This is the utility company for South and West Texas. Formed in 2000 as a result of the merger with AEP and Central and South West Corporation, AEP Texas Central is a subsidiary of AEP Texas and is one of two AEP electric utilities operating in ERCOT. This utility boasts approximately 800,000 total customers in 219 towns and 44 counties in Texas.
Areas Served By AEP Texas Central
AEP Texas Central electricity utility serves about 672,000 residential meters and 107,000 commercial meters. Their service area spreads across an area totaling 44,000 square miles. Their region serves major cities including Victoria, Corpus Christi, McAllen, Laredo, and Harlingen.
Some customers in this area may believe that their utility company is still CPL or Corpus Power and Light. That was the company before deregulation. CPL Retail Energy is still a company. But it’s only one of many electricity companies you can pick when you shop for south Texas electricity.
Shop for a Retail Electricity Provider in AEP Texas Central
The AEP Texas Central utility delivery area is one of the deregulated electricity markets in Texas. You can’t buy your electricity supply from the utility. When you live in the AEP Texas Central territory, you must select a retail electricity provider (REP) to supply your electricity. CPL Retail Energy, now owned by Direct Energy, was the original retail electricity supplier for the utility before deregulation. But now, over 70 Texas REPs serve the AEP Texas Central utility delivery area. And you can choose from any of them to provide your electricity.
That power to choose can make it confusing to shop for the best electricity rates. ElectricityPlans.com makes it easy to compare electricity plans and find cheap electricity rates. Want recommendations for a great electricity plan? Use our free PlanScan service to get personalized electricity plan picks.
Top Ten Best South Texas Electric Rates for your Home – AEP Texas Central
| Plan Name | Term | Rate/kWh |
|---|---|---|
| Rhythm Energy Simply Select 6 | 6 | 13.7 ¢ |
| Atlantex Power Luminous 6 | 6 | 13.9 ¢ |
| Reliant Power On 24 | 24 | 14.3 ¢ |
| Reliant Basic Power 12 | 12 | 14.5 ¢ |
| Reliant Basic Power 24 | 24 | 14.5 ¢ |
| OhmConnect Energy TexasConnect 18 | 18 | 14.5 ¢ |
| Frontier Budget Saver 12 | 12 | 14.7 ¢ |
| TriEagle Energy Simple Savings 24 | 24 | 14.8 ¢ |
| TriEagle Energy Simple Savings 12 | 12 | 14.8 ¢ |
| TriEagle Energy Simple Savings 36 | 36 | 14.8 ¢ |
These featured electricity plans have straight-forward rates, with no gimmicks. Regardless of your monthly kWh usage levels, you can have confidence that you won’t have any unexpected surprises in your monthly electric bill.
Shop South Texas Electricity Rates Near You
AEP Texas Central TDU Delivery Charges
AEP Central utility delivery fees are regulated by the Public Utilities Commission of Texas (PUCT). The residential delivery rates are updated on March 1st and September 1st of each year. These rates are comprised of numerous tariffs that are approved by the PUCT. The utility fees pay for the maintenance of the poles and wires and meters that service your home and any system upgrades or repairs due to storms. The TDU charges are passed through to the customer by the REPs in the monthly electric bill and are the same regardless of who supplies the electricity.
Current & Historic AEP Central TDU Delivery Charges| Effective Date | Monthly Charge | $/kWh |
|---|---|---|
| November 1, 2024 | $3.21 | $.061057 |
| September 1, 2024 | $4.79 | $.058156 |
| March 1, 2024 | $4.79 | $.048787 |
| September 1, 2023 | $4.79 | $.055226 |
| March 1, 2023 | $4.79 | $.042970 |
| September 1, 2022 | $5.88 | $.051079 |
| March 1, 2022 | $5.88 | $.045196 |
| September 28, 2021 (update Adv. Metering Cost Recovery) | $5.88 | $.045714 |
| September 1, 2021 | $4.79 | $.045504 |
| June 1, 2021 (update for tax credit expiration) | $4.79 | $.040272 |
| March 1, 2021 | $4.27 | $.037458 |
| September 1, 2020 | $4.27 | $.042929 |
| March 1, 2020 | $9.00 | $.040861 |
| September 1, 2019 | $9.00 | $.044846 |
| March 1, 2019 | $9.00 | $.039405 |
| September 1, 2018 | $9.00 | $.041602 |
| March 1, 2018 | $9.00 | $.040746 |
| September 1, 2017 | $9.00 | $.043840 |
| March 1, 2017 | $9.00 | $.039606 |
Utility Highlights
There are few Texas or other utilities that can boast the reach of AEP or its customer service power. AEP Texas Central may be just a small part of the bigger electric utility known as American Electric Power, but with size comes advantages. AEP Texas Central is a sister company to the smaller AEP Texas North.
It takes well over 1,500 employees to keep all these customers well-informed and happy, each and every day. From basic orders to billing questions, your AEP Central electricity utility has you covered. And its website is also a fantastic customer service resource.
Customer Service Initiatives
As the modern electricity customer evolves and is looking for faster answers and deeper responses to more probing questions, electricity utilities have to evolve, too. AEP Texas Central’s online self-service tools are comprehensive, and include functions like:
- Access to your smart electric meter. You can access your electric meter from your AEP Texas Central website, provided you have a little bit of basic information from your bill. Analyzing the meter’s data can help answer some basic questions about your usage and billing, helping you to better plan your energy consumption.
- Help with service requests. With Retail Electric Providers in the picture, it can get really confusing about who you’re supposed to call when something goes wrong with your power. AEP Texas’ self-service site will help you decide whose problem it is this time and provide you with resources to locate the right phone number.
- Detailed outage information. In addition to an outage map, AEP Texas Central provides outage alerts through email or text and allows you to check the status of your outage report. AEP Texas also has resources to help you better understand how electricity outages are handled.
AEP Texas Central customers can rely on the company’s customer-centered approach to electric utilities. Whether you prefer to call an operator for your inquiries or self-serve on the web, AEP Texas Central has exactly what you’re looking for in customer service.
