Waco electric companies: 44 compared, real rates and renter help

Two companies show up on every Waco power bill. Oncor owns the poles, wires and meters, and its crews fix outages. The company you pick buys the power, sets your price and mails the bill.

Oncor’s tariff names Waco, Hewitt, Woodway, Robinson, Bellmead, Lacy-Lakeview, Beverly Hills, Lorena, Riesel, Moody, McGregor, Mart and Bruceville-Eddy among the cities it serves. Changing companies never changes who answers after a storm. Unsure which wires reach your home? Check the bill with our electric utility finder guide.

Start with each company’s complaint rating from the state. Then type the kWh from your bill, and every company’s simplest 12-month plan is priced for your home.

Missing a company you know?

A few licensed sellers posted no plans for Oncor’s area on Oct 16, 2026. Ambit and 4Change Energy were two of them. XOOM Energy, Stream, Town Square Energy, Tesla Electric, Shell Energy Solutions and Energywell were others. They may still sell through their own websites. Read our Ambit Energy review or 4Change Energy review first, or browse the full list of Texas electricity companies.

On Oct 16, 2026, simple 12-month plans on Oncor’s Waco-area lines ran from 12.0¢ to 16.1¢ per kWh at 1,000 kWh. That makes the cheapest about $120 a month and the middle plan about $132. Oncor’s delivery charge is already inside both prices.

What is the average electric bill in Waco?

We found no public average for Waco alone. The nearest number covers all of Texas: $163.72 a month for 1,096 kWh in 2024, from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. At Oct 16, 2026 prices, that much power would run about $132 on Waco’s cheapest simple plan or about $145 on the middle one. Those are our estimates, before taxes. Compare your own bill with our average Texas electric bill guide.

Already have a plan? On Oct 16, 2026, 140 of the 174 plans for Oncor’s area were open to new customers only, so your own company may not offer you its best price. Here is what to do when a contract ends.

About half of Waco’s homes are rented, so many bills here start and stop with a lease. Pick a plan that ends when your lease does, or know the rule that lets you leave without a fee.

Census figures are American Community Survey estimates for 2020 to 2024. Only 4.3% of Waco residents came from another state or country in the past year, so about four in five movers came from elsewhere in Texas (our math). The city’s fiscal 2025 audit letter also lists Baylor at 5,698 jobs, the city’s top employer, plus McLennan Community College at “over 7,700” students and Texas State Technical College at “over 4,300.”

Waco is not a base town like Killeen. Census counts just 118 people in the armed forces here, and the city’s audit report lists no military employer. For military moves, see our Killeen electricity guide. In Waco, the move-out rule below does the heavy lifting.

Plans by length: what 1 to 12 months cost

Plans do not all run a year. Among the English listings for Oncor’s area on Oct 16, 2026, 21 ran 3 months, 10 ran 6 months and 7 ran 8 months, not counting prepaid. Here are five real plans from companies the state rates 4 or 5, priced at 1,000 kWh.

Prepaid electricity in Waco: what the listings show

Four prepaid plans were listed for Oncor’s area on Oct 16, 2026. They come from two companies, Payless Power and Pronto Power, and the PUCT’s Sept. 2026 scorecard puts both in its highest complaint group, 1 of 5 (complaints filed, not findings). Payless’s listing says its prepaid plans need no credit check or deposit, but a first payment of $75.00 is required to connect service.

Prepaid cost $49 to $59 a month more than the cheapest simple plan at 1,000 kWh. It can still make sense if a deposit or a credit check is what blocks you. Compare it with the other routes in our no-deposit and prepaid guide before you pay.

Can you skip the deposit?

• The state rule is narrow. It names only people 65 or older who are not behind on bills, and certified victims of family violence. Companies may add other ways.
• More routes exist. Our no-deposit electricity guide lists other ways to avoid one.

Your Waco move-in checklist

1. 1
   Ask the leasing office

   Find out whether power is part of your rent, whether the meter will be in your name, and what day your lease begins.

2. 2
   Look up the ESI ID

   Enter the address in Oncor’s ESI ID lookup. It also shows whether the address sits in Oncor’s area, and your new company needs the number.

3. 3
   Choose a plan and a start date

   Oncor bills the company $0.55 to turn on an existing meter, $28.70 for a new meter and $25.30 for a holiday start. Your plan terms say whether you pay it.

4. 4
   Set up city water on its own

   The City of Waco’s MyWaco Central handles the city utility bill at (254) 299-2489, Monday to Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Its page says nothing about electricity.

5. 5
   Moving out? Send a forwarding address

   Give your company the move-out date and a forwarding address, and keep a copy of your new lease. That is what the no-fee rule asks for.

Starting power this week? Our same-day electricity page lists cut-off times, and the 4-step setup guide walks you through it. Our apartment electricity guide covers leases in more detail.

Mostly, yes. Co-op land reaches the edges of Hewitt and Robinson. On Oct 16, 2026, the state’s site showed Oncor’s same plan list for the Hewitt, Woodway, Robinson, Bellmead and Beverly Hills ZIPs we tested. The homes are what differ, and so can your bill.

• Woodway sits at the other end of the scale. Only 9.2% of its homes are rented, and its median home is worth $370,500. Bellmead’s median home, at $155,100, is worth less than half of that.
• Hewitt leans hardest on electric heat. About 92% of its homes heat with electricity, against 61.2% across Texas. Cold snaps hit those meters.
• A ZIP can hide the town. ZIP 76706 is labeled Waco, yet 36% of its land is Robinson and 14% is Waco. ZIP 76712, labeled Woodway, is 31% Waco and 13% Woodway. These are land shares, not people.
• McGregor is growing fastest. Census estimates 6,405 people there in July 2025, up 18.7% since April 2020. Waco grew 5.5% in that time, to 147,788.

