A new survey commissioned by ElectricityPlans.com and conducted by Pollfish in April 2026 captured the mood of 1,000 Texans and the results paint a picture of a market under strain: rising costs, a grid still viewed with suspicion and a new threat of data centers waiting in the wings.
Key Takeaways – 2026 Texas Electricity Consumer Confidence Survey
- Nearly 50% of Texans (47.4%) reported that their monthly electricity bill has increased over the past year. More than a quarter (27.7%) have cut back on other expenses to afford their electricity bill, with 16.5% delaying paying a bill and 14% have received a disconnection notice.
- Price is still number one when it comes to choosing a provider, with 52% of respondents listing it as their key criteria.
- Fifty-seven percent (57%) of Texans do not trust the ERCOT grid to handle extreme weather events.
- Twenty-five years after deregulation began in Texas, shopping confusion continues. Thirty percent (30%) of Texans don’t understand that the advertised rate on an electricity plan is not what they’ll actually pay. Nearly a quarter (24.4%) said the shopping process was too complicated
- Texans firmly believe that data centers should pay their share, with 58% agreeing that data centers and tech companies that increase demand should pay for cost increases.
Electricity Bills Have Increased in the Past Year
The survey, the second annual wave of ElectricityPlans.com’s Texas Electricity Consumer Confidence Study, found that 47.4% of Texans reported their monthly electricity bill increased over the past year. Of those, 12.4% said their bill jumped more than 20%. Only 13.5% reported a decrease.
Cutting Costs to Keep the Lights On
But the survey’s most striking finding isn’t the percentage who saw bills rise, but how they’re adjusting to it.
Similar to a recent national survey showing that 1 in 3 Americans struggle to pay their electricity bill, more than one in four Texans surveyed (27.7%) said they cut back on other expenses in the past 12 months to afford their electricity bill. Another 16.5% delayed payment and 14.3% received a late notice or disconnection warning. Nearly one quarter of respondents (24.4%) reported setting their thermostat to an uncomfortable temperature just to save money.
“It seems like we keep cutting our thermostat to try to save money, but it is always higher than we expect,” wrote one survey respondent. Another stated, “The bills just keep going up. I live alone, but pay $100.00 – $150.00 a month. How do families afford these costs?”
Overall, 82.9% of respondents have taken steps to lower their electricity bill in the last 12 months. Most respondents (62.5%) reported adjusting their thermostat settings, while others have purchased energy efficient appliances (19.9%), installed a smart thermostat (17.6%) and switched electricity providers (13.8%).
Grid Concerns Drive Anxiety and Preparedness
Five years after Winter Storm Uri and two years after Hurricane Beryl, grid reliability remains top of mind. A majority of respondents (57.2%) said they were “concerned” or “extremely concerned” about the grid’s ability to handle this summer’s demand.
That anxiety is driving action: 63.1% of Texans took some preparedness step in the last 12 months, with 38.6% stocking emergency supplies, 22.2% buying a portable generator, and 15.4% investing in a battery backup system. Houston residents, shaped by gulf storm history, were notably more prepared than Dallas residents (70.4% vs. 56.3%).
There’s long been a debate on whether ERCOT should connect to the national grid to increase reliability and resources. The trade-off is increased oversite by the federal government. When asked whether ERCOT should connect to the national grid to increase reliability, Texans are split: 42.1% favor it, 32.7% want to stay independent, and 25.2% aren’t sure. Younger Texans (25–34) lean strongly toward integration (61.4%), while older Texans are more skeptical.
Texans Point the Finger at Tech: ‘AI Should Pay Its Share’
Texas has become one of the nation’s leading data center destinations. ERCOT load growth projections have risen dramatically in recent years, which could put pressure on electricity prices and require new infrastructure.
Texans have a clear view of who should foot the bill for any cost increases in energy or delivery costs.
The majority of respondents (58.2%) said the data centers and tech companies driving the demand should primarily bear those costs. Only 17.2% thought all electricity users should share costs equally, and just 10.1% favored a state tax or subsidy approach. Among respondents 65 and older, the sentiment was even stronger with 69.6% saying tech companies should pay.
