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Texas Utility (TDU) Lookup by ZIP

Find the electric utility serving any Texas ZIP code. Free, no signup, no API key. Backed by Light API.

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Enter any 5-digit Texas ZIP. We’ll return the serving utility (TDU) and whether the ZIP is in the deregulated market where you can choose a retailer.

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The 6 Texas TDUs

Texas has six Transmission and Distribution Utilities (TDUs) serving the deregulated retail electric market. TDU territory is determined by your physical address. You can’t choose your TDU, but you can choose any retail electricity provider licensed in your TDU territory.

  • Oncor Electric Delivery: DFW and most of north and central Texas. Largest TDU by customer count.
  • CenterPoint Energy: Greater Houston and southeast Texas.
  • AEP Texas Central: South Texas including Corpus Christi, Brownsville, McAllen.
  • AEP Texas North: Abilene, San Angelo, and west central Texas.
  • Texas-New Mexico Power (TNMP): Scattered pockets including parts of Galveston County and the Lewisville area.
  • Lubbock Power & Light: City of Lubbock; joined the deregulated market in 2024.

ZIPs in non-deregulated areas (Austin Energy, CPS Energy, and most electric cooperatives) return isDeregulated: false. Customers there can’t choose a retail provider.

Frequently asked questions

What is a TDU in Texas?
A TDU (Transmission and Distribution Utility) is the company that owns and operates the poles, wires, and meters that physically deliver electricity to your home. In the Texas deregulated market, your TDU is separate from your retail electricity provider. The TDU delivers the power, and the retailer (TXU, Reliant, Meter, etc.) sells it to you. Texas has six TDUs: Oncor, CenterPoint Energy, AEP Texas Central, AEP Texas North, TNMP (Texas-New Mexico Power), and Lubbock Power & Light.
How do I know which electric utility serves my Texas address?
TDU territory is determined by your physical address (and therefore your ZIP code). Oncor serves most of north and central Texas including Dallas-Fort Worth. CenterPoint Energy serves the greater Houston area. AEP Texas Central serves south Texas including Corpus Christi. AEP Texas North serves the Abilene region. TNMP has scattered service pockets statewide. Lubbock Power & Light serves the city of Lubbock (joined the deregulated market in 2024). Use the lookup above to resolve any 5-digit ZIP to its serving TDU.
What's the difference between my utility and my electricity retailer?
Your utility (TDU) physically delivers power and reads your meter. You can't choose your TDU. Your retail electricity provider (REP) is the company you sign a plan with and pay each month, and you can choose any REP licensed in your TDU territory. The retailer buys power on the wholesale market, your TDU delivers it through their wires, and your bill includes both energy charges (from the retailer) and delivery charges (set by the TDU and regulated by the PUCT).
How many TDUs are in Texas?
Six TDUs serve the deregulated Texas retail electric market: Oncor Electric Delivery, CenterPoint Energy, AEP Texas Central, AEP Texas North, Texas-New Mexico Power Company (TNMP), and Lubbock Power & Light. Some areas of Texas remain non-deregulated and are served by municipal utilities (Austin Energy, CPS Energy in San Antonio) or electric cooperatives. Customers in those areas don't have retailer choice.
Is Austin Energy or CPS Energy a TDU?
No. Austin Energy (Austin) and CPS Energy (San Antonio) are municipal utilities, not TDUs in the deregulated market. They operate as vertically integrated utilities, meaning the same company generates, delivers, and sells electricity to customers, and customers cannot choose a different retailer. This tool returns isDeregulated: false for ZIPs in those territories.
Can I switch utilities in Texas?
No. Your TDU is determined by your physical address and you can't change it. What you can change is your retail electricity provider (REP). All retailers licensed in your TDU territory deliver electricity through the same wires; only the company billing you and the rate you pay change when you switch retailers.
What does deregulated electricity mean in Texas?
Deregulation (introduced in Texas by Senate Bill 7 in 2002) means the regulated monopoly utility was split into two parts: a regulated TDU that owns the wires and meters, and competitive retail electricity providers (REPs) that sell power to customers. About 85% of Texas electric meters are in deregulated TDU territory, and customers there can choose from dozens of retailers.

Use it from your app

Same lookup, available as a JSON API.

curl -X POST https://meterplan.com/api/v1/get-utility-for-zip \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"zipCode": "75201"}'

MCP tool name: get_utility_for_zip

Inputs

  • zipCodestringrequired

    5-digit Texas ZIP code. Examples: '75201' (Dallas), '77002' (Houston), '78401' (Corpus Christi), '76901' (Abilene), '79401' (Lubbock).

Outputs

  • zipCodestring

    The ZIP code that was looked up.

  • utilityCodestring

    Canonical TDU code. One of: 'ONCOR', 'CNP' (CenterPoint), 'AEP_CENTRAL', 'AEP_NORTH', 'TNMP', 'LPPL' (Lubbock Power & Light).

  • utilityDisplayNamestring

    Full TDU name as the utility presents it. Examples: 'Oncor Electric Delivery', 'CenterPoint Energy', 'Texas-New Mexico Power Company'.

  • utilityShortNamestring

    Common short name. Examples: 'Oncor', 'CenterPoint', 'AEP Central'.

  • isDeregulatedboolean

    True if the ZIP is in the Texas deregulated retail electric market (where customers can choose a retail provider). False for municipal utility territories (Austin Energy, CPS, etc.).

  • eligibilityLikelihoodnumber

    Light API's confidence (0-1) that this ZIP can be served by a retail provider. Useful for spotting edge cases like new construction or address ambiguity.

  • resolvedboolean

    True if Light API returned a confident answer. False if we fell back to the default (ONCOR) due to API unavailability or unknown ZIP.

Related tools

  • Texas ESI ID Lookup by Address

    Find the Texas Electric Service Identifier (ESI ID) for any residential address. Required for solar enrollment, plan switching, Smart Meter Texas data access, and TDU coordination. Returns ESI ID, formatted address, serving utility (Oncor / CenterPoint / AEP / TNMP / LPPL), and a confidence indicator. Backed by Light API's address-search endpoint (private API made public via this tool).

  • Texas TDU Delivery Rates

    Get current TDU delivery rates for one or all six Texas utilities (Oncor, CenterPoint, AEP Texas Central, AEP Texas North, TNMP, Lubbock Power & Light). Returns per-kWh delivery rate and fixed monthly base fee for each utility — these charges appear on every Texas electricity bill regardless of which retailer the customer chose. Backed by Light API rate sheets.

  • Texas Electricity Plan Finder

    For a Texas homeowner, find Texas retail electricity plans available in their ZIP code. Returns up to 6 plans ranked by effective rate at the user's monthly usage level, including retailer name, energy rate (¢/kWh), monthly bill estimate, contract term, base fee, ETF, renewable %, Google rating, and EFL link. Backed by Meter's broad-market plan index covering every major TDU (ONCOR, CenterPoint, AEP Texas, TNMP, Lubbock).