Last Updated on January 30, 2024 by Mary Pressler
Electricity Service In San Antonio: All You Need to Know
San Antonio gets its electric service from CPS Energy, a municipal utility company that is not part of the Texas deregulated market. This means that most residents cannot choose another electricity provider. However, some parts of the San Antonio metropolitan area are in deregulated territory, which means that electric choice is available.
Deregulated Electricity Near San Antonio
Areas of San Antonio That Have a Choice in Energy Providers
The Greater San Antonio area covers eight counties: Atascosa, Bandera, Bexar, Comal, Guadalupe, Kendall, Medina and Wilson.
Bexar County is the most populous, containing the entire city of San Antonio and a population of over two million. Bexar County is almost fully covered by the CPS Energy service area, except for two ZIP codes within the city of San Antonio: 78227 and 78202.
CPS Energy also covers some areas of the Atascosa, Bandera, Comal, Guadalupe, Kendall and Medina counties.
Atascosa County has several deregulated ZIP codes where you can choose a light company. The Guadalupe, Medina and Wilson counties also have a few ZIP codes with electric choice. Bandera, Comal and Kendall counties are fully covered by regulated municipal utilities or electric cooperatives – Quick Electricity has not identified any ZIP codes with electric choice.
How To Know If I Have Deregulated Electricity?
If you live in the Greater San Antonio area, there is a simple way to know if you can switch your electricity provider. If your power bill comes from CPS Energy, you are regulated territory and there are no other options. The same applies if your power bill comes from one of the municipal utilities or electric cooperatives that operate in surrounding counties:
- Guadalupe Valley Electric Cooperative (GVEC)
- Medina Electric Cooperative (Medina EC)
- Floresville Electric Light & Power System (FELPS)
- Bandera Electric Cooperative (BEC)
- New Braunfels Utilities (NBU)
- Pedernales Electric Cooperative (PWC)
On the other hand, If you get power bills from a retail electric provider (REP) with transmission and distribution fees from AEP Texas, you are in deregulated territory and you can choose your energy plan.
Quick Electricity has gathered a list of ZIP codes with electric choice in the eight counties covered by the San Antonio metropolitan area. However, you can search for any ZIP code in Texas with our energy plan comparison tool:
Lights on Today for $40
No Deposit & No SS or DL Required in Texas
San Antonio Areas with Electric Choice: Bexar County
The city of San Antonio and Bexar County in general are almost fully covered by CPS Energy, but we have identified two ZIP codes with deregulated pockets. If you live in one of them, you may be able to choose your electricity provider:
- 78227
- 78202
The transmission and distribution utility (TDU) in charge of the grid is AEP Texas North in the 78227 ZIP code, and AEP Texas Central in the 78202 ZIP code.
Bexar County had an estimated population of 2,059,530 as of 2022, according to the US Census Bureau.
San Antonio Areas with Electric Choice: Atascosa County
Atascosa County has the largest number of deregulated ZIP codes in the Greater San Antonio area. The following table lists the ZIP codes with electric choice, and the corresponding cities and communities covered by them:
| ZIP Code | Cities and Communities Covered |
| 78064 | Pleasanton, Christine, Leming |
| 78065 | Poteet, Anchorage, Kyote |
| 78026 | Jourdanton, Amphion |
| 78052 | Lytle |
| 78011 | Hindes |
| 78012 | Christine |
| 78050 | Leming |
Atascosa County is much less populous than Bexar County, with an estimated population of 50,864 according to the US Census Bureau.
Greater San Antonio Areas with Electric Choice: Guadalupe County
This county is almost fully covered by the Guadalupe Valley Electric Cooperative (GVEC), which remains outside of the competitive energy market. We have identified two ZIP codes with deregulated energy in Guadalupe County:
- 78638 – Kingsbury
- 78648 – Luling
AEP Texas Central is the TDU company in charge of the grid in both ZIP codes. This means you can choose a prepaid electricity provider such as Payless Power.
The US Census Bureau reports an estimated population of 182,760 for Guadalupe County.
San Antonio Areas with Electric Choice: Medina County
This county is almost fully covered by Median Electric Cooperative (Medina EC), but we have identified four ZIP codes with electric choice:
- 78016 – Devine
- 78052 – Lytle
- 78059 – Natalia and Pearson
- 78057 – Moore and Bigfoot
Deregulated ZIP codes in Medina also have AEP Texas Central as their TDU company. Note that you can choose an electricity provider, but the utility company in charge of the grid is determined by geographic location.
Medina County has an estimated population of 53,723 according to the US Census Bureau.
San Antonio Areas with Electric Choice: Wilson County
This county is almost fully covered by Floresville Electric Light & Power System (FELPS), a regulated municipal utility. This means most residents cannot choose their electricity provider, but we have identified one deregulated ZIP code:
- 78140 – Nixon and Smiley
This ZIP code is part of the AEP Texas Central territory. You can choose your retail electric provider, but AEP Texas is the TDU company you should contact in case of a blackout.
Wilson County had an estimated population of 52,735 by 2022, according to the US Census Bureau.
San Antonio Areas without Electric Choice: Bandera, Comal and Kendall Counties
Quick Electricity has not identified any deregulated ZIP codes in the Bandera, Comar and Kendall counties. This means you cannot choose an electricity provider and your only option is the local municipal utility or electric cooperative.
| County | Municipal Utility or
Electric Cooperative |
Population
(US Census Bureau, 2022) |
| Bandera | Bandera Electric Cooperative | 22,115 |
| Comal | New Braunfels Utilities | 184,642 |
| Kendall | Pedernales Electric Cooperative | 48,973 |
NOTE: This table is provided for informative purposes only. You cannot choose an electricity provider if you live in one of these counties.