Compare Houston Home Electricity Rates

The EIA publishes average rates at the state level: the Texas residential average is 15.94 cents per kWh all-in (energy, delivery, and fees), per data through 06/2026, versus 18.34 cents nationally. At Houston's average usage of about 1,420 kWh per month, that state-average rate implies a bill of roughly $226. These are market context, not any plan's price: what you actually pay depends on your plan and your usage.

Yes. Houston sits in CenterPoint Energy delivery territory and is part of the deregulated Texas retail market, so a household with its own electricity account chooses its retail electric provider. Switching providers never changes the wires, the meter, or who restores power after an outage. That is CenterPoint Energy's job no matter which plan you pick. Switching only changes who bills you for the energy and at what price.

CenterPoint Energy is the transmission and distribution utility (TDU) for Houston. It owns the wires and meters, charges regulated delivery rates that are identical for everyone in the territory, and responds to outages no matter which retail provider you choose.

About 1,420 kWh per month, an estimate anchored to EIA residential consumption data for Texas metros. Actual usage swings hard with the seasons: Texas summers are air-conditioning dominant, so July and August run far above the annual average while winter months run below it.

There is no single cheapest plan for everyone, because Texas plans price differently at different usage levels. Every plan's Electricity Facts Label (EFL) shows the average price at 500, 1000, and 2000 kWh, and those three numbers differ on almost every plan once base charges, bill credits, and minimum-usage fees do their work. The honest way to shop is to compare plans at YOUR monthly usage, including TDU delivery charges, and check the EFL before enrolling. That is exactly what our comparison does.

The weeks around your contract end date. Texas PUCT rules let you switch without an early termination fee in the 14 days before the end date stated in your expiration notice. If you do nothing, your provider moves you to a month-to-month plan whose price can change each billing cycle. If you do not know your end date, set a Rate Watch and we will email you when your renewal window opens.

Usually yes. If your unit has its own meter and the electricity account is in your name, you can choose your retail provider like any homeowner. If utilities are included in your rent, the account belongs to the landlord and the choice is theirs.

As of October 1, 2026, $2.11 a month for the customer charge, $2.79 a month for metering and 6.5333 cents per kWh, per the PUCT's TDU rate table. That comes to $70.23 in a month at 1,000 kWh. The charges are the same under every plan.

CenterPoint Energy, the local wires company, not your retail provider. Power to Choose, the PUCT's shopping site, says to call your area's wires company right away, and its toll-free number is on your electric bill. Whichever plan you pick, the same poles and wires deliver your power.

Only if the provider requires one and you cannot show satisfactory credit. Being 65 or older and not behind on an electric account counts at every provider. A deposit is capped at the greater of one fifth of a year's estimated billing or two months' estimated billing, and a prepaid plan cannot require one.

You pay ahead and draw down a balance. The provider must show your current balance and warn you one to seven days before it is expected to fall below the disconnection balance, at most $10 for a home. Starting service can take a connection balance of up to $75, never a deposit, and service may be disconnected with little notice when the balance runs low. It can fit a home that wants to start without a deposit or to pay as it goes and keep the balance topped up. It is not offered to a customer designated critical care or chronic condition, and some assistance agencies may not help customers on prepaid service.

CenterPoint Energy delivers it to the Houston homes on its lines: it owns the poles, wires and meters, reads the meters and restores outages. It does not sell electricity to them. Texas law says a wires company may not sell electricity (Utilities Code 39.105), so a home with its own electricity account buys it from a retail electric provider it chooses, and CenterPoint delivers it whichever provider that is.

No one can promise either way, but the rules say what can change each part. CenterPoint's delivery charges change only when the PUCT approves a new rate or rider; as of October 1, 2026 they are $70.23 a month at 1,000 kWh. A plan with a fixed rate keeps its price for its term, except for actual changes in delivery charges, in ERCOT or Texas Regional Entity fees, or in law that adds fees or costs. A plan with a variable price is month to month for a home, and its price can change by the method its provider sets. Before a fixed rate ends, the provider must send at least three written notices of the date.

We estimate about 1,420 kWh a month for a Houston home, more in summer. The average Texas home used 1,095 kWh a month in 2024, from 762 kWh in March to 1,570 kWh in August, and its average bill ran from $114 to $234 in those months, per EIA. Your own bill depends on your usage and your plan.

It depends on the plan and how much you use. Each plan's Electricity Facts Label states its average price per kWh at 500, 1,000 and 2,000 kWh, with CenterPoint's delivery charges included. For context, the EIA's Texas residential average is 15.94 cents per kWh, all in, per data through 06/2026, a statewide figure. CenterPoint's delivery charges alone come to 7.02 cents per kWh at 1,000 kWh, as of October 1, 2026.