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Study: Expect Texas Electric Bills to Rise Further
Over the past decade every major Texas utility including Centerpoint and Oncor raised distribution rates by 30% or more.
Texas homes face longer summer cooling seasons, rising TDU rates & higher supply costs. Here's what's driving your bill up — and what you can do.
HOUSTON, TX, UNITED STATES, May 12, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- New research finds Texas residential customers facing rising supply rates, growing grid costs, and longer summer cooling seasons.TexasElectricityRatings.Com warns that Houston electricity rates and those across the state are set to climb, even as the average Texas home has kept its monthly electricity usage relatively flat over the past decade. The research suggests a combination of population growth, shifting weather patterns, and rising utility costs will push monthly bills higher in the coming years. Analysts reviewed residential usage data from the Energy Information Agency alongside ten years of utility pricing records from the Texas Public Utility Commission. Together, the findings paint a clear picture of the challenges facing Texas households.
The full survey can be read at https://www.texaselectricityratings.com/resources/Texas-Electric-Rate-Survey-2026
Population Growth And Energy Rates Drove Utility Hikes
Between 2015 and 2025, the number of residential electricity customers in Texas grew by roughly 2.73 million, a 27% increase. The investor-owned utilities that deliver power to their growing pool of residential customers have been steadily raising their rates to pay for expansions and repairs. When researchers examined data to compare electric rates between 2016 and 2026, they found that distribution charges on an average residential bill had risen by 44%. As an example, north Texas-based Oncor plans to invest $47.5 billion in its grid through 2030. This means that Dallas electricity rates will likely reflect these higher infrastructure costs on customer statements from years to come. By 2031, distribution charges for an average Oncor Energy customer could reach nearly $70 per month, up from $60 today.
At the same time, supply prices charged by retail electricity providers in the ERCOT market climbed more than 53% between 2016 and 2024, rising from 9.62 cents per kilowatt hour to 14.79 cents. Volatile natural gas prices, the cost of connecting distant wind and solar farms, and a surge in crypto and data center growth all contributed to that increase.
Usage Is Steady, but the Summer Cooling Season Is Getting Longer
Despite all this growth, the average Texas home used about 1,142 kilowatt hours per month throughout the ten-year period. Researchers theorize that energy efficient appliances could be helping families keep their Texas electricity usage steady.
What has changed is when Texans use that electricity. Summer cooling now appears to begin as early as May and stretch through October. Winter heating, by contrast, starts later and ends sooner than it once did. As a result, a longer cooling season means families face paying higher yearly energy costs even if their monthly usage stays roughly the same.
What Customers Can Do
Texas Electricity Ratings encourages residential customers to take three steps now. First, invest in home energy efficiency to reduce overall usage. Second, shop plans offered by electricity providers carefully. Third, stay informed about rate changes and grid investment plans that affect monthly bills.
About TexasElectricityRatings.com
TexasElectricityRatings.com is a website operated by Electricity Ratings, LLC.
Electricity Ratings, LLC operates a network of energy shopping websites serving 17 states and 56 utilities, providing our energy comparison and ratings service to over 80 million customers. We provide our customers with the power to choose the best providers through our consumer reviews platform which provides a reliable, unbiased source of valuable consumer insight. And we back that up by offering in-depth energy company service analysis, personalized recommendations, and practical advice. Our mission is to help consumers harness the power of information to find, compare, and buy electricity and energy services from the best providers.
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TexasElectricityRatings.com
1502 Sawyer, Ste 130
Houston, TX 77007
(866) 303-9147 info@TexasElectricityRatings.com
https://www.TexasElectricityRatings.com
Vernon Trollinger
Texas Electricity Ratings
email us here
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