More than 85% of Texas is in the deregulated electricity market. In these parts, two electric companies service your address: the Transmission and Distribution Utility (TDU) that delivers power to your home and the Retail Electric Provider (REP) that manages your plan and sends your bill. The quickest way to identify the delivery utility for an address is to look up the Electric Service Identifier (ESID). This unique number is tied to your address and confirms the utility service area where your home receives power. To identify the current REP, check a recent electricity bill, account dashboard, or payment confirmation.
Power Wizard’s energy experts explain how to find your ESID, identify the companies connected to your electric service, and choose a REP.
Key Takeaways
- What electric company services my address? Two companies serve most Texas addresses. Your Transmission and Distribution Utility, or TDU, owns the poles and wires and delivers electricity to your home based on location. Your Retail Electric Provider, or REP, sells your electricity plan and sends your monthly bill.
- How do I find out which utility serves my address? Look up the Electric Service Identifier, or ESID, for your address. Every Texas electricity meter has an ESID, and each is assigned to one TDU. You can find it using Power Wizard’s ESID Lookup tool or by reviewing a previous electricity bill.
- Can I choose my electric company at my address? Customers in deregulated areas of Texas can choose a REP but cannot change the TDU that delivers electricity. Customers served by a municipal utility or electric cooperative generally cannot choose a provider because one organization handles both electricity delivery and retail service.
The Short Answer: Two Companies Serve Your Address
Most people use “electric company” to mean the business that powers their home. In Texas, that label usually applies to two separate companies with different responsibilities.
Your TDU is the utility assigned to your address. It delivers electricity through the local grid and maintains the equipment that brings power to your home. Your REP is the company you enroll with for an electricity plan, and it handles your account and monthly bill.
You can shop for and change your REP in deregulated areas, but your TDU stays the same because it is determined by where you live. That difference also tells you who to contact when something goes wrong. A power outage or downed line is a TDU issue. A bill, payment, or plan-change question goes to your REP.
Need to identify the company already charging you for electricity? Read our guide to finding your current electricity provider.
| TDU | REP | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary role | Delivers power and maintains the grid | Sells plans and manages customer accounts |
| Can you choose it? | No, it is assigned by location | Usually, in deregulated Texas areas |
| Call for an outage | Yes | No |
| Call about your bill | No | Yes |
How to Find the Utility That Serves Your Address
An ESID, sometimes called an ESI ID, is the most reliable way to identify the TDU that serves your address. Each ESID is a unique number linked to a specific electricity meter, and it maps to one TDU. Here are three ways to find your TDU using your ESID:
- Enter the address into an ESID lookup tool. The results identify the ESID connected to the address and the TDU responsible for delivering power there.
- Check a current or recent electricity bill. The ESID is typically printed with the account and service information. This option works well for current residents, but it is not available to most people moving into a new home.
- Use the TDU service-area information in the next section as a secondary check. This can help verify the utility name before you begin comparing electricity plans or setting up service.
An address lookup is more accurate than searching by ZIP code. Utility boundaries do not always follow ZIP code lines, so two homes with the same ZIP code can be served by different TDUs. Anyone moving into a property without an existing bill should start with the address lookup because it provides the information needed to set up service.
Five Major Texas TDUs and the Areas They Serve
Five TDUs serve most of Texas’s deregulated electricity market. The Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) assigns one TDU to every address, meaning an address can have only one electricity delivery utility.
City names can help you narrow down which TDU you’re in, but it can get confusing when utility boundaries don’t line up with city or ZIP code lines. Different parts of the same city may even be served by different TDUs. Always use your ESID or address to find your TDU, not just the town you live in. Still not sure? You can always enter your address into Power Wizard’s comparison tool to find out.
For a closer look at each service territory, visit our Texas electric utilities hub.
| Utility | Major cities and areas served | Outage contact |
|---|---|---|
| Oncor Electric Delivery | Dallas–Fort Worth, Waco, Killeen–Temple, Tyler, Wichita Falls, Midland–Odessa, and much of North and West Texas | Phone: 888-313-4747 Text: OUT to 66267 Online: https://www.oncor.com/outages/create_outage/identify |
| CenterPoint Energy | Houston, Galveston, Katy, Sugar Land, Baytown, and surrounding Gulf Coast communities | Phone: 800-332-7143 Online: https://paslite.centerpointenergy.com/outage/texas |
| AEP Texas | Corpus Christi, Laredo, Victoria, the Rio Grande Valley, Abilene, San Angelo, and surrounding areas | Phone: 866-223-8508 Online: https://www.aeptexas.com/outages/ |
| Texas-New Mexico Power (TNMP) | Lewisville, parts around Fort Worth, Texas City, Angleton, and scattered communities across North, Central, and West Texas | Phone: 888-866-7456 Online: https://tnmp.ifactornotifi.com/ui/outage-reporting |
| Lubbock Power & Light (LP&L) | Lubbock / LP&L’s certificated service area within Lubbock city limits | Phone: 806-775-2509 Text or Email: LightsOut@lpandl.com |
Choosing the Provider Who Bills You
Your REP is the part of your electricity service you can control in deregulated areas of Texas. This company determines the electricity rate you pay, your contract length, the plan structure, your billing experience, and the customer service available to you.
