Lubbock electricity: can you choose, and how to pick a plan

Yes, if Lubbock Power & Light owns the poles and wires to your home. Those homes have been able to pick their own provider since March 4, 2024. Homes on South Plains Electric Cooperative lines get power from the co-op instead.

The name on your power bill is the quickest clue. For a Lubbock address, a retail provider's name, like Reliant, TXU or Octopus Energy, usually means you are on LP&L lines. A bill from South Plains Electric Cooperative means you are a co-op member. Some addresses outside LP&L's lines are served by the co-op or another utility, and the name on your bill tells you which.

LP&L delivers power inside Lubbock's city limits, in service areas approved by the state. The co-op serves members across 18 counties, and Lubbock County is one of them. So a home in Lubbock County could be on either system. Parts of the Fort Worth area have a similar mix, as our Fort Worth guide shows.

Sources: state bill rules (16 TAC §25.479), the City of Lubbock's LP&L page and City of Lubbock Utilities, checked Oct. 11, 2026.

Other big Texas cities work differently. Homes on CPS Energy in San Antonio and on Austin Energy can't shop. Neither can homes on El Paso Electric, which is not on the ERCOT grid. Texas law lets a city decide if homes on its own power lines get choice. Once a city says yes, it can't take that back (Texas Utilities Code §40.051).

Lubbock homes first got to pick a provider in March 2024. It took six years from the state's OK in 2018. LP&L moved to the Texas grid in two steps, and then homes shopped.

LP&L has powered Lubbock since 1916, the City says. For most of that time, it also sold the power. Now it only delivers it.

1. Mar 8, 2018The Public Utility Commission of Texas approves LP&L's plan to join ERCOT.
2. May 29–30, 2021About 70% of LP&L customers move from the Southwest Power Pool grid to ERCOT.
3. Dec 9–11, 2023The last 30% move. The work ends at 9:46 a.m. on Dec. 11.
4. Jan 5 – Feb 15, 2024Homes get six weeks to shop on Power to Choose, the state's plan site.
5. Feb 15, 2024About 66% of customers have picked a provider. Those who never pick are given a default provider.
6. Mar 4 – Apr 1, 2024Homes move to their providers, one meter-reading cycle at a time.
7. Nov 1, 2026LP&L's new delivery rate starts: $2.50 a month plus 6.008¢ per kWh.

Sources: ERCOT news release (May 28, 2021), ERCOT and City of Lubbock filing (Dec. 12, 2023), ERCOT market notice and PUCT filing (Feb. 27, 2024), City of Lubbock council agenda (Sept. 8, 2026) and LP&L's delivery tariff (effective Nov. 1, 2026).

Why move at all? ERCOT said the switch would let LP&L customers tap its competitive wholesale power market. Getting there took six years of engineering, studies and state approvals, ERCOT said.

The 2021 step was the largest customer transfer in ERCOT's history, ERCOT said. Only two city utilities or co-ops have opted in to retail choice, ERCOT said in 2025. They are LP&L and Nueces Electric Cooperative, near Corpus Christi. Our Corpus Christi guide explains that co-op.

You were given a month-to-month plan with one of three default providers: Reliant, TXU or Octopus Energy. You can leave that plan at any time, and there is no fee to leave it.

Here is what happened. By Feb. 15, 2024, about 66% of LP&L customers had picked a provider, ERCOT reported. Customers who had not picked by their move date got a default provider from a pool of three. They stay on that month-to-month plan until they sign up for a plan they choose.

A month-to-month plan can't charge a fee to leave (16 TAC §25.475). The City of Lubbock also said assigned customers can switch at any time without penalty. But the price on a month-to-month plan can change each month. Learn how fixed and variable rates differ.

How to leave a plan you didn't pick

1. 1
   Find your ESI ID

   It is the long ID number on your power bill. Every provider's bill must show it (16 TAC §25.479).

2. 2
   Compare a few plans

   Use Power to Choose, the state's plan site. Read each Electricity Facts Label at your own monthly use.

3. 3
   Sign up with the one you pick

   Give the new company your ESI ID. It sets up the switch, and the wires to your home stay the same.

4. 4
   Check your first new bill

   Make sure the price matches the facts label you picked.

Were you assigned to TXU or Reliant? See TXU vs Reliant, plus our TXU review (80/100) and Reliant review (62/100). Our switching guide covers each step in more detail.