The state’s site lists the same Oncor companies in every Oncor ZIP we tested, so our Dallas, Fort Worth and Killeen guides show you the same companies with local detail. The Round Rock guide does the same for the Austin side.

Two things change the picture near Waco. Member-owned co-ops serve land around China Spring, McGregor and Moody, and Crawford’s ZIP lists a different wires company. A ZIP check is a start, but the name on your bill decides.

Crawford, ZIP 76638, runs on TNMP’s lines

The state’s site lists only TNMP plans for 76638: 170 plans from 43 companies. TNMP’s tariff names Crawford, in McLennan County. TNMP’s delivery charge is $7.56 a month plus 7.7710¢ per kWh, or $85.27 at 1,000 kWh. Oncor’s is $72.73. That is $12.54 more each month, about $150 a year, before you pick a company.

• The ESI ID settles it. Find the number on your bill or lease papers. Its first seven digits name the wires company: 1044372 is Oncor and 1040051 is TNMP. Any other start is a cue to call the utility on your bill.
• Not all of Crawford’s ZIP may be TNMP. HOTEC’s map also shades land around Crawford. An address there could be on TNMP, on the co-op or on something else. See our TNMP guide.
• A ZIP search misses co-ops. The state’s site lists Oncor for McGregor 76657, the town where HOTEC has its headquarters. A co-op bill means you cannot choose.
• HILCO members see a storm-bond charge. HILCO’s homepage says its board adopted a Winter Storm Uri financing order and that the charges “will be included in member monthly bills.” That line is for the co-op’s own members.
• Six Waco numbers list nothing. 76715, 76716, 76795, 76797, 76798 and 76799 show no plans. Census maps no ZIP area for five of them, which fits P.O. box or single-address ZIPs. Use the ZIP where you live.

Waco needs more air conditioning than Dallas–Fort Worth does. And two of every three Waco homes heat with electricity, so winter shows up on the meter too.

Waco logs about 1.5% more cooling than Dallas–Fort Worth, 2,867.6 degree-days against 2,824.0. That is the most of Waco, Killeen and Wichita Falls. Winter counts too: January’s heating need (547.1) is bigger than June’s cooling need (506.9). Want your own month-by-month use? Our Smart Meter Texas guide explains how to download it.

Why is your own bill high? Our guide to high electric bills lists the usual causes, and the bill-credit plan guide shows how a credit can disappear. With electric heat, our heat pump vs. AC guide may help.

The answer shifts with your usage, your lease and your tolerance for risk. Each pick rests on the state’s complaint ratings, fact-label prices from Oct 16, 2026 and our scores. No company paid to be in our table, picks or scores.

Picked a few names? Line their plans up at your street address, then sign up in a few minutes.

State rules allow no fee for the act of switching, but your old plan may charge an exit fee, so check it first. The steps are in how to switch electricity providers.

Outages and downed lines go to Oncor. Questions about bills, plans and moves go to the company that sells you power. A new seller never changes who repairs the lines.

On a co-op or TNMP? Heart of Texas members call 1-800-840-2957 or text OUT to 1-855-644-1795. HILCO’s outage line is 254-687-2331. Crawford homes on TNMP call 888-866-7456.

How often does Oncor name Waco in storm news?

• Once, in 77 releases. We searched 77 of Oncor’s dated storm releases, from March 2019 to April 2026. Only one names Waco: “Oncor To Restore Power After DFW Tornado,” dated Oct. 21, 2019.
• What that release said. “The wide-spread storms also impacted areas of Waco, Temple, Tyler and Paris.” Winds of 50 to 70 mph and golf ball-sized hail hit areas outside the tornado paths. It gave no Waco customer count.
• Storms come often anyway. Oncor says it sees an average of 31 major storm events a year, about one somewhere in its area every 12 days.

Our guide to what to do when the power goes out lists the steps.

Need help paying a Waco bill?

• Texas 211: call 1-877-541-7905, or dial 211, to find aid near you.
• Economic Opportunities Advancement Corporation (EOAC): 1-254-753-0331, at 1800 N. Valley Mills Dr. in Waco. The state lists it for McLennan, Falls and Hill counties, and HOTEC members are pointed to it too.
• TDHCA, the state housing agency: 877-399-8939, weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. It says it does not guarantee that funding is available.

The City of Waco’s utility-bill page lists no assistance program. Find more aid in our guide to paying an electric bill in Texas.

Every check uses a document the company must hand you, or a public record.

1. 1
   Match the term to your lease

   A 12-month plan on a nine-month lease leaves three months on the clock. Moving out with a forwarding address avoids the fee, but ask first.

2. 2
   Read the renewal line

   The fact label says what happens when the term ends. It matters most on 3-month and 6-month plans.

3. 3
   Price a light month and a hot month

   Check 500 and 2,000 kWh. July and August bring Waco’s biggest cooling load, and a credit plan can cost more in a small month.

4. 4
   Look at the label’s date

   Oncor raised delivery on Oct 4, 2026. Ask for a label dated that day or later.

5. 5
   Know your 3 days

   When you switch from another company, you have 3 federal business days to cancel for free. A new start at a new address does not come with that window.

Our fact label guide helps you read a plan’s fine print. Unsure about a variable rate? See fixed vs. variable rates.

Short answers from state records, Census and NOAA data, and the companies’ own documents.

More guides: Every Texas electricity company · Apartment plans · No-deposit and prepaid plans · Cheapest plans this week · Smart Meter Texas

Every Texas guide, by topic

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