Price Remains Biggest Driver of Selection; Rate Complexity an Issue
ElectricityPlans.com helps Texans avoid expensive electricity mistakes by showing what plans actually cost before they enroll, which is why this survey focused heavily on how consumers experience electricity shopping. The results reveal real gaps, even 25 years into deregulation.
Texas requires providers to publish an Electricity Facts Label showing average price per kWh at 500, 1,000, and 2,000 kWh of usage. But bill credits, tiered rates, minimum usage fees, and base charges mean the advertised rate at exactly 1,000 kWh can hide what a customer actually pays at 999 or 1,500 kWh. That creates a difference between the advertised rate and the effective rate.
“All the numbers make it difficult to understand for people who aren’t knowledgeable about watts and kilowatts,” one respondent wrote. Another: “The biggest frustration is the surprise of the amount on my electricity bill. I never know what the total will be.”
While 70% of respondents understand that advertised rates differ from what they’ll actually pay, 30% don’t understand this, with half of those assuming the advertised rate is what they always pay, the other half noticing variation but not understanding why. Another 28% don’t know whether their plan includes a minimum usage fee or base charge.
This confusion is especially costly because rate drives the choices consumers make. More than half of Texans (52%) chose their current provider based on lowest rate, with rate stability (i.e. paying the same rate each month) the key factor for another 26%.
Confusing Prices Suppress Shopping and Cause Uncertainty
Confusion keeps people from switching, even when they suspect they could get a better deal. Nearly a quarter (24.4%) said the process felt too complicated and they didn’t know how to compare plans fairly. And when asked an open-ended question about frustrations with the Texas electricity market, 32% cited this confusion, noting shopping complexity, billing unpredictability and surprise charges.
“The shopping process for electricity is overwhelming and confusing. Too many plans, providers, and unclear pricing, making it hard to compare and choose the best option,” said one respondent. Another specifically called out bill credit plans, stating “They hide extra charges extremely well. I have seen power being advertised as low 9 cents per kilowatt then we open the power facts sheet it is 9 cents above 2,000 kilowatt and about 20 cents under it.
However, that confusion coexists with an active shopping and price comparison market. About one in five Texans (19%) haven’t compared plans recently, suggesting some level of brand loyalty. But 32% shop every time their plan expires, 19% check rates when they get a high bill, 18% check rates annually even when their contract isn’t expiring and 11% check every few months just to stay informed.
Using AI Tools Could Increase Shopper Confusion
The way consumers shop may be pushing them toward plan options that include fine print. Nearly a quarter (22.6%) of those surveyed use ChatGPT or other AI tools to select a plan and 57.4% use Google or another search engine, most of which now include AI summaries as the top result.
To see what these tools recommend, ElectricityPlans staff asked each one: “What’s the cheapest electricity plan in Houston?”
Across Gemini, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Grok, and Bing/Google AI, the answers surfaced the same recommendation: bill credit plans with deceptively low advertised rates at 1,000 kWh. The tools added caveats about fine print and bill credits, but consumers who trust AI implicitly may still end up paying higher effective rates if they don’t read the details.
Overall Customer Satisfaction Remains High Despite Challenges
Despite all of this, overall consumer satisfaction rankings are higher than in the 2025 survey. The mean provider satisfaction score came in at 7.7 out of 10, up from 6.3 in last year’s wave. Nearly half of respondents (45.4%) rated their satisfaction at 8 or higher.
Survey Method
This survey was conducted April 6–7, 2026, among 1,000 Texas residents who identified as the primary electricity bill-payer in their household and confirmed they live in an area of the state with electricity choice. It is the second annual wave of ElectricityPlans.com’s Texas Electricity Consumer Confidence tracking study. The first wave, conducted in April 2025, established baseline measures that this year’s survey revisits.
This data analysis was completed with the assistance of AI tools, including Pollfish AI and Claude, with all data confirmed by human analysis.
For media inquiries, contact rbridges@electricityplans.com.
