by region. These are the charges reported for October 2026, before IVA (Mexican sales tax). The reported fixed charge is $145.79 pesos a month in all regions. Confirm your month's prices with CFE.

If your bill has DAP (street lighting) and past-due amounts, add them separately. The monthly minimum on DAC is the fixed charge plus the equivalent of 25 kWh.

How to get off DAC

The official rule is simple: when your monthly average falls below your town's limit, CFE applies your household tariff again. Because the average spans 12 months, getting out takes time: it doesn't happen with one low bill.

To lower your average, first review what uses the most: air conditioning, pool pumps, electric water heaters and old equipment. Then see whether you also need solar panels to lower the usage CFE bills you for.

• Work out how many kWh a month you need to drop to get under the limit.
• Check which equipment could remove that usage.
• Leave a margin: if you end up right at the limit, one hard summer puts you back on DAC.
• Track your average with each bill.

Why panels usually do better on DAC

Each kWh you don't buy on DAC saves you the full price of energy and its IVA, at more than $6 pesos before tax. In a subsidized home, by contrast, panels end up removing kWh from the basic step, at little more than $1. That's why the same system usually pays off sooner on DAC.

With net metering (medición neta), the energy you send out is subtracted from what you take from the grid, and what's left over stays as a credit for up to 12 months. If your panels bring your average below the limit, you could also return to your subsidized tariff. Note that your remaining kWh then become cheaper and the savings on each kWh change, so ask for that to be calculated.

What really decides whether it pays off

Ask for a proposal that shows all of this, using your real bills.

• 12 months of usage, and whether you plan to change or add equipment.
• Estimated production month by month, based on your roof, orientation and shade.
• Full cost: equipment, structure, protections, paperwork and adjustments.
• The CFE arrangement, usually net metering, and what happens to anything left over.
• Charges that stay: fixed charge and street lighting.
• A scenario with lower production, as well as the optimistic one.
• Warranties and maintenance.

Your path to a decision

This order keeps you from buying a system for usage you could have avoided.

• Confirm that your bill says DAC and gather 12 months of history.
• Identify which appliances explain your usage, and fix the obvious: dirty filters, bad seals or A/C in empty rooms.
• Work out your expected usage after those changes.
• Ask for at least two proposals using the same data.
• Compare the investment against real savings, not a generic percentage.