Where do I start?
Pick the situation that sounds like yours. Each list starts with the first question to answer.
My electric bill jumped
I’m choosing a plan
I just moved to Texas
Storm season
I’m thinking about solar
My roof or AC needs work
How does electricity work in Texas?
Three organizations shape every Texas electric bill: the grid operator, the company that owns your wires and, in most of the state, a retail provider you choose. Knowing which is which tells you who sets each charge and who to call.
The wires company
Owns the poles, wires and meters, restores outages and charges delivery rates set by the state. Your address decides which one you have.
The retail provider
Sells you electricity, sets your plan’s price and sends your bill. In competitive areas, you pick it and can switch.
The grid operator
ERCOT balances supply and demand and asks Texans to conserve when supply runs tight. It doesn’t send bills or fix neighborhood outages.
Bills & Rates
What’s on your bill, who sets each charge, and how to shop for a plan without getting caught by the fine print.
Your utility and the grid
- What is CenterPoint Energy, and why is it on my bill?NewHouston’s delivery utility: every charge decoded, who to call in an outage, and what changed after Beryl.
- What is Oncor, and why is it on my bill?The Dallas–Fort Worth delivery utility: its charges, its outage line and how it differs from your provider.
- AEP Texas, explainedThe delivery utility for much of South and West Texas, and what it adds to your bill.
- CPS Energy bills, explainedSan Antonio’s city-owned utility: how its rates work and why you can’t switch providers.
- Austin Energy bills, explainedAustin’s city utility: how its tiered rates work and what they mean for your bill.
- ERCOT grid alerts, explainedWhat conservation appeals and grid emergencies mean, and how they differ from a local outage.
Your bill
- Why is my electric bill so high?The usage, plan and delivery causes, in the order to check them.
- What’s the average electric bill in Texas?What homes like yours pay by month and season, so you can tell if yours is high.
- How to get help paying your electric billState and provider programs that help, who qualifies and how to apply.
- Power out? What to do in TexasWho to call in each utility area, where to find outage maps and how to stay safe.
Shopping for a plan
- Texas electricity rates, explainedWhat a fair price per kWh looks like right now, and what pushes it up.
- Power to Choose, explainedHow to use the state’s official plan site without getting caught by the fine print.
- How to read an Electricity Facts LabelThe one-page sheet that shows what a plan really costs at your usage.
- Fixed or variable rate: which plan is safer?How each plan type behaves when prices spike, and who each one suits.
- Are free nights and weekends plans worth it?When the free hours save money, and when the daytime price cancels them out.
- No-deposit and prepaid electricity, explainedHow to start service without a deposit, and what prepaid plans really cost.
- How to set up electricity in TexasFind your utility, pick a provider and have power on by move-in day.
Solar & Batteries
Whether solar and a battery pay off in Texas, where your electricity provider decides what your extra power earns.
- Is solar worth it in Texas?The honest payback math for a Texas home, and what changed for 2026.
- How much do solar panels cost in Texas?What a typical system costs, and how to tell whether a quote is fair.
- Solar buyback plans: how Texas pays for your extra powerTexas has no required net metering, so each provider sets what your exports earn.
- Texas solar incentives in 2026What’s still available, from property tax relief to utility programs.
- Is a home battery worth it in Texas?Backup through outages versus savings on your bill, with the honest math.
- Free solar panels in Texas: what’s the catch?How “free” solar offers really work, and the contract terms to check first.
Rebates & Efficiency
Programs that pay you to save energy, which ones are open today, and which are still on the way.
- When will Texas home energy rebates open?Where the state’s federally funded rebate programs stand, who will qualify and which offers to ignore.
- Utility energy-saving rebates in TexasThe efficiency programs your delivery utility runs, and how to claim them.
- Free home weatherization in TexasWho qualifies for free insulation and repairs, and how to apply.
- Get paid to use less power in TexasPrograms that pay you to cut back during grid peaks, and what they ask of you.
Company Rankings & Reviews
Electricity providers and solar installers, scored with one public-records formula. No company pays to be listed or ranked.
Every score comes from the same public records: complaints, contract terms and company history. See how we review companies.
- Best electricity companies in TexasEvery major provider, scored with the same public-records formula.
- TXU Energy reviewNewTexas’s largest electricity provider, scored on complaints, contract terms and history.
- Reliant Energy reviewOne of the state’s biggest providers, scored on the same public records.
- Green Mountain Energy reviewThe renewable-energy brand, scored on the same public records.
- Direct Energy reviewA long-running Texas provider, scored on the same public records.
- Gexa Energy reviewA Houston-based provider, scored on the same public records.
- Best solar companies in TexasInstallers scored on public records, with no referral money behind the order.
Roof & HVAC
What new roofs and air conditioners cost in Texas, and how to handle hail and summer heat.
- How much does a new roof cost in Texas?Typical costs by roof type, and what drives a quote up.
- Hail damage on your roof: the Texas claim processHow to document damage, file a claim and avoid storm-chasing contractors.
- How much does a new AC cost in Texas?Typical costs by system size, and when a repair beats a replacement.
- Heat pump or AC for a Texas home?How each handles long summers and mild winters, and what each costs to run.
Free Texas energy tools
Run your own numbers. Every tool works in your browser.
How does The Day Company make money?
No company we write about pays us. We take no referral fees, commissions or payments for rankings. Ads will help fund our Texas guides once they’re approved. They won’t appear on this page, and advertisers have no say in what we write or how we score.
Sources and updates
Sources (3)
- Public Utility Commission of Texas: delivery utility rates and Power to Choose, the state’s official plan comparison site.
- ERCOT: how the Texas grid is run.
- U.S. Energy Information Administration: electricity prices and use.
- Each guide lists its own primary sources and the date we checked them.
Changelog · last updated October 3, 2026 · 1 update
- October 3, 2026: Page published, with every planned Texas guide listed by topic.
How to cite this page: The Day Company, “Texas Electricity & Energy Guides,” updated October 3, 2026, https://theday.company/texas.
The Day Company is not affiliated with the Public Utility Commission of Texas, ERCOT, Power to Choose, any utility or any retail electric provider, and no company pays for placement on this page. Guides marked Coming soon are being written now.