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Electric bills
Most Texans pick their own electricity plan, and the cheapest-looking plan is often not the cheapest for your home. Put two plans' Electricity Facts Labels side by side, see what each would cost at your usage, then cut the usage itself.
Compare two plans at your usage
Copy the numbers from each plan's Electricity Facts Label (EFL). The average prices printed on an EFL are only for 500, 1,000 and 2,000 kWh a month (16 TAC §25.475, PUCT retail rules); this shows the bill at your own usage, including any credit or fee that switches on or off.
Your bill or your provider's online account shows the last 12 months. 1,096 kWh is the 2024 Texas average (EIA Table 5a, 2024).
The two example plans are made up to show how a bill credit works. Delivery charges are as published by retail providers for October 4, 2026 (Discount Power: TDSP delivery charges, retail provider; 4Change Energy: TDU charges, retail provider); check the current numbers on your plan's EFL. Taxes and the state gross-receipts reimbursement are not included, as on the EFL itself (16 TAC §25.475, PUCT retail rules).
Where a home's electricity goes (Texas data)
The average Texas home used 13,440 kWh in 2020, about 27% more than the U.S. average of 10,566 (EIA RECS 2020, Table CE4.6.EL.ST). Air conditioning is the biggest single use: 95% of Texas homes have it and 83% have central air (EIA RECS 2020: air conditioning by state).
| Use (homes that have it) | Texas kWh a year | Texas cost a year |
|---|---|---|
| Air conditioning | 3,979 | $460 |
| Water heating | 2,655 | $302 |
| Space heating | 2,237 | $251 |
| Lighting | 804 | $93 |
| TVs | 716 | $82 |
| Clothes dryer | 710 | $81 |
| Air handler (AC fan) | 708 | $81 |
| Separate freezer | 656 | $73 |
| Main refrigerator | 646 | — |
| Second refrigerator | 578 | $66 |
EIA Residential Energy Consumption Survey 2020, averages for Texas homes that have each item (EIA RECS 2020, Table CE5.3.ST; EIA RECS 2020, Table CE5.7.ST). Costs are 2020 prices; "—" means EIA's table gives refrigerators combined ($104).
The biggest savings, in order
- Pick the right plan for your usage. Compare at your own monthly kWh, not the 1,000 kWh column. Plan traps.
- Raise the AC setting when you're out. DOE says turning the thermostat back 7–10°F for 8 hours a day saves up to 10% a year on heating and cooling (DOE Energy Saver: thermostats).
- Change the AC filter. A clean filter can cut an air conditioner's energy use by 5–15% (DOE: maintaining your air conditioner).
- Set the water heater to 120°F. DOE puts the savings at 4–22% a year, at no cost (DOE: lower water heating temperature).
- Seal ducts and add attic insulation. A typical house loses 20–30% of the air moving through its ducts (ENERGY STAR: duct sealing).
Every fix, with what it saves →
Bill guides
Need the numbers behind a bill? The home load table lists what each appliance draws, and the load factor calculator turns a month's kWh into average demand.
Updated October 29, 2026. General information, not legal or financial advice. Rules are quoted from the Public Utility Commission of Texas rules as published; your plan's own Electricity Facts Label and Terms of Service govern your contract.