What is Oncor, and why is it on my electric bill?

Because two companies are behind every electric bill in North Texas. Your electric company sells you power and sends the bill. Oncor carries that power over its poles and wires to your home. You pay for both on one bill.

Oncor's own rule book calls it a delivery utility, and it says you must buy your power from an electric company. You can't switch delivery companies, because your address decides that. But you can switch electric companies and plans, and that's where the savings are. Compare them on Power to Choose, or see our provider rankings.

Call Oncor, not your electric company. Your electric company can't turn the power back on. Only Oncor can, because it owns the lines.

1. Check the mapSee if Oncor already knows. Open its outage map or text OUT to 66267.
2. Report itCall 888-313-4747. Reporting helps Oncor find where the problem is.
3. Stay safeSee a downed line? Stay at least 35 feet away, keep others back, then call.

Does someone at home need powered medical equipment? Ask your electric company to sign you up for Oncor's critical care or chronic condition list. Keep a backup plan anyway, because no utility can promise power in a big storm. Our power outage guide covers what to do while you wait, and a home battery can keep the basics running. A statewide grid emergency is different from a local outage; see ERCOT explained.

Since October 4, 2026, Oncor charges every home three things: $1.48 a month, $2.58 a month for the meter, and 6.8673¢ for each kWh you use. It's the same no matter which electric company you pick.

These are Oncor's home delivery rates from October 4, 2026. Taxes and your electric company's energy charge are extra.

How it shows up on your bill: some electric companies list Oncor's charge on its own line. Look for "TDU," "TDSP" or "Oncor." Others mix it into one price per kWh. Your plan's Electricity Facts Label tells you which. On many plans, your bill can change when Oncor's charge changes, even on a "fixed" rate. That's what happened on October 4. To see what drives the rest of your bill, read Texas electricity rates explained.

Next: your Oncor cost at your usage →

Slide to the kWh on your last bill. You'll see your Oncor charge for the month, for the whole year, and how much more it is since October 4.

At the October 4 rates, that's $38.40 at 500 kWh, $72.73 at 1,000 kWh and $141.41 at 2,000 kWh. Texas summers push lots of homes past 2,000 kWh, so delivery alone can top $140 in August. Want the full picture? See why Texas electric bills run high, compare yours with a normal Texas bill, or price a whole plan with our plan cost calculator. Behind on a bill? See help paying your electric bill.

Because it changed three times this year. A home using 1,000 kWh paid Oncor $60.41 a month in May. Now it pays $72.73. That's $12.32 more a month, or about $148 more a year.

Who decides: the Public Utility Commission of Texas. Between big rate cases, small add-on charges called riders cause most changes. A new state law now lets Oncor update two of them in one filing each year. Its first, PUCT Docket 59249, started on a temporary basis on October 4, 2026. If the final decision is lower, Oncor must pay back the difference with interest. The exact cents for each charge are in Oncor's filed Tariff for Retail Delivery Service.

Next: is Oncor pricier than other Texas utilities? →

Now it is, by a little. Since October 4, Oncor delivery costs $72.73 for 1,000 kWh. CenterPoint's costs about $70.23 since its own change on October 1. Before October, Oncor was the cheaper of the two.

No. Oncor bills every company the same delivery charge, and all 10 companies in the table below sell plans in its area. Switching only changes the price you pay for energy, plus the contract terms and the company’s record. Champion Energy scores highest. Frontier, Gexa and Rhythm have the lowest simple-plan prices, about 12.3¢ to 12.5¢; Frontier and Gexa force arbitration. For local plan prices, see our Dallas and Fort Worth rate guides. These 10 aren’t your only choices. Browse the others on the state’s shopping site, with each one’s complaint rating, in our lists of companies selling to Dallas homes and companies selling to Fort Worth homes.

Prices are each company’s simplest 12-month plan at 1,000 kWh in Dallas, delivery included, from the fact labels in our reviews (dated September 17 to October 5, 2026). Labels issued before October 4 don’t include Oncor’s latest increase, which adds about 0.8¢ at 1,000 kWh. “None listed” means Power to Choose showed no 12-month fixed plan for Dallas when we checked.

We’ve since scored 15 more companies, including BKV Energy (82) and TriEagle Energy (74). See all 25 ranked.

No. Oncor delivers power but doesn’t buy it. If your panels send extra power to the grid, your electric company’s buyback plan decides what you earn, from nothing to a 1:1 credit. To get credits, the fact labels require an interconnection agreement with Oncor and a meter that measures power in both directions.

In May 2024, a huge windstorm called a derecho knocked out power to more than 650,000 Oncor customers. After a string of bad Texas storms, Oncor filed a plan with the state to make its grid tougher.

1. February 2021Winter Storm Uri causes days of outages across Texas. The state passes new grid and weatherization laws.
2. May 2024A North Texas derecho cuts power to more than 650,000 Oncor customers. Oncor gets more than 340,000 back on within about 24 hours.
3. 2024Oncor files a System Resiliency Plan with the state to cut how often and how long storm outages last. Later, it reaches a tentative deal with the other sides in the case.
4. 2025Texas passes HB 144. It requires utilities to keep plans for checking and managing their poles.

What this means for you: no utility can promise power in a big storm. Save Oncor's number and have a backup plan, especially if someone at home uses powered medical equipment. North Texas storms can also damage your roof; see hail damage claims and what a new roof costs. A statewide grid emergency is different from a local outage; see ERCOT explained.

Next: is your city on Oncor lines? →

Oncor is the biggest delivery utility in Texas. It says it serves more than 13 million Texans in more than 400 cities and 98 counties across North, Central and West Texas.

Start with the company that controls the problem. If that doesn't fix it, go to the state.

1. Bill, plan or priceContact your electric company first. It controls your bill. Thinking of switching? Start with our provider rankings.
2. Outages, meters or linesContact Oncor at 888-313-4747.
3. Still not fixedFile a complaint with the Public Utility Commission of Texas. It oversees both companies.

Every Texas guide, by topic

Every state's average price is on our electricity prices by state map, and all our Texas guides are on the Texas hub.