Moving in Texas: How to Set Up Electricity

Moving day is when most Texans pick the wrong electricity plan.

The reason is structural. You're packing boxes, calling movers, changing your address with everyone, hunting for a fridge — and somewhere in that chaos you remember you also need to turn on the lights at the new place. The first plan you find that activates fast is the one you sign.

That plan is rarely the right plan.

Here's how to set up Texas electricity service when you move — fast enough to keep your lights on, careful enough to avoid the first-month mistakes.

You have less time than you think — but more than you fear

If you're moving inside deregulated Texas, the activation timeline is usually 1-3 business days. Some REPs offer next-day or same-day activation if you sign up before noon. Same-day is real — smart meters mean activation is remote, no technician visit required — but it limits which plans are available to you.

The trade-off: same-day activation usually comes with a slightly higher rate and fewer plan options. If you have any lead time at all, give yourself 5-7 business days. That window opens up the full market and avoids the panic-shopping surcharge.

If you're moving on a Friday, start the process Monday. If you're moving in two weeks, start it now. The activation doesn't cost more for waiting — you pay from the day service starts, not the day you ordered.

Step 1: Know your TDU before you shop

The first thing to figure out: which TDU serves your new address. The TDU determines which REPs can offer you service and what the delivery charges will be.

The five Texas TDUs in the deregulated market:

• Oncor — DFW, Tyler, Waco, Killeen, most of north and central Texas
• CenterPoint — Greater Houston (Harris and surrounding counties)
• AEP Texas Central — Corpus Christi, Laredo, McAllen, the Valley, most of South Texas
• AEP Texas North — Abilene, San Angelo, parts of the Panhandle
• TNMP — Texas-New Mexico Power — scattered pockets including parts of DFW (The Colony, Coppell), Galveston-adjacent areas, and West Texas pockets

If you're moving inside Texas, your TDU is almost certainly changing only if you cross a major regional boundary (Dallas to Houston, for example). If you're moving across town, you're likely staying with the same TDU.

If you're moving to a regulated zone — Austin (Austin Energy), San Antonio (CPS Energy), El Paso (El Paso Electric), or a co-op territory — you can't shop. You sign up directly with the local utility. None of this guide applies to you. (Lubbock used to be in this group, but LP&L joined the ERCOT competitive market in 2023 — Lubbock customers now shop plans the same way Houston and DFW shoppers do.)

Step 2: Estimate your usage at the new place

Plans in Texas are priced for usage bands. Picking the wrong band means picking the wrong plan.

If you're moving to a similar-sized home, your usage will probably track your current bills. Pull the kWh from your last 12 months and average them.

If you're moving to a meaningfully different home, estimate by category:

• Studio or 1-bedroom apartment: 500-800 kWh/month
• 2-bedroom apartment or small house: 800-1,200 kWh/month
• Mid-size home (1,500-2,400 sq ft): 1,200-1,800 kWh/month
• Larger home (2,500-4,000 sq ft): 1,800-2,800 kWh/month
• Large home with pool or all-electric heat: 2,500-4,000+ kWh/month

Texas summers double or triple winter usage. If you're shopping in March based on March bills, you'll undersize. Estimate based on your full-year average.

Step 3: Pick a plan, not a provider

This is the most common new-mover mistake. People research REPs — "what's the best electricity company in Texas?" — when they should be researching plans.

REPs are companies. They each sell multiple plans, often with very different structures. The same REP might sell a great fixed-rate plan AND a terrible variable-rate plan. Picking "Reliant" or "TXU" doesn't tell you anything about what you'll pay; the plan choice does.

The right question isn't "what's the best Texas electricity company." It's "what's the best plan for a [your home size, your usage, your contract preference] situation at [your new ZIP]."

