Plano electricity: how to pick a plan for your home

Yes, if Oncor delivers power to your home. Oncor’s wires carry about 90% of Plano’s power. The other 10% comes from CoServ, an electric co-op, mostly in far north and west Plano. CoServ homes can’t switch.

Oncor is a wires company that runs the poles, lines and meters and fixes outages. It does not sell power to homes. In Oncor’s part of Plano, you pick a retail electricity provider, and that company sets your price and sends the bill.

CoServ works another way. It is a co-op owned by its members, and it both sells and delivers the power. Texas lets each co-op decide whether to open its area to choice. CoServ has not, so its members buy from CoServ. Even the city’s utility FAQ asks why CoServ homes can’t choose. CoServ has held a city franchise in Plano since 1987.

Sources: City of Plano memo (July 22, 2024); Public Utility Commission of Texas co-op FAQ; Oncor and CoServ outage pages, checked Oct 10, 2026.

How to tell which one serves you

1. 1
   Look at your bill

   A CoServ bill comes from CoServ. A bill from a provider you picked means Oncor lines. To double-check, put the bill’s ESI ID in our utility finder.

2. 2
   Ask before you move in

   The builder, landlord or HOA can usually tell you. Ask most of all in far north or west Plano.

3. 3
   Still not sure? Call

   Call CoServ at 940-321-7800 on a weekday and ask if it serves the address. Oncor’s line for questions is 888-313-6862.

Fort Worth has the same kind of split, with a different co-op. Our Fort Worth guide shows how it plays out there.

A Plano bill on Oncor lines has three main parts: Oncor’s delivery charge, your plan’s energy charge and the 1% city tax. You can’t shop around for the first part, but you can for the second.

Oncor’s charge went up on October 4, 2026. It is now $38.40 at 500 kWh, $72.73 at 1,000 kWh and $141.41 at 2,000 kWh. Every Oncor home pays the same charge, from Plano to Arlington. A fact label dated before October 4 may show a price that is now a little low. Our Oncor guide breaks the charge down line by line.

How does the example stack up? It works out to 16.9¢ per kWh, all in. Texas homes paid 15.88¢ on average in July 2026, says the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The average Texas bill was $163.72 for 1,096 kWh in 2024. See how prices move in our Texas rates guide.

A CoServ bill looks different. CoServ folds its wires into one price per kWh. In October 2026, its Standard rate is $15 a month plus 11.4781¢ per kWh. At 1,000 kWh, that’s about 13¢ per kWh before tax, below the 15.88¢ Texas average. The price moves a bit each month with CoServ’s power cost factor. It was 11.7781¢ in September. Plano also charges CoServ a fee to run its lines along city streets. It equals 4% of CoServ’s gross revenues, as their 2024 deal defines them. CoServ says it lists city franchise fees on bills where a city charges one.

Yes. Plano is on the Texas Comptroller’s list of cities that tax home electricity. The rate is the city’s 1% sales tax. It applies in Oncor and CoServ homes alike.

Shoppers in Plano pay 8.25% at the store, but home power is different. State law exempts it from the 6.25% state tax, and transit taxes like DART’s skip it too. Only the city’s own 1% applies.

A Plano shop or office pays the full 8.25% on its power, because the home exemptions don’t cover business use. Our business electricity guide covers demand charges and the rest of a business bill.

Here is the math for the example bill: $167.73 before tax times 1% is $1.68 a month, or about $20 a year. That’s small, but fact labels leave sales tax out by state rule. So in Plano, expect to pay about 1% more than the label’s price.

Labels leave out one more thing. Texas charges providers a tax on what they sell in cities. In a city as big as Plano, that tax is 1.997% of their sales there. Some providers add a line to your bill to cover it.

Why do some cities tax home power and others don’t? State law lets some cities vote the tax off, and lets some vote it back on. So the answer can change at the city line. Here is how Plano’s neighbors stand.

Texas Comptroller, cities with local sales tax on home gas and electricity (page updated June 2, 2026). Rates differ by city, so we list only Plano’s. Murphy is on the state’s list of cities that could add the tax back.

