Electric Company in San Antonio, Austin, El Paso: No Choice?
You can’t choose your electric company in San Antonio, most of Austin or El Paso: the company is the city-owned utility CPS Energy in San Antonio, the city-owned Austin Energy in Austin, and the investor-owned El Paso Electric in El Paso. Power to Choose, the state’s comparison site, says it directly: some communities are served by municipalities, cooperatives or investor-owned utilities, “so electric choice is not available.” On October 26, 2026, none of the 99 ZIP codes from 78201 to 78299 (San Antonio) or the 99 from 79901 to 79999 (El Paso) showed any plan on the site. And in 2025, customers of these three utilities paid less per kWh on average (12.4 to 13.9 cents) than customers of competitive retail providers (17.3 cents), according to EIA’s final 2025 data.
Your electric company in each city
| City | Electric company | Type | Can you choose? | Average price, 2025 | Average use a month | Average bill a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Antonio | CPS Energy (EIA lists it as “City of San Antonio”) | City-owned | No | 12.4 cents per kWh | 1,075 kWh | $133 |
| Austin | Austin Energy | City-owned | No, with exceptions below | 13.1 cents | 835 kWh | $110 |
| El Paso | El Paso Electric | Investor-owned | No | 13.9 cents | 685 kWh | $95 |
| Texas, all utilities | 15.4 cents | 1,110 kWh | $171 |
(Prices are EIA’s average revenue per kWh over each utility’s residential customers; the monthly bill is our multiplication of price and average use. EIA released these final 2025 figures on October 7, 2026.)
Two facts about El Paso: EIA lists El Paso Electric in its own balancing authority (“EPE”), not in the ERCOT grid that the Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Austin utilities belong to. That is a difference in the electric system, not the reason for the lack of choice, which the sources we read do not explain.
Do people without choice pay more? The 2025 numbers say the opposite
Adding up EIA’s 2025 utility data for Texas by type of company (our sums):
| Type of company in Texas | Companies | Residential customers | Average use a month | Average price | Average bill a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail power marketers (competitive areas) | 90 | 7.05 million | 1,112 kWh | 17.3 cents | $192 |
| Investor-owned utilities | 4 | 1.17 million | 1,018 kWh | 13.7 cents | $139 |
| Cooperatives | 63 | 2.54 million | 1,214 kWh | 13.1 cents | $159 |
| City-owned utilities | 17 | 1.89 million | 1,001 kWh | 12.6 cents | $126 |
Read it with care. This is the average over everything each company billed: customers on cheap plans and on expensive ones, month-to-month customers, different cities and weather. It does not say that a plan you can sign today costs 17 cents. In the areas with choice, the cheapest fixed plans without a catch cost 11 to 12 cents per kWh at 1,000 kWh on October 26, 2026 (today’s plans by area); what the average shows is that people who don’t shop pay much more than people who do. In the 16 retail providers with more than 100,000 residential customers, the averages ran from 15.8 to 19.7 cents, with one lower outlier at 10.2.
Austin Energy: how the bill is built
For customers inside the City of Austin, Austin Energy’s page (last reviewed October 1, 2026) lists: a $17.35 monthly customer charge; energy charges in four tiers, 4.872 cents for the first 300 kWh, 5.395 for 301 to 900, 7.901 for 901 to 2,000 and 11.428 above 2,000; a power supply adjustment of 3.912 cents per kWh; community benefit charges (0.415 for its customer assistance program, 0.272 for service area lighting and 0.410 for energy efficiency programs); and a regulatory charge of 1.799 cents per kWh.
Its example: an 860 kWh month costs $121.94 (energy tiers $44.84, power supply adjustment $33.64, regulatory charges $15.47, community benefit charges $9.43, customer charge $17.35 and 1% city sales tax $1.21). The tiers are why using less lowers the price per kWh you pay on the last units: above 2,000 kWh each kWh costs more than twice as much in the energy tier as the first 300. Customer service: 512-494-9400.
CPS Energy: the summer charge above 600 kWh
CPS Energy says the average cost for residential customers was 13.0 cents per kWh for November 2025 through October 2026, and was projected to average 13.0 cents for October 2026. Its bill has a fixed Service Availability Charge, an Energy Charge, a monthly Fuel Adjustment (a charge or a credit) and a Regulatory Adjustment for transmission and grid fees. The one to watch is the Peak Capacity Charge, which applies only from June through September, to each kWh above 600 kWh. CPS Energy’s last base rate change was a 4.25% increase that took effect on February 1, 2024. Residential billing: 210-353-2222. We did not find the current tariff numbers (the fixed charge and per-kWh prices) in a readable official page; the rate documents are linked from CPS Energy’s rates page.
El Paso Electric: a rate case in progress
El Paso Electric says that the last Texas rate case was filed in January 2025 and that the average residential bill is expected to increase by approximately $13 a month, depending on usage. Its FAQ gives two timings for the new rates (“on or after May 1, 2026” and “expected to take effect in late 2026”), so look at your own bill for the date. EIA’s 2025 data puts the average El Paso Electric home at 685 kWh and $95 a month, before any increase.
Austin ZIP codes that do show plans
Some parts of the Austin area are served by other companies, and on October 26, 2026 eight of the 99 ZIP codes from 78701 to 78799 showed plans on Power to Choose: 78717, 78727, 78728, 78750, 78759 and 78761 (Oncor) and 78718 and 78734 (AEP Texas North). A ZIP code can cross a utility boundary, so check who sends your bill: if it is Austin Energy, you can’t choose. If the site shows plans for your ZIP, see how to find the cheapest electricity in Texas. For the other Austin ZIP codes we checked, there were no plans.
What you can do without choice
- Use the tiers and the summer limit. In Austin, the price per kWh rises with each tier; in San Antonio, the Peak Capacity Charge applies to kWh above 600 in June through September.
- Ask your utility about your rate and any assistance. Austin Energy’s bill includes a charge that funds a customer assistance program. More on help with bills: help paying your electric bill in Texas.
- Compare your bill with the state’s. Texas households averaged 1,110 kWh and $171 a month in 2025 (EIA).
- If you move, check the new ZIP code on Power to Choose before you sign anything: in a choice area you can pick your plan, and the 1,000 kWh trap applies.
Questions people ask
Who is the electric company in San Antonio? CPS Energy, the city-owned utility.
Who is the electric company in Austin? Austin Energy for most of the city; some ZIP codes in the Austin area are served by other companies (Oncor or AEP Texas North in the cases above).
Who is the electric company in El Paso? El Paso Electric.
Can I switch to a cheaper provider in San Antonio? Power to Choose shows no plans for San Antonio’s ZIP codes, so there is no provider to switch to.
Why is electricity cheaper in San Antonio than in Houston or Dallas? We can’t say why from the data. EIA shows CPS Energy’s 2025 average at 12.4 cents against 17.3 for competitive retail providers statewide, but the two averages come from different places and customers.
What this page can’t tell you
- Your rate. Your tariff depends on your utility’s current schedules, your address and your plan.
- Why some areas have choice and others don’t. The sources we read state that it depends on where you live, not the reasons.
- Tomorrow’s prices. Utility rates change when boards and regulators decide them.
- Whether your address is in a choice area. ZIP codes cross boundaries; your bill tells you who your utility is.
This page is general information, not a tariff or advice.