Moving to Texas

How do I set up electricity when I move to Texas?

First, check whether your new address lets you choose a provider. If it does, pick a plan and give the provider your move-in date.

Published 3 October 2026 · Updated 13 October 2026

Step one: can you choose?

In Houston, Dallas and many other Texas cities, you choose the company that sells you electricity. That company is called a retail electric provider. It sells you the power and sends your bill.

Providers list their plans on Power to Choose (powertochoose.org), the state's official shopping site. Power Rate Check starts from those same plans.

We estimate what each plan for your ZIP would cost your home. That way, you don't have to dig through each plan's label yourself.

In Austin and San Antonio, the city's own utility sells the power. Many rural areas are served by a co-op, a power company owned by its customers. In those places, you sign up directly with the utility.

Step two: have these ready

You will need your new address and move-in date, plus your name and a phone number or email. Many providers also run a credit check.

Step three: pick a plan before you move

Choose a plan and give the provider your new address and move-in date. The provider then asks your local utility to turn on service.

With a smart meter, service can often start the same day. Still, set it up before the moving truck arrives.

Need power in a hurry? Ask for a priority move-in. It can cost extra, and each utility sets its own fee.

Your provider may ask for your new home's ESI ID, the number that identifies its meter. You can look it up by address or ask the landlord.

The 3-day right to cancel a new plan covers switches, not move-ins. So read the label carefully before you sign up.

No Texas bill yet? Start with your home's size

You may not know how much power your new home will use. Its type and size make a good first guess.

An apartment in a large building uses about 670 kWh a month. A home of 3,000 square feet or more uses about 1,630 kWh.

The average Texas home uses about 1,120 kWh a month. Use these numbers as a starting point, then go by your real bills once you have them.

Texas summers are hot: the average home uses about twice as much power in August as in April.

Pick a plan for the whole year, not for one mild month.

Ask about a deposit

A provider may ask for a deposit if you cannot show good credit. By rule, it cannot be more than 2 months of estimated bills, or one-fifth of a year's, whichever is more. That is Texas rule 16 TAC §25.478.

Are you 65 or older and not behind on a power bill? Then you count as having good credit. Before you pay a deposit, ask what else the provider accepts.

Here is who can skip a deposit, and when you get yours back.

Moving within Texas?

Give your current provider your new address. It cannot charge a cancellation fee just because you moved. It may ask for proof of the move.

1. Know before you unpack

   Find out if your new home lets you choose.

2. Lights on day one

   Line up power before the moving truck arrives.

3. Plan for August, too

   Choose for the whole year, not one mild month.

Articles are general information for Texas electricity shoppers. Every cost Power Rate Check shows is an estimate, and the Electricity Facts Label is the provider's official price document — read it before you sign.