The average Southern home of 2,000 to 2,499 square feet uses about 1,272 kWh a month, a U.S. survey found. On Oncor lines with a 9.5¢ example plan, that’s about $214 a month with Plano’s tax.

Why the South? This survey table groups Texas with the rest of the South, and it’s the closest match we found for use by home size. Your own bill is still the best guide, so type in your real kWh if you have it.

The tool adds Oncor’s delivery, your energy charge and the 1% city tax. It applies the tax to the whole bill. It leaves out any monthly base charge your plan adds. In the CoServ setting, it uses CoServ’s October 2026 Standard rate instead. Want to compare three real plans side by side? Our plan cost calculator does that.

Read each plan’s fact label at the use that fits your home. Labels show prices at 500, 1,000 and 2,000 kWh. Southern homes of 1,500 square feet or more average 1,147 to 1,629 kWh a month, so check both the 1,000 and 2,000 prices.

Average use: EIA 2020 survey, South region. Label usage levels set by state rule 16 TAC §25.475.

Why read two prices? Some plans give a bill credit only when your use lands in a set range. So a price that looks low at 1,000 kWh can look very different at 2,000. Our Dallas guide shows real bill credit examples. Learn to read every line in our fact label guide.

Start on the state’s own site. Our Power to Choose guide shows how to use it safely. A fixed-rate plan keeps your energy price the same all summer, when bills run biggest.

Check the company, not just the price

A low price from a company with lots of complaints can cost you in other ways. See all 25 scores in our best electricity companies list. Want to check a company we haven’t scored? Our Dallas-area electric company directory shows the state’s complaint rating for each company on Power to Choose. Torn between two well-known brands? Our TXU vs Reliant comparison lines up their scores, prices and terms.

Or lower the bill by using less

CoServ members have a battery deal of their own. Its Reliability Plus plan pays a $12.50 monthly credit for each enrolled battery, per CoServ’s October 2026 rate page.

Report it to the company that owns your lines, which is Oncor for most of Plano and CoServ for its members. Your retail provider can’t send a crew, so calling it only slows you down.

Oncor says its map updates every 10 minutes. Sometimes the whole Texas grid runs short, and the grid operator, ERCOT, sends alerts. Our ERCOT guide explains what each alert means. For what to do while you wait, see power out in Texas.

Start with the Texoma Council of Governments, or TCOG, which runs the state’s CEAP bill help program in Collin County. You can even drop off your form at its office in Plano.

1. TodayCheck your income. Homes at or below 150% of the poverty line can qualify. For a family of four, that’s $49,500 a year (2026 limit).
2. This weekGet TCOG’s 2026 packet from its Energy Services page. Old or missing forms slow things down.
3. Drop-off dayTake it to 900 East Park Blvd., Suite 155, Plano 75074, and use the slot by the door. Or mail it to TCOG in Sherman. TCOG does not take forms by email, fax or online.
4. About 8 weeksThat’s TCOG’s average wait. This is not emergency help, and the money can run out.

CEAP can pay up to $1,800 a year toward power bills for the lowest incomes. TCOG also runs free home weatherization, which can cut what you use. Keep a copy of  everything you turn in.

CoServ members can ask for a new due date in the SmartHub app, under Bill & Pay. Ask before the date on a disconnect notice, because after that it’s too late. In Oncor areas, call your provider and ask for a payment plan. Our bill help guide lists your rights and other aid.

First, find out if the address is on Oncor or CoServ. For Oncor, pick a plan and give the provider your move-in date. For CoServ, call CoServ to start service. Do it a few days early so the lights are on when you arrive.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts, Plano city (2020 to 2024 survey; 2025 estimate).

Apartments handle power in a few ways, so there’s no one patern to count on. Ask the leasing office to show you how your bill will look.

Our move-in guide walks through each step, and if a credit check is a worry, read about no-deposit plans. Happy with your current plan? Ask your provider if it can move with you. If it ends soon, read what to do when a contract ends, or see how switching works.

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