# Alpine, Texas electricity: AEP Texas North wires and 4,305 competitive homes

_Updated October 19, 2026. Data: ERCOT Oct 5, 2026; Power to Choose Oct 19, 2026, 7:59 AM CT._

**In short:** ERCOT counts 4,305 active residential meters with an Alpine address, all on AEP Texas North's wires (October 5, 2026). Nearly every Alpine address in our data is on AEP Texas North's wires and can pick a retail provider.

## Moving to Alpine

Local numbers for setting up a home in Alpine, each checked on the official source. More contacts: https://powerhopper.energy/texas-electricity/alpine/move-in-information

- **Water and utility billing:** utility billing (start, transfer or stop water service), 432-837-0047.
- **Trash pickup:** Texas Disposal Systems: trash and recycling, 432-837-0845.
- **Public schools:** Alpine ISD.
- **Driver license:** Texas DPS Driver License Office: Alpine, 512-424-2600.

## Who delivers electricity in Alpine?
ERCOT counts 4,305 active residential meters with an Alpine address, all on AEP Texas North's wires (October 5, 2026).

## Can every address in Alpine choose?
No split flag on any ZIP code that holds Alpine's 4,303 competitive homes; most streets here can shop.

## What is different about Alpine?
- Alpine counted about 5,989 residents in the Census Bureau's 2025 estimate, against 6,013 in the 2020 base, a change of -0.4%. The largest one-year change was +125 people, from July 2022 to July 2023. July 1 estimates in between: 5,998 (2021), 5,915 (2022), 6,040 (2023), 6,022 (2024). (Source: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/cities/totals/sub-est2025_48.csv)
- Alpine covers 4.8 square miles of land (Census 2025 Gazetteer). That works out to about 1,241 residents and 676 occupied households per square mile of land, with roughly 1.8 residents for every Alpine household. (Source: https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/cities/totals/sub-est2025_48.csv, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/)
- Mailing addresses stretch past city limits here. 4,305 competitive residential meters use Alpine as their postal city, while the city itself has 3,263 Census households, a ratio of 1.32. (Source: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/)
- AEP Texas North share: 2.6% of its 163,108 competitive residential meters carry an Alpine address. (Source: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203)
- Vacancy signal: 14.2 percent of residential meters in Alpine's core ZIP codes were de-energized on October 5, 2026 (713 off, 4,308 on), per ERCOT. (Source: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203)
- Most Alpine electricity customers live in 79830: 4,174 homes, or 97 percent of the 4,303 with an Alpine address; the full ZIP comes to 1.01 meters a household. (Source: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/)
- Renting is most common in 79830, where the ACS 2020-2024 counts 32.6 percent of households as renters; in that part of Alpine, electricity accounts change hands with each lease. (Source: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/)
- Electric bills over $250 a month: 19.7 percent of households in 79830, Alpine's main ZIP code, per the ACS 2020-2024; the same survey puts median household income there at $66,546. (Source: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/)

## By the numbers
- Population (July 1, 2025 estimate): 5,989
- Population (2020 estimates base): 6,013
- Occupied households (ACS 2020-2024): 3,263
- Active residential meters with an Alpine address: 4,305
- Active business meters with an Alpine address: 1,286
- Residential meters per Census household: 1.32
- Delivery utilities (homes): AEP Texas North 4,305
- Counties: Brewster
- ZIP codes touching Alpine: 3
- Split ZIP codes (flagged below): 0

## Plan prices (median ¢/kWh at 500 / 1,000 / 2,000 kWh)
- AEP Texas North: 13.7 / 13 / 12.8; delivery 5.5751¢/kWh + $3.24/mo

## ZIP codes
**Not every address in these ZIP codes has retail choice; check your exact address.**

| ZIP | Postal cities | Land in city | Competitive homes | Households | Ratio | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 79830 | Alpine 100% | 0% | 4,181 | 4,131 | 1.01 | Near-full coverage. Mostly outside Alpine city limits. |
| 79831 | Alpine 100% | 0% | 127 | n/a | n/a | PO box or special ZIP. Mostly outside Alpine city limits. |
| 79832 | Alpine 100% | 100% | 2 | n/a | n/a | Too few homes to rate.  |

## Business electricity in Alpine
1,286 active business meters. Power Hopper compares offers from retail electric providers and direct suppliers; for high-consumption businesses we can run a competitive bid. No savings or bidder count is promised. Businesses in Texas retail-choice areas can request a rate review online.

