Oncor delivers power to Dallas, Fort Worth and most of North Texas, at a rate the state sets. As of 1 September 2026 that is a $1.48 customer charge, a $2.58 metering charge and 6.0295 cents per kWh, which comes to about $64.36 a month at 1,000 kWh. Every provider in DFW passes on the same amount. January bills climb because heating pushes usage up, and delivery charges rise with every extra unit.
One delivery rate, the whole Metroplex
Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington, Plano, Frisco and a long stretch of North and West Texas all sit in Oncor territory. Oncor charges one residential delivery rate across all of it. No zones, no street-by-street variation.
So when you and a neighbour compare bills, the delivery lines match. Any difference is your usage and your plan.
What Oncor charges right now
From the PUCT’s published delivery rates, residential, as of 1 September 2026:
| Charge | Amount |
|---|---|
| Customer charge | $1.48 a month |
| Metering charge | $2.58 a month |
| Delivery per unit | 6.0295 cents per kWh |
| Total at 500 kWh | $34.21 |
| Total at 1,000 kWh | $64.36 |
Oncor’s delivery rate rose during 2026 following a rate case the state approved. That is why some DFW households saw bills creep up in a year when their energy rate never moved at all.
Why January is the worst month in North Texas
DFW gets a real winter. A house with electric heat can push usage back toward summer levels during a cold week.
Across Texas, the average home used 944 kWh in December 2025 and 1,085 kWh in January 2026, against 819 kWh in a mild March 2026, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration data. North Texas homes with electric heat usually swing harder than that statewide average, because much of the state’s winter heating demand sits in the northern half.
Three things stack up at once:
- Heating load. A cold snap runs the heat almost continuously, and if your system falls back on electric heat strips, the draw is far higher than normal heating.
- Delivery scaling. At 6.0295 cents per unit, every extra kilowatt-hour costs you on both halves of the bill.
- Billing dates. A cold week that lands across two billing cycles can make one month look far worse than the season actually was.
Does a fixed rate protect you in winter?
Partly. It is worth being precise about what it does.
| A fixed rate does | A fixed rate does not |
|---|---|
| Lock your energy rate per unit for the term | Cap your total bill |
| Protect you from market price swings | Freeze the regulated delivery rate |
| Make your cost per unit predictable | Reduce your usage during a cold snap |
A fixed-rate household still sees a bigger January bill. Your bill is rate multiplied by usage, plus delivery. What the fixed rate prevents is a rising rate landing on top of rising usage at the same time.
Get the timing right
Most DFW households shop in a panic, in August or in January. Both are bad weeks to make a decision.
A better rhythm:
- Find your contract end date. It is on your bill and in your online account.
- Start comparing 45 to 60 days before that date.
- Set the new plan to start the day after the old one ends.
- Under PUCT rules you can switch with no exit fee starting 14 days before your stated end date.
Miss the date and you roll onto a month-to-month rate, usually the most expensive power in the market. That is fixable, and fast.
What to check before you lock a DFW plan
- The prices disclosed at 500, 1,000 and 2,000 kWh, not just the headline rate.
- Any bill credit, and the exact usage level attached to it. A credit that needs 1,000 kWh is easy to hit in January and easy to miss in April.
- Base charges and minimum usage fees, which bite hardest in mild spring months.
- Contract length against your own seasonal pattern.
- The exit fee, in case your plans change.
Where we fit for DFW homes
Oncor’s rate is set by regulation, so the only real question is what happens on the energy half of the bill.
Aggregate Energy brings households into a buying pool, so providers are approached as committed volume rather than one customer at a time. We cannot change your delivery charge, and nobody else can either.
Check your DFW ZIP code to see how the pool is structured in Oncor territory.
Frequently asked questions
1.Who is my utility in Dallas or Fort Worth?
Oncor Electric Delivery, across DFW and most of North Texas.
2.Does a fixed rate protect me in winter?
It locks your energy rate. It does not cap your bill, because usage and regulated delivery charges still move.
3.Why is my January bill higher than December?
Usually heating during cold snaps, plus billing cycle timing, plus delivery charges that grow with usage.
4.Did Oncor’s delivery charges go up in 2026?
Yes. A state-approved rate case raised them during 2026. Current figures are published on the PUCT delivery rate page.
5.When should I lock a new plan?
Start comparing 45 to 60 days before your contract ends. If you are inside the last 14 days, switch now.