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For over two decades, most Texans have had the power to choose their own electricity companies and select rate plans that fit their budgets. The Lone Star State’s deregulated electricity market ensures that residents and businesses can choose from a wide range of electricity suppliers rather than simply buying from their local utility company.
In a deregulated market like this, retail electricity providers (REPs) sell electricity to customers throughout the state, working with local utility companies to ensure that Texans receive their power reliably.
Within this setup, the utility’s role is to maintain the electrical infrastructure, deliver power, and correct any outages. Although you can choose your own electricity provider and shop for competitive electricity rates, you can’t choose your utility — it’s based on where you live. Although you’ll find many electricity providers by ZIP code, you’ll only find one utility assigned to you.
Whether you’re establishing new service or switching to a new electric provider, it’s important to know what electric utility services your address. You’ll need to contact the utility company in the event of any power outages. Your bill will also include some transmission and delivery fees from your utility.
Most cities in Texas have only one utility company, but a few areas are split between multiple companies. When you sign up for an energy plan with one of Choose Texas Power’s trusted energy companies, you’ll need to explore utility providers by address to select the correct utility for your area.
Here are the five utility companies for deregulated Texas communities and the main areas that they serve. You can find more information about each utility and its service areas at the links provided.
Major Areas Served: Corpus Christi, McAllen, Harlingen, Victoria, Laredo
Founded: 1906
Former Names: Central Power and Light
Customers: 1 million+
Major Areas Served: Abilene, Albany, Alpine, Marfa, San Angelo, Vernon
Founded: 1922
Former Names: West Texas Utilities Company
Customers: 1 million+
Major Areas Served: Houston metropolitan area
Founded: 1882
Former Names: Houston Electric Light & Power, NorAm Energy Corp.
Customers: 2.8 million+
Major Areas Served: Dallas–Fort Worth, Tyler, Waco, Midland, Odessa, Wichita Falls
Founded: 1912
Former Names: TU Electric, Sharyland Utilities, Dallas Power & Light, Texas Electric Service Company (TXU)
Customers: 13 million+
Major Areas Served: Dickinson, Texas City, Fort Stockton, Friendswood, Lewisville, West Columbia, Clifton
Founded: 1934
Former Names: Community Public Service Co.
Customers: 260,000+
