Quick answer
Call your utility, not your retail provider. The utility owns the poles, the wires and the meter, and it is the only one that can restore power. In most of Texas that is Oncor, CenterPoint, AEP Texas or TNMP, depending on your address. Your provider handles billing and nothing else during an outage.
The call most people get wrong
The power goes out and people call the company on their bill. That company does not own a single wire.
In the deregulated Texas market your retail provider sells you electricity. Your transmission and distribution utility delivers it and maintains the network. During an outage, only the second one matters.
Who to call, by region
| Utility | Serves |
|---|---|
| Oncor | Dallas, Fort Worth and most of North Texas |
| CenterPoint Energy | Greater Houston |
| AEP Texas Central | Corpus Christi, Victoria and the Rio Grande Valley |
| AEP Texas North | Abilene, San Angelo and surrounds |
| TNMP | Parts of the Gulf Coast, Lewisville and West Texas |
Not sure which is yours? It is named on your bill in the delivery charges section, and it is usually on the meter itself.
Save the number before you need it. Looking it up by torchlight is not the moment.
Reporting an outage properly
- Check your own breaker panel first. A tripped main breaker looks exactly like an outage and nobody is coming to fix it.
- Look outside. If the street is dark too, it is a network outage. If only your home is dark, it may be your service drop or your panel.
- Report it through your utility’s app, website or phone line. Reporting matters: it helps the utility map the fault, and an unreported outage on a single property can sit unnoticed.
- Register for alerts. Each utility offers outage notifications, usually by text or app. Set this up in calm weather.
- Check the outage map for an estimated restoration time rather than calling repeatedly.
Downed lines (H2)
Treat every downed line as live. Stay well back, keep children and animals away, and call the utility or 911 immediately. Never move a branch that is touching a line and never drive over a line lying across a road.
This is the one part of this article with no nuance in it.
What you are and are not owed
| Situation | Reality |
|---|---|
| Electricity you did not use | You are not billed for it. Both energy and delivery charges are metered |
| Spoiled food | Not automatically reimbursed. Some utilities have a claims process for damage caused by their equipment, with conditions. Ask your utility about their claims process and document everything |
| Damaged appliances | Same answer. A claim is possible, approval is not automatic |
| Restoration costs | Recovered through regulated delivery charges over time, not as a line item on your next bill |
If you intend to claim, photograph the contents before you throw anything out and keep receipts. Claims fail on evidence more often than on merit.
Medical equipment at home
If someone in the home depends on electrically powered medical equipment, do not wait for a storm to plan for it.
Ask your utility and your provider about a critical care or chronic condition designation. It requires physician documentation and periodic renewal. It does not guarantee uninterrupted power during a storm, because physical damage affects everyone on the circuit, but it does affect how your premise is treated and how you are notified.
Alongside that, have a battery backup plan and a place to go. Both matter more than the paperwork during an actual event.
After the lights come back
- Expect a strange bill. A low-usage period followed by a heavy one, as the house recovers and the AC or heat runs hard to catch up.
- Check your bill for the right usage, not an estimate. If something looks wrong, ask.
- Reset timers and thermostats. Pool pumps, EV chargers and smart thermostats often come back on default schedules, which quietly costs money.
Your plan and your provider play no part in outage restoration, but they do decide what the recovery month costs. If your contract has lapsed into a month-to-month rate, a heavy recovery month lands at the worst possible price. Checking your ZIP code takes a few seconds.
Frequently asked questions
Who do I call when my power goes out in Texas?
Your utility, which is Oncor, CenterPoint, AEP Texas or TNMP depending on your address. Not your retail provider.
Can my provider restore my power?
No. Providers handle billing and plans. Utilities own and repair the network.
Will I be charged for electricity during an outage?
No. Your meter records nothing, so there is nothing to bill.
Can I claim for spoiled food?
Not automatically. Some utilities run a claims process with conditions attached. Document everything and ask yours directly.
How do I find out which utility serves me?
It is named in the delivery charges section of your bill and usually on the meter.