For most new movers, that's:

• Fixed-rate (not variable, not indexed)
• 12-month term (24-month is fine if you're settled, but 12 gives you flexibility)
• Flat-rate structure if your usage is unpredictable, OR bill-credit plan if you reliably hit the threshold band
• A REP with a clean PUCT complaint record (check the scorecard)

Step 4: Gather what you need before you start

Setting up service is faster if you have these ready:

• The exact service address. Including unit/apt number. Mismatches cause delays.
• Move-in date. When you want service to start, not when the lease begins.
• Your government-issued ID (driver's license or passport)
• Social Security number (or ITIN). REPs run a soft credit check to determine if a deposit is required.
• The previous tenant's name (if known). Sometimes helps the REP confirm the address quickly.

If you have a strong credit history with a previous Texas REP, request a Letter of Credit from them before you switch. It documents 12+ months of on-time payments and waives the deposit at your new REP. Saves $100-400 in upfront cash.

If you don't have credit history (recent grad, recently moved to the U.S., thin file), expect a deposit unless you pick a prepaid plan. Deposits are typically $100-$400 and refunded after 12 months of on-time payments.

Step 5: Schedule activation — no meter visit required

Once you sign up with a REP, they submit a "MOVE-IN" request to the TDU. The TDU updates the meter records to associate your new address with your REP. Within 1-3 business days, service is active.

You don't need to be home. No technician shows up. The meter at your new address is already physically installed and reading; the REP just gets permission to bill against it.

Most issues happen at this step in one of three ways:

Address mismatch. The address you entered isn't recognized by the TDU's system. This usually means a typo, a unit number issue, or a brand-new building not yet in the TDU's address master. Call the REP; they can usually fix it within a day.

Existing service at the address. The previous tenant hasn't moved out their service. This blocks your activation until the existing service is closed. Either contact the previous tenant (if known) or the landlord; they need to call their REP to close.

Credit decision pending. The REP's automated credit check kicked your application to manual review. Faster to call and provide additional info than to wait. Have your ID and SSN ready.

What to avoid

Don't pick a prepaid plan unless you need to. Prepaid (Payless Power, several others) charges higher per-kWh rates in exchange for no deposit and no credit check. If you can pass a normal credit check, post-paid is cheaper.

Don't pick a plan based on a Google ad. The plans advertised at the top of Google for "Texas electricity" or "[your city] electricity" are paid placements. They're not necessarily wrong — but the ranking reflects ad spend, not quality. Look at a comparison site, not the ads.

Don't sign a long-term variable-rate plan. Variable plans float with the market. They're fine as a 1-2 month bridge but expose you to summer spikes. If you're settling in, fixed-rate is the answer.

Don't pay for "concierge" setup services. A few companies offer to "set up your utilities" for a fee. They're affiliate operations that earn commissions on the plans they pick. You can do the same thing yourself in 20 minutes.

What if you forgot until move-in week?

Same-day or next-day activation is available from multiple REPs in most Texas markets. The trade-off:

• The plan choice is narrower (some plans don't support rush activation)
• The rate is sometimes slightly higher
• You may not get the most-promoted "best-of" plan because it requires standard activation

If you have to activate fast: pick a fixed-rate plan from a major REP. Reliant, TXU, Direct Energy, and several mid-tier brands all offer same-day or next-day options. The rate premium is usually 0.2-0.5¢/kWh — meaningful but not catastrophic.

Then, after move-in, you have 14 days to cancel the plan without penalty (Texas's buyer's-remorse window). If you find a better plan after settling in, switch within the window. Free.

The honest close

Setting up Texas electricity when you move is mostly logistics. The hard part isn't the activation — TDUs and REPs handle that smoothly nearly always. The hard part is not signing the wrong plan in the rush.

Give yourself 5-7 business days. Know your TDU. Estimate your usage at the new place. Pick the plan structure that fits — flat for apartments, bill-credit for larger homes that reliably hit the threshold, fixed-rate for everyone who isn't planning to move again soon. Skip prepaid unless your credit forces it.

That's it. The boxes can wait.

» MORE: How to choose a provider · Best plans for apartments