## Questions
**Can I choose my electricity provider in Alpine?** Most Alpine homes can. ERCOT's October 5, 2026 extract has 4,305 Alpine-addressed homes on AEP Texas North's competitive system, compared with 3,263 households in the Census survey. No Alpine ZIP code carries a split flag, but only an address lookup is certain.
**What is the biggest Alpine ZIP code for electricity customers?** 79830. It holds 4,174 Alpine-addressed competitive homes; counting every address in the ZIP, ERCOT has 4,181 meters for roughly 4,131 households, a 1.01 ratio.
**How much is electricity in Alpine right now?** On October 19, 2026, the median fixed-rate Power to Choose listing on AEP Texas North's wires was 13¢ per kWh at 1,000 kWh a month (160 listings); AEP Texas North's delivery charge of 5.5751¢ per kWh plus $3.24 a month is included. A median is not a quote.
**I'm moving to Alpine. How do I set up electricity?** Start with the address check: AEP Texas North-delivered Alpine homes choose among the plans offered there and set a start date. Turnover is real in 79830, where 13.6% moved in the past year (ACS); ERCOT logged 9 vacant-to-active meters in 79830 Oct. 7-18, 2026.
**Why are there more electric meters than households in Alpine?** 4,305 Alpine-addressed meters against 3,263 city households is 1.32 per household: the Alpine postal area extends past city limits, and new homes get meters before the Census counts them. It doesn't mean every nearby address can choose.
**Where do I report a Alpine power outage?** Call AEP Texas North (aeptexas.com/outages), the wires utility for Alpine's 4,305 competitive homes; a retail provider can't fix lines.

## Sources
- ERCOT TDSP ESIID Extract (report 203): full extract as of Oct 5, 2026; daily files Oct 7-18, 2026: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203
- Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates (B25003 households, B01003 population): https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/
- Census Vintage 2025 city and town population estimates: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/cities/totals/sub-est2025_48.csv
- Census 2020 ZCTA-to-place and ZCTA-to-county relationship files: https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/rel2020/zcta520/
- EIA-861 (2024) utility service territories by county: https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/eia861/
- PUCT Power to Choose residential offer export, Oct 19, 2026, 7:59 AM CT: https://www.powertochoose.org/en-us/Plan/ExportToCsv
- PUCT: Choosing an Electric Plan: https://www.puc.texas.gov/consumer-help/electricity/electric-plan/
- PUCT broker directory (BR260201): https://www.puc.texas.gov/industry/electric/directories/brk/alpha_brk/
- AEP Texas (North Division): https://www.aeptexas.com/
- AEP Texas North delivery tariff (effective September 29, 2026): https://www.aeptexas.com/lib/docs/ratesandtariffs/Texas/AEP_TEXAS_TARIFF_Eff_Sept_29_2026v1.pdf
- Census Bureau Vintage 2025 city and town population estimates: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/cities/totals/sub-est2025_48.csv
- Census Bureau 2025 Gazetteer Files, Texas places (land and water area): https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html
- Census Bureau Vintage 2025 city and town population estimates: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/cities/totals/sub-est2025_48.csv
- Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year, table B25003: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/
- ERCOT TDSP ESIID Extract (report 203), Oct 5, 2026: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203
- Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year, table B25003: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/
- ERCOT TDSP ESIID Extract (report 203), Oct 5, 2026: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203
- ERCOT TDSP ESIID Extract (report 203), Oct 5, 2026: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203
- ERCOT TDSP ESIID Extract (report 203), Oct 5, 2026: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203
- Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year, table B25003: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/
- Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year, table B25003: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/
- Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year, table B25003: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/

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