# Brownwood, Texas electricity: Oncor wires, 1 split ZIP code to check

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

**In short:** ERCOT counts 11,647 active residential meters with a Brownwood address, all on Oncor's wires (October 5, 2026). 1 of Brownwood's ZIP codes is split, so most addresses can shop, but yours needs a check.

## Moving to Brownwood

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

- **Water and utility billing:** utility billing (start, transfer or stop water service), 325-646-5775.
- **Natural gas:** Atmos Energy: customer service, 888-286-6700.
- **Public schools:** Brownwood ISD, Early ISD.
- **Driver license:** Texas DPS Driver License Office: Brownwood, 512-424-2600.

## Who delivers electricity in Brownwood?
ERCOT counts 11,647 active residential meters with a Brownwood address, all on Oncor's wires (October 5, 2026).

## Can every address in Brownwood choose?
80 of 11,644 Brownwood-addressed competitive homes (1%) are in split ZIP codes (76890), where a neighbor may have a different utility.

## What is different about Brownwood?
- The Census Bureau's July 1, 2025 estimate for Brownwood is 18,635 people, down 1.3% on the 2020 estimates base of 18,871. The largest one-year change was -133 people, from July 2024 to July 2025. (Source: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/cities/totals/sub-est2025_48.csv)
- Mailing addresses stretch past city limits here. 11,647 competitive residential meters use Brownwood as their postal city, while the city itself has 7,399 Census households, a ratio of 1.57. (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/)
- Brownwood-addressed homes make up 0.3% of the 3,564,530 residential meters on Oncor's competitive system. (Source: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203)
- From Oct. 7 to Oct. 18, 2026, 47 residential meters in Brownwood's main ZIP codes went from vacant to active in ERCOT's daily files, which usually means a move-in. (Source: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203)
- 1,378 of the 14,471 home meters in Brownwood's main ZIP codes (9.5%) were de-energized on October 5, 2026, typically a vacant unit awaiting its next account. (Source: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203)
- Brownwood's biggest ZIP code for electricity customers is 76801, with 11,215 of the 11,644 competitive homes that carry a Brownwood address and a ZIP-wide ratio of 1.14 meters per 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/)
- By competitive homes on its postal city, Brownwood is number 1 of the 4 cities and towns touching Brown County, ahead of Early (1,580). (Source: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203)
- In ZIP 76890, which holds 80 Brownwood-addressed homes, ERCOT counts only 0.27 competitive meters per Census household. EIA's 2024 data lists Coleman County Electric Cooperative, Comanche County Electric Cooperative Assn, and Hamilton County Electric Cooperative Assn among others in the counties ERCOT and the Census link to that ZIP; their customers are not on the competitive market unless the utility opted in. (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/, https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/eia861/)
- 36.9% of households in 76801 rent (ACS 2020-2024), the most among Brownwood's main ZIP codes, so a lot of Brownwood electricity accounts open and close with each lease. (Source: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/)
- Median household income across Brownwood's main ZIP codes runs from $54,231 in 76801 to $70,714 in 76802 (ACS 2020-2024); 40.1% of 76802 households and 27.6% of 76801 households report $250+ monthly electric bills. (Source: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/)

## By the numbers
- Population (July 1, 2025 estimate): 18,635
- Population (2020 estimates base): 18,871
- Occupied households (ACS 2020-2024): 7,399
- Active residential meters with a Brownwood address: 11,647
- Active business meters with a Brownwood address: 3,491
- Residential meters per Census household: 1.57
- Delivery utilities (homes): Oncor 11,647
- Counties: Brown
- ZIP codes touching Brownwood: 4
- Split ZIP codes (flagged below): 1

## Plan prices (median ¢/kWh at 500 / 1,000 / 2,000 kWh)
- Oncor: 14.1 / 13.4 / 13.2; delivery 6.8673¢/kWh + $4.06/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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 76801 | Brownwood 100% | 3% | 11,219 | 9,880 | 1.14 | Near-full coverage. Two delivery utilities: Oncor 11,217, AEP Texas North 2 homes. Mostly outside Brownwood city limits. |
| 76802 | Early 84%, Brownwood 16% | 2% | 1,874 | 2,034 | 0.92 | Near-full coverage. Mostly outside Brownwood city limits. |
| 76890 | Brownwood 85%, Zephyr 15% | 0% | 94 | 351 | 0.27 | Split. Partial coverage. Mostly outside Brownwood city limits. |
| 76804 | Brownwood 100% | 0% | 55 | n/a | n/a | PO box or special ZIP. Mostly outside Brownwood city limits. |

## Business electricity in Brownwood
3,491 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
**Is Brownwood deregulated for electricity?** Most Brownwood homes can. ERCOT's October 5, 2026 extract has 11,647 Brownwood-addressed homes on Oncor's competitive system, compared with 7,399 households in the Census survey. Split ZIP codes for Brownwood: 76890; on those, check the exact address.
**What is the biggest Brownwood ZIP code for electricity customers?** ZIP 76801: 11,215 of its 11,219 competitive residential meters use a Brownwood address, and the ZIP has about 9,880 Census households (ratio 1.14). 76890 trails at 0.27 meters per household.
**Are electric bills high in Brownwood?** Bills vary across Brownwood. 40.1% of households in 76802 told the Census survey (ACS 2020-2024) they pay $250 or more a month for electricity, compared with 27.6% in 76801. Bigger, older or all-electric homes push that share up, so compare plans at your own usage.
**I'm moving to Brownwood. How do I set up electricity?** Confirm the address is on Oncor's wires, then pick a plan and a start date. In 76802, 24.2% of residents moved in the past year (ACS); 41 76801 meters went vacant-to-active Oct. 7-18, 2026.
**Why does my Brownwood home have an Early address?** Because ZIP 76802 is mostly addressed to Early: 84% of its 1,874 competitive residential meters use that postal city, and 16% use Brownwood. Mailing city isn't city limits; the service address decides the utility.
**Why are there more electric meters than households in Brownwood?** 11,647 Brownwood-addressed meters against 7,399 city households is 1.57 per household: the Brownwood 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.

## 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/
- Oncor Electric Delivery: https://www.oncor.com/
- Oncor delivery tariff (effective October 4, 2026): https://interchange.puc.texas.gov/Documents/59249_105_1676040.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
- 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 daily TDSP ESIID Extract files, Oct 7-18, 2026, via Power Hopper's Oct 18 ZIP study: 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/
- 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/
- EIA-861 (2024) utility service territories by county: https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/eia861/
- 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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