How To Report a Power Outage in Texas?

Most of Texas has a deregulated power market, and three types of companies are involved in providing electricity for homes and businesses:

  • Power generators produce electricity from fossil fuels or renewable sources, and then sell it in the wholesale market.
  • Retail electricity providers (REP) purchase wholesale energy, and resell it to homes and businesses in the form of electricity plans.
  • Transmission and distribution utilities (TDU) are in charge of the grid, making sure the energy purchased from retailers reaches the point of use.

If you need to report a power outage in Texas, make sure you contact the right company: the TDU in charge of the service territory where your home is located.

Report a Power Failure in These Texas Cities:

Abilene Austin Corpus Christi Dallas / Fort Worth El Paso Houston Lubbock Midland / Odessa McAllen San Antonio Waco

To Report a Power Outage, Call Your Local TDU Instead of Your Electricity Provider 

Calling your electricity provider to report a power outage is a waste of time – you must call the TDU. Retail electricity providers sell you kilowatt-hours, but they have no control over the grid infrastructure that delivers electricity. Depending on where you live in Texas the TDU can be Oncor, CenterPoint Energy, TNMP, AEP Texas Central, or AEP Texas North.

  • For example, if you buy electricity from Payless Power in the Oncor service territory, and a storm knocks down power lines near your, only Oncor can fix the damage. 
  • Payless Power has no authorization to perform work or repairs on the local grid, since they are a retailer (REP) and not a utility company (TDU).

According to TNMP, most power outages are caused by: harsh weather (especially lighting and high winds), wildlife (especially birds and squirrels), trees, car accidents and equipment malfunctions. Power outages can have other causes, but these are the most common. 

All TDU companies have a power outage map on their websites, which you can check at any time. Several municipal utilities and electric cooperatives also have these maps. You can also subscribe for live alerts free of charge, which include power outage reports and notifications when the electric service is restored.

If you live in a region of Texas where electricity is still regulated, and a power outage occurs, you need to contact the local municipal utility or electric cooperative. These companies operate like traditional regulated utilities: they sell you electricity and are also in charge of the grid.

Report a Power Outage in Abilene, Texas

The TDU For Abilene is AEP North. Residents of Abilene should contact AEP North in case of a power outage.

Contact AEP North

Report a Power Outage in Austin, Texas

The municipal utility company in Austin is Austin Energy. Residents of Austin who experience a power outage should contact Austin Energy.

Contact Austin Energy

Outage report phone: 512-322-9100

Report outage webpage: https://austinenergy.ifactornotifi.com/ui/outage-reporting

Subscribe for live alerts: https://austinenergy.com/ae/outages/get-outage-alerts

Power outage center: https://austinenergy.com/ae/outages/

Report a Power Outage in Corpus Christi, Texas

The local TDU for Corpus Christi is AEP Central. Residents of Corpus Christi can contact AEP Central in the event of a power failure.

Contact AEP Texas Central 

Report a Power Outage in Dallas / Fort Worth

The TDU for the DFW metroplex is Oncor. Residents of Dallas and Fort Worth can contact Oncor in the event of a power outage.

Contact Oncor Electric Delivery

Report a Power Outage in El Paso, Texas

The electric transmission and delivery company in El Paso is El Paso Electric. Residents of El Paso should contact El Paso Electric in the event of a power outage.

Contact El Paso Electric

Report a Power Outage in Houston, Texas

The TDSP in Houston is CenterPoint Energy. Residents of Houston and surrounding areas should contact CenterPoint in the event of a power outage.

CenterPoint Energy

Report a Power Outage in Lubbock, Texas

The local electric utility company in Lubbock is LP&L . Residents of Lubbock who experience a power outage should contact Lubbock Power and Light.

Contact Lubbock Power and Light

Report a Power Outage in Odessa and Midland, Texas

The municipal utility company in the Midland/Odessa area is Oncor. Residents who experience a power outage should contact Oncor Electric Delivery.

Contact Oncor Electric Delivery

Outage report hotline: 888-313-4747

Oncor General inquiries: 888-313-6862

Outage report webpage: https://oncor.ifactornotifi.com/ui/outage-reporting

Subscribe for live alerts: https://www.oncor.com/content/oncorwww/us/en/home/outage-weather/my-oncor-alerts.html

Oncor Power outage center: https://www.oncor.com/content/oncorwww/us/en/home/outage-weather.html

Report a Power Outage in McAllen, Texas

The municipal utility company in the McAllen area is AEP Texas Central. Residents who experience a power outage can contact AEP.

