El Paso electricity: one provider, El Paso Electric
El Paso Electric serves El Paso and far West Texas, and southern New Mexico, from outside the ERCOT grid: it's part of the Western Interconnection. The law that opened the Texas market in 2002 covered the ERCOT region, so El Paso stayed with one regulated utility.
When Texas opened its electricity market in 2002, the law covered the ERCOT grid, the one that serves most of the state. El Paso Electric's territory sits on a different grid, and the law kept it under traditional regulation: one company sells the power, owns the wires and sends the bill, at rates approved by the Public Utility Commission of Texas.
What this means for your bill
One bill, from El Paso Electric, at rates it sets. There are no plans to compare, no contract to time and no early termination fee to weigh. Sites that list “El Paso electricity plans” are showing the plans sold in the choice areas nearby; an address on El Paso Electric’s lines can’t enroll in them, and we don’t pretend otherwise.
What you can do is ask El Paso Electric about its own rate options and its efficiency and rebate programs, and work on the usage: in a Texas summer most of the bill is air conditioning.
Check: is your address really on El Paso Electric’s lines?
Utility borders don’t follow city limits. A few addresses in and around El Paso can be on a neighboring utility's lines. The surest check is the bill: the company that sends it is the company that serves you. If it names Oncor, CenterPoint Energy, AEP Texas, TNMP or Lubbock Power & Light as the delivery company, you can choose, and every plan sold at that address can be priced on your own 12 months.
El Paso electricity FAQs
Can I choose my electricity provider in El Paso?
No. El Paso Electric is the only electricity provider for addresses on its lines, and there is no retail plan to switch to. Comparison sites that list plans for El Paso are showing plans sold in the delivery areas around it; a El Paso address on El Paso Electric's lines can't enroll in them.
Why doesn't El Paso have electricity choice?
When Texas opened its electricity market in 2002, the law covered the ERCOT grid, the one that serves most of the state. El Paso Electric's territory sits on a different grid, and the law kept it under traditional regulation: one company sells the power, owns the wires and sends the bill, at rates approved by the Public Utility Commission of Texas.
Who do I call about an outage or a bill in El Paso?
El Paso Electric, for both. It owns the wires, sends the crews and issues the bill, so there is no second company involved. The number is on the bill and on its website.
Will El Paso get retail electricity choice?
Only if the Legislature and the Public Utility Commission open El Paso Electric's territory, which the law allows under conditions that haven't been met. No such change is in motion for El Paso as of this writing.
How do I lower my electricity bill in El Paso?
Without plans to compare, the bill comes down to usage and the utility's own options. Ask El Paso Electric about its rate structures (some city utilities offer time-of-day or budget-billing options), its efficiency and rebate programs, and any payment arrangements. Air conditioning is most of a Texas summer bill, so the thermostat, attic insulation and a serviced unit are where the usage goes.
The nearest places with choice
The choice market is a drive away. Every city we price is on the rates page.
Guides
- Why is my electricity bill so high? Seven Texas reasons, in orderThe reasons a Texas electricity bill jumps, from the most common (your contract expired and you're on the holdover rate) to the ones nobody mentions, and the line on your bill that gives each one away.
- What a typical Dallas home pays for electricityAverage usage in Dallas–Fort Worth, the summer swing, and what a year costs for small, typical and large homes on this month's cheapest plans.
- How to find your monthly kWh usageWhere your last 12 months of electricity usage are hiding: your bill, your provider's app, and Smart Meter Texas. Plus what to do if you have no history yet.
- How to switch electricity providers in TexasWhat you need (your ESI ID is on the bill), what happens after you enroll, why the lights never go out, and the three-day window to change your mind.