Through Oct. 31, 2026, LP&L charges $0.00 a month plus 6.312¢ per kWh to deliver your power. That's $63.12 at 1,000 kWh. From Nov. 1, it charges $2.50 a month plus 6.008¢ per kWh, or $62.58 at 1,000 kWh. Every provider pays LP&L the same rate, and the labels we checked pass it on with no markup.

So LP&L's delivery costs less than Oncor's in Dallas or CenterPoint's in Houston. It costs a bit more than AEP Texas. The Lubbock City Council sets this part of your bill, not your provider.

Math: through Oct. 31, kWh × $0.06312. From Nov. 1, $2.50 plus kWh × $0.06008 (a $0.05324 delivery charge, a $0.00167 transition charge and a $0.00517 franchise fee). 1,096 kWh is the average Texas home (U.S. EIA, 2024). Taxes not included.

Use the statewide average as your yardstick: Texas homes paid 15.88¢ per kWh in July 2026. If you paid that price, 1,000 kWh would cost $158.80. Of that, $63.12 would go to LP&L for delivery.

That split matters when you shop. The LP&L part stays the same no matter which provider you choose, so picking a plan only changes the rest of the bill.

Facts labels make the math easy. Each Electricity Facts Label shows an average price at 500, 1,000 and 2,000 kWh. That price already includes LP&L's delivery. Compare plans at the level closest to your own use.

Why are the three prices so far apart? This plan gives a credit only when you reach 1,000 kWh. Fall short, and your price jumps. If your use swings from winter to summer, a flat plan with no credit is easier to predict.

For a wider view, see Texas electricity rates and our company scores. Our plan calculator compares up to three plans at your use.

Does Lubbock add sales tax to power bills?

Yes, at 1.5%. Lubbock is on the Texas Comptroller's list of cities that tax home electricity (updated June 2, 2026), and its city sales tax rate is 1.5%. Home power is exempt from most other local taxes, including Lubbock County's 0.5%. So the city's 1.5% is the one to look for.

Where does it show up? Look in your bill's current charges. A provider that lists it on its own line must call it "Sales tax collected by authorized taxing authorities" (16 TAC §25.479). A facts label price leaves sales tax out (16 TAC §25.475). On a $150 bill, 1.5% adds $2.25. The delivery math below starts its tax box at 1.5%.

Two quick taps tell you if you can shop and what to do next. Then you can see what LP&L's delivery costs at your own monthly use.

Tap Through Oct 31 to see LP&L's rate before the change. Facts labels for LP&L's area list the same delivery charges. If your bill shows a different tax rate, type it in.

Call LP&L at 806-775-2509, day or night. Your provider sends the bill, but LP&L owns the lines and fixes outages.

You can also report an outage by text or email at LightsOut@LPandL.com, the City says. Keep well back from any fallen line, and report it to LP&L right away. Our power outage guide covers what to do next.

Heat matters for Lubbock bills. The normal July high is 93.4°F, and four of those five years had far more 100-degree days than usual. Hot days mean more air conditioning, so look at a plan's 2,000 kWh price, not only the 1,000 kWh one. Our guides on high bills and the average Texas bill can help.

Start with CEAP, the state's energy bill help program. A local agency runs it in every Texas county. Texas 2-1-1 can tell you which one serves Lubbock County.

CEAP helps low-income homes meet urgent energy needs, says TDHCA, the state housing agency. Its Help for Texans page points to Texas 2-1-1. Dial 2-1-1 or visit 211texas.org, then pick the help you need and enter Lubbock County. Calling works fine if you don't have web acess at home.

Ask your provider about a payment plan, too. For bills due in July, August or September, providers must offer a payment plan to eligible customers who ask (16 TAC §25.480). Since 2024, your provider handles billing questions like this, not LP&L.

Agencies and funds change, so check 2-1-1 for the office that serves Lubbock County today. Our bill help guide covers every Texas program, and our weatherization guide explains free home repairs.

First, find out who owns the lines at the address. On LP&L lines, pick a provider and give it your start date. On co-op lines, sign up with South Plains Electric Cooperative.

Lots of people go through this. About 49% of Lubbock homes are rented, and more than 1 in 5 residents moved in the past year (U.S. Census, 2020 to 2024). The city had about 273,000 people in 2025.

For step-by-step help, see how to set up electricity, no-deposit and prepaid plans and how to switch later. Opening a shop or office? Read our business electricity guide.

Every Texas guide, by topic

Browse every guide on the Texas hub. Or see every state’s average price on our price map.