Contact AEP Texas Central 

Outage report phone: 866-223-8508

Customer service phone: 877-373 -4858

Outage report webpage: https://www.aeptexas.com/outages/report/

Subscribe for live alerts: https://www.aeptexas.com/account/alerts/ 

Check outage status: https://www.aeptexas.com/outages/OutageStatus.aspx

Power outage center: https://www.aeptexas.com/outages/

Report a Power Outage in San Antonio, Texas

The local electric utility company for the San Antonio area is CPS Energy. Residents of San Antonio can contact CPS Energy in the event of a power outage.

Contact CPS Energy

Customer service phone, urban areas: 210-353-4357

Customer service phone, rural areas: 800-773-3077

Report outage webpage: https://secure.cpsenergy.com/customeroutages/

Subscribe for live alerts: https://www.cpsenergy.com/en/customer-support/outage-center/energy-alerts.html

Power outage center: https://www.cpsenergy.com/en/customer-support/outage-center.html

Report a Power Outage in Waco, Texas

The local electric utility company in Waco is Oncor . Residents of Waco who experience a power outage should contact Oncor Electric Delivery.

Contact Oncor Electric Delivery

Oncor Outage report phone: 888-313-4747

General inquiries: 888-313-6862

Outage report webpage: https://oncor.ifactornotifi.com/ui/outage-reporting

Subscribe for live alerts: https://www.oncor.com/content/oncorwww/us/en/home/outage-weather/my-oncor-alerts.html

Power outage center: https://www.oncor.com/content/oncorwww/us/en/home/outage-weather.html

Power Outage Maps for Each TDU and Municipal Utility

Here are the links for the power outage maps provided by the five TDUs and the largest municipal utilities in Texas. These maps show you the number of active outages and the number of affected customers in each service territory:

The format of the power outage map changes slightly depending on the company, but in general they provide the same information.

Recommendations Before Reporting a Power Outage

Before reporting a power outage, you should verify if your neighbors are also affected. If only your home is without power, the following are some possible causes:

  • Check if any of your electric breakers have tripped.
  • Check if you have an unpaid balance with your REP.
  • If you have a prepaid electricity plan, check if your balance has run out.

Electricity providers will normally send notifications if you have an unpaid balance, or a prepaid balance that is about to run out. However, you should double-check if you don’t have electricity, in case you missed a notification for any reason.

Keep in mind that your REP or municipal utility may charge a fee for a fake outage report. Before calling, make sure you try the solutions listed above. If your neighbors are also without electricity and/or there is visible damage to local power lines, you can confirm there is an ongoing power outage.

While you wait for the power to be restored, consider the following safety recommendations:

  • Keep your refrigerator and freezer closed: According to the USDA, a refrigerator without electric power will store food safely for 4 hours if you don’t open the door.
  • Don’t use any combustion heating devices, since your ventilation system is without power. Harmful combustion gases can accumulate, including carbon monoxide, which is highly poisonous for humans.
  • Make sure you identify shelters with space heating and cooling near you, in case of an extended power outage.

Installing a backup generator or home battery is recommended if you can afford the upfront cost. You should also install a surge protection device (SPD) on your breaker box to protect your home devices. A voltage surge may occur when the power is restored, and electrical appliances may be damaged if they lack protection.

Reporting a Power Outage: Who to Call?

As mentioned above, you need to call the local TDU to report a power outage in a deregulated area, and the municipal utility or electric cooperative if you live in a regulated area. The following table provides a list of the companies responsible for the power grid in major Texas cities:

City Who to call during a power outage? Type of Company
Abilene AEP Texas North TDU
Midland Oncor TDU
Odessa Oncor TDU
Lubbock Lubbock Power and Light

NOTE: Lubbock is currently deregulating, and Oncor will be the TDU when the process is completed in fall 2023.

 LP&L – Municipal utility

Oncor – TDU
El Paso El Paso Electric Municipal utility
Mc Allen AEP Central TDU
Corpus Christi AEP Central TDU
Dallas / Fort Worth Oncor TDU
Houston CenterPoint Energy TDU
Tyler Oncor TDU
Austin Austin Energy Municipal utility
San Antonio CPS Energy Municipal utility