Who's responsible for fixing an outage

Almost always the TDU — the utility that owns the wires. Not your REP. Your REP sells you electricity; the TDU delivers it. When a tree falls on a line, a transformer fails, or a storm takes a substation offline, the TDU crews are the ones who fix it.

If you're out, call the TDU's outage line, not your REP. TDU outage numbers:

  • Oncor (Dallas / Fort Worth / most of North & Central TX): 1-888-313-4747
  • CenterPoint (Houston metro): 1-800-332-7143
  • AEP Texas (South TX / Corpus Christi): 1-866-223-8508
  • TNMP: 1-888-866-7456
  • LP&L (Lubbock): 806-775-2509

Most TDUs have outage maps updated every 15 minutes. Search "[TDU] outage map" for a visual status by area.

The three main outage causes in Texas

1. Weather

Thunderstorms knock branches into distribution lines. Ice storms weigh down wires until they snap. Wind pulls poles. Hurricanes do all of the above at scale. Weather is about 70% of Texas outages, by count.

2. Equipment failure

Transformers burn out. Underground cables fail as they age. Substation breakers trip. Normally localized — one street, a block — and restored in hours.

3. Grid-level events

Rare but high-impact. ERCOT Energy Emergency Alerts can trigger rolling blackouts when grid demand exceeds supply (see: 2021 winter storm). In these cases your TDU is cutting power deliberately to protect the larger grid. Restoration is on a rotating schedule rather than as-repaired.

What you're entitled to

Texas has "Quality of Service" standards the PUC enforces. TDUs must:

  • Report outages within specified windows
  • Restore service within performance thresholds
  • Compensate customers for extended outages in some circumstances

If you've had an outage over 24 hours, or your service has been out multiple times in short succession, you can file a complaint with the PUC at puc.texas.gov. Complaints drive accountability — TDUs are rated publicly.

Food loss from a TDU-caused outage: you can submit a claim to your TDU. Most cap residential claims at $150-$250 unless you can prove they were grossly negligent.

What your REP can do

Not much operationally. But after a major outage, some REPs waive late fees, extend payment windows, or add a "storm credit." Worth asking.

Prep for the next one

  • Save your TDU's outage number in your phone.
  • Bookmark the outage map.
  • Consider a battery backup if you depend on medical equipment. Your TDU maintains a "Critical Care" registry for households with medical needs — call your TDU to register.
  • A decent window AC for a single room + a whole-house generator interlock is the middle ground between "candles and flashlights" and "whole-house standby generator."