West Texas power got pricey again Monday night.
Today the West pays more.
Tuesday, November 10, 2026 · Morning edition, 6:00 a.m. Central cutoff
PLAIN-ENGLISH MORNING BRIEFWhat power companies are paying for electricity right now, and what it means for you. On a fixed-rate plan, none of this changes your price.
01 / Five things to know this morning
In the 15 minutes ending 8:45 p.m.. The West Hub peaked at $86.00 in the same interval, while North Hub was $46.01 and Houston Hub $53.18. [2]
Per MWh over all 96 intervals. West came in $16.64 above the day-ahead forecast, while the North load zone came in $3.63 below it. [2] [4]
West Hub versus North Hub, per MWh, over all 24 hours of Tuesday: $9.60 more in the West (about 1 cent per kWh), and higher in every hour. [1]
West load zone, 5 to 6 p.m. The West Hub is $86.44 in that hour; North Hub is $71.59. [1]
54 Bcf (1.4%) above the five-year average for this week; 109 Bcf (2.8%) below a year ago. [5]
02 / Monday: the West paid far more than the rest of Texas
ERCOT, the Texas grid operator, publishes real-time prices in 15-minute steps. Across all 96 intervals of Monday, November 9, the West load zone averaged $88.51 per MWh and the West Hub $63.25. The North ($41.42), Houston ($39.56) and South ($41.74) hubs stayed far lower, and none of them reached $100 all day. [2]
Monday, Nov 9: real-time price every 15 minutes ($ per MWh)
The day-ahead market had underpriced the evening. For 8 to 9 p.m., day-ahead prices were $58.98 at the West Hub and $72.56 at the West load zone. The four real-time intervals in that hour averaged $83.58 at the West Hub and $132.03 at the West load zone. North was right on forecast: $45.39 against $45.48. [2] [4]
| Monday, Nov 9 | Real-time average | Day-ahead average | Highest 15-minute price | When (interval ending) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West load zone | $88.51 | $71.87 | $137.48 | 8:45 p.m. |
| West Hub | $63.25 | $58.41 | $86.00 | 8:45 p.m. |
| North Hub | $41.42 | $44.23 | $57.80 | 3:15 a.m. |
| Houston Hub | $39.56 | $39.27 | $55.47 | 9:30 p.m. |
| South Hub | $41.74 | $42.23 | $65.38 | 9:15 p.m. |
03 / Today: the West pays more again
ERCOT set Tuesday's day-ahead prices on Monday afternoon (published 12:32 p.m. Central). Prices are lowest in the early afternoon and highest in the evening ramp, 5 to 6 p.m. The West Hub is higher than the North Hub in every hour; the gap is widest in the hour ending 8 ($16.62) and smallest in the hour ending 13 ($2.69).
Tuesday, Nov 10: day-ahead price by hour ($ per MWh)
What the numbers say
Over the full day the West load zone averages $20.08 more than the North load zone ($60.26 versus $40.17). The West load zone also averages $12.41 above the West Hub, because a load zone prices the area where customers actually use power. [1]
Average, lowest and highest price for each location (24 hours, $ per MWh)
| Location | Average | Lowest hour | Highest hour | Peak hour ending |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Hub | $38.24 | $24.18 | $71.59 | 18 |
| Houston Hub | $34.82 | $24.34 | $52.08 | 18 |
| South Hub | $46.79 | $35.06 | $76.06 | 18 |
| West Hub | $47.85 | $26.87 | $86.44 | 18 |
| North load zone | $40.17 | $24.47 | $82.05 | 18 |
| Houston load zone | $35.77 | $25.37 | $53.91 | 18 |
| South load zone | $53.39 | $37.16 | $88.08 | 18 |
| West load zone | $60.26 | $28.34 | $101.05 | 18 |
