Parts of Texas where you can't pick your electricity company
Not every Texan can shop for power. City-owned utilities like Austin Energy and CPS Energy in San Antonio, most electric co-ops, and areas outside the main ERCOT market don't offer retail choice. Your local utility sets your rate. Lubbock is the big exception: its city utility opted in during 2024.
Power to Choose is the state's official, free plan-comparison site run by the PUCT. We don't get paid when you click.
Munis and co-ops can opt in
The PUCT says municipally owned utilities and electric cooperatives have had the right, since 2002, to choose whether to join the retail market. Most have not. A governing body or board can adopt a resolution to opt in: https://www.puc.texas.gov/consumer-help/faq/muni/
Austin and San Antonio
ERCOT's November 2025 overview names Austin and San Antonio as non-opt-in areas. Customers there do not choose a retail provider: https://www.ercot.com/files/docs/2025/11/17/ERCOT-Grid-Insights-Retail-Market.pdf
Areas where competition was delayed
The same PUCT FAQ says state law delayed competition for Entergy Gulf States, Southwestern Public Service Company, El Paso Electric Company, and AEP SWEPCO, because wholesale competition was not adequate to support retail choice there: https://www.puc.texas.gov/consumer-help/faq/muni/
Who has opted in
ERCOT says the only opt-ins over two decades are Nueces Electric Cooperative and the City of Lubbock / Lubbock Power & Light. Competitive retail service in the Lubbock Power & Light area started March 4, 2024: https://www.ercot.com/services/comm/mkt_notices/M-A022724-01
How to check your address
Enter the ZIP on Power to Choose. If plans come back, you are looking at a choice area for that ZIP, and you should still confirm the street because ZIPs can overlap. If nothing comes back, call the local utility.
What you can do instead
If you cannot choose, talk to your utility about the programs it actually offers. We are not describing those programs or promising a discount.
Related pages
Questions
Why can't I choose in Austin?
Austin Energy is a city-owned utility and has not opted into retail competition. ERCOT lists Austin among the areas where customers do not pick a retail provider.
Is San Antonio deregulated?
No. CPS Energy is a city-owned utility that has not opted in. San Antonio residents do not choose a retail electricity provider.
Can my co-op join the market?
Yes. The PUCT says a co-op or city utility may opt in if its board or governing body adopts a resolution. Most have not: https://www.puc.texas.gov/consumer-help/faq/muni/
Is El Paso deregulated?
The PUCT FAQ names El Paso Electric among the utilities where state law delayed retail competition: https://www.puc.texas.gov/consumer-help/faq/muni/
How do I check my address?
Use Power to Choose and enter the ZIP, then confirm the street if the ZIP is shared by more than one utility: https://www.powertochoose.org
Power to Choose is the state's official, free plan-comparison site run by the PUCT. We don't get paid when you click.
Sources
- PUCT municipally owned utilities and co-ops FAQChecked October 12, 2026
- ERCOT retail market overview, November 2025Checked October 12, 2026
- ERCOT market notice M-A022724-01, Lubbock Power & LightChecked October 12, 2026