Your choice of provider does not change the electricity arriving at your home. The local TDU still owns and maintains the wires and meter, responds to outages, and supports the reliability of the grid. A lower-priced plan does not mean lower-quality electricity or slower outage restoration.
| Your REP choice controls | Your REP choice does not control |
|---|---|
| Electricity rate and contract terms | Poles, wires, and meter maintenance |
| Plan type and billing options | Outage response |
| Account support and customer service | Grid reliability and power quality |
Not every REP offers plans in every part of Texas. Available options depend on the TDU territory assigned to your address. Plan options from each REP can also vary by location and TDU. Explore the typical plans available through our provider hub and city electricity pages to compare estimated costs based on current market offerings.
When You Do Not Get a Choice
Some Texas addresses are not deregulated. Instead, they are served by municipal utilities or electric cooperatives.
- Municipal utility: City-owned electricity service
- Electric cooperative: Member-owned electricity service, often serving rural, suburban, or outlying communities
In both cases, the same organization delivers electricity and sells it to customers, so there is usually no separate REP to choose.
Austin and San Antonio are the two largest Texas cities without retail choice. City-owned utilities serve most addresses in those markets, so residents receive electricity service through the local utility rather than shopping among competing REPs.
However, city limits alone do not always determine whether an address is shoppable. One home inside a city may be served by a TDU and have retail choice, while another nearby address may be served by an electric cooperative and not have that option. Cooperative service areas can also extend into regions that otherwise participate in deregulation.
Check the full street address, not just the ZIP code, to determine which situation applies. Our Texas deregulation map can also help explain where retail choice is available across the state.
What to Do Once You Know Who Serves Your Address
Once you know the utility assigned to your address, you can focus on the electricity plans available in that service area. Start with providers in your city or browse Texas electricity providers to compare your options. Then, follow the instructions below, depending on whether you’re moving or changing REPs.
Establishing Electricity Service After a Move
Have your full address and move-in date ready. Your chosen REP uses this information to establish service through the utility assigned to the property. Review the Electricity Facts Label (EFL) before enrolling so you understand the plan terms and expected charges.
Switching REPs
Check your current contract end date before making a change. You can shop around and switch providers at the end of your contract. If you cancel early, you may have to pay an Early Termination Fee (ETF). ETFs do not apply if you’re moving (with proof of forwarding address) or in the last 14 days of your existing contract. Compare the EFLs for your current plan and the plans you’re interested in to evaluate rates, fees, and contract options before switching.
Discover the best electricity rates for you in your area!
Frequently Asked Questions About Finding Your Electric Company
Use Power Wizard’s ESID Lookup tool or review a past electricity bill to find out which utility company serves your address. Always enter your full address for the most accurate answer.
If you live in a deregulated area, your assigned TDU delivers electricity to your address in Texas. The five major TDUs in Texas are Oncor, CenterPoint Energy, AEP Texas, Texas-New Mexico Power, and Lubbock Power & Light. You can identify your TDU by reviewing past electricity bills, using our ESID Lookup tool, or entering your ZIP code in Power Wizard’s comparison tool.
An Electric Service Identifier (ESI ID) is a unique number tied to an electricity service location. It can help identify the TDU responsible for delivering electricity to an address. Your ESI ID does not necessarily tell you which REP currently manages your electricity plan.
Yes, you can have a different Retail Electric Provider (REP) than your neighbor in a deregulated Texas area, but you usually share the same TDU. Nearby homes can purchase plans from different REPs while receiving electricity through the same local poles, wires, and meter infrastructure.
Your current electric company is usually the REP listed on your electricity bill, account dashboard, or recent payment confirmation. Look for the company name next to your account number, billing contact information, or plan details. If you need more help, read our guide to finding your current electricity provider.
Use your full address to identify your utility, not just your ZIP code. More than one utility can serve addresses within the same ZIP code. ZIP codes are postal boundaries, not electricity service territories, so they do not determine the utility assigned to a home.
You must use the delivery utility assigned to your address, but you can choose your REP in deregulated areas of Texas. Municipal utility and electric cooperative areas generally do not offer a separate provider choice.
Table of Contents
Related Articles
-
November 2, 2026Working From Home in Texas? Check Your Electricity Plan
Working from home changes when your Texas household uses electricity. Instead of using most of your power before and aft...
-
August 18, 2023How to clean your solar panels
Click on a section to skip directly to it: Why is it important to clean your solar panels?Solar panel cleaning: a step-b...
-