All 24 hourly day-ahead prices ($ per MWh)
| Hour ending | North Hub | Houston Hub | South Hub | West Hub | West load zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $28.60 | $29.61 | $36.03 | $40.89 | $57.72 |
| 2 | $29.03 | $30.46 | $36.01 | $44.25 | $67.56 |
| 3 | $29.04 | $30.70 | $35.06 | $43.75 | $66.84 |
| 4 | $32.41 | $33.63 | $39.47 | $48.58 | $73.83 |
| 5 | $34.63 | $35.56 | $41.28 | $50.42 | $75.15 |
| 6 | $38.31 | $38.70 | $45.63 | $54.65 | $78.84 |
| 7 | $38.48 | $37.40 | $46.99 | $53.41 | $73.13 |
| 8 | $37.86 | $36.12 | $46.96 | $54.48 | $76.18 |
| 9 | $28.67 | $26.30 | $35.18 | $35.16 | $44.08 |
| 10 | $24.85 | $24.34 | $35.87 | $28.84 | $32.62 |
| 11 | $24.19 | $25.15 | $36.84 | $27.45 | $30.25 |
| 12 | $24.62 | $26.93 | $35.86 | $27.64 | $29.90 |
| 13 | $24.18 | $24.99 | $36.51 | $26.87 | $28.34 |
| 14 | $24.50 | $24.50 | $37.53 | $27.36 | $28.99 |
| 15 | $26.53 | $26.50 | $40.87 | $30.04 | $31.93 |
| 16 | $35.00 | $33.27 | $49.44 | $38.98 | $41.24 |
| 17 | $61.15 | $49.70 | $67.69 | $65.44 | $71.72 |
| 18 | $71.59 | $52.08 | $76.06 | $86.44 | $101.05 |
| 19 | $67.54 | $49.60 | $73.73 | $83.02 | $97.67 |
| 20 | $60.69 | $49.00 | $68.60 | $72.84 | $87.79 |
| 21 | $52.46 | $42.47 | $59.88 | $62.60 | $74.94 |
| 22 | $44.82 | $38.46 | $52.54 | $54.59 | $67.07 |
| 23 | $41.88 | $37.40 | $47.12 | $47.89 | $56.70 |
| 24 | $36.82 | $32.80 | $41.70 | $42.73 | $52.62 |
04 / Natural gas and the longer view
Gas storage is comfortable
U.S. natural gas storage stands at 3,801 billion cubic feet (Bcf), up 77 Bcf in the latest week, 54 Bcf above the five-year average and 109 Bcf below a year ago. Plenty of gas in storage helps keep Texas power prices in check. The next report is due Thursday. [5]
Prices for 2027 have eased
The benchmark price of power for calendar 2027 is $43.03/MWh in North Texas, down $1.80 (4.0%) in a week, and $45.13 in Houston, down $1.53. This is what big buyers pay to lock in power a year out, so it fell this week. [6]
05 / What it means for you
Homeowners
Your fixed-rate plan keeps its price for its whole term, whatever the market does. Prices like these matter when your contract ends and you pick the next plan. Compare plans for your address with our comparison tool.
Business owners
Fixed-price contracts generally do not pass daily wholesale prices through. Index and partly hedged contracts can, and Monday evening shows why it matters: the West load zone averaged $132.03 from 8 to 9 p.m. Ask which settlement point your contract uses, a hub or a load zone; today they differ by $14.61 in the 5 to 6 p.m. hour at West. Business electricity
Anyone shopping around
Compare each plan's Electricity Facts Label against your own usage, and note when your current contract ends. See how Power to Choose works and when switching makes sense.
Prices here are wholesale, not retail bills. Figures come from ERCOT's published tables, EIA and Vistra.
06 / Sources & references
- ERCOT day-ahead settlement point prices, Nov 10 2026 (24 hourly rows, published Nov 9)
- ERCOT real-time settlement point prices, Nov 9 2026 (96 fifteen-minute intervals)
- ERCOT real-time settlement point prices, Nov 10 2026 (intervals through 6:00 a.m.)
- ERCOT day-ahead settlement point prices, Nov 9 2026
- EIA Weekly Natural Gas Storage Report, released Nov 5, week ended Oct 30
- Vistra ERCOT Market Update, week ending Nov 6 2026 (PDF)