Childress, Texas electricity: AEP Texas North wires and 2,315 competitive homes
2,315 Childress-addressed homes buy power on AEP Texas North's system, about 1.54 for each Census household. Here is where choice stops, what delivery costs and where plan prices sit today.
Last updated . Written by Power Hopper. Reviewed by Brent Ward, founder, on 2026-10-19. Data as of October 5, 2026 (meters) and October 19, 2026 (plan prices).
In short: ERCOT counts 2,315 active residential meters with a Childress address, all on AEP Texas North's wires (October 5, 2026). Nearly every Childress address in our data is on AEP Texas North's wires and can pick a retail provider.
Who delivers electricity in Childress?
Outages: AEP Texas North at aeptexas.com/outages.
AEP Texas North delivery charges and area
Can every address in Childress choose an electricity provider?
No split flag on any ZIP code that holds Childress's 2,315 competitive homes; most streets here can shop.
Without retail choice unless opted in: 5 other utilities in Childress County (EIA 2024).
Moving to Childress
Local numbers for setting up a home in Childress, each checked on the official source. More contacts, and a printable list, are on Childress helpful move-in information.
- City hall (ask about water service): City of Childress: City Hall (main line), 940-937-3683.
- Trash pickup: City of Childress Sanitation, 940-937-3683.
- Natural gas: Atmos Energy: customer service, 888-286-6700.
- Public schools: Childress ISD.
- Driver license: Texas DPS Driver License Office: Childress, 512-424-2600.
You enter your address on the next screen, and we confirm there whether you can choose an electricity provider at that address.
Have a High Light Bill or Electric Bill?
If your electricity bill in Childress came in higher than you expected, upload or enter it and see whether another plan could lower your electricity costs, or whether staying where you are makes more sense.
Weather and electricity in Childress
Typical weather near Childress, from the nearest NOAA station with a complete 1991-2020 record: Childress Municipal Airport, about 1 mile from the city center (station elevation 1,951 ft). These are normals for that station, not readings at your address. July is the warmest month on average, with a normal daily high of 96°F; January has the coolest average low, 29°F. Average daily highs reach 90°F or more in June to August. Average lows are at or below freezing in January and December.
For electricity, the normals point to two seasons that can lift a household's usage: cooling-degree days (a measure of how far each day's mean temperature sits above 65°F) peak in July at 580 for the month, and heating-degree days (below 65°F) peak in January at 719. How much that matters to a bill depends on the home, its insulation, its heating fuel and the household, so use your own usage history, not a regional average, when you compare plans.
| Month | Avg high °F | Avg low °F | Precipitation (in) | Cooling degree-days | Heating degree-days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 55 | 29 | 0.8 | 0 | 719 |
| Feb | 58 | 32 | 0.9 | 2 | 555 |
| Mar | 68 | 40 | 1.4 | 19 | 362 |
| Apr | 76 | 48 | 2.3 | 71 | 152 |
| May | 84 | 59 | 3.5 | 231 | 33 |
| Jun | 92 | 68 | 3.8 | 446 | 1 |
| Jul | 96 | 72 | 2.0 | 580 | 0 |
| Aug | 95 | 70 | 2.8 | 533 | 0 |
| Sep | 87 | 62 | 2.4 | 294 | 13 |
| Oct | 76 | 50 | 2.0 | 81 | 139 |
| Nov | 65 | 39 | 1.2 | 7 | 411 |
| Dec | 55 | 31 | 0.8 | 0 | 688 |
Historical weather records for Childress County
The Texas Railroad Commission's county table lists a record low of -13°F (1930) and a record high of 117°F (2011), and a regional estimate of 36 consecutive hours as a typical longest freezing or frozen-precipitation period for Childress County. These are historical county extremes, not Childress's monthly averages and not a forecast; the normals above describe ordinary months.
Reference only: the U.S. Energy Information Administration's 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey puts the average Texas household at about 13,440 kWh a year (about 1,120 kWh a month if spread evenly). That is a statewide average for 2020, not Childress, and not an estimate for your home. EIA source.
Sources: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, station USW00023007; Texas Railroad Commission, Historical Weather Data by County (2022).
What is different about electricity in Childress?
- Childress counted about 5,650 residents in the Census Bureau's 2025 estimate, against 5,729 in the 2020 base, a change of -1.4%. The largest one-year change was -64 people, from July 2023 to July 2024. July 1 estimates in between: 5,777 (2021), 5,809 (2022), 5,754 (2023), 5,690 (2024). (Census)
- Childress covers 8.3 square miles of land (Census 2025 Gazetteer). That works out to about 684 residents and 182 occupied households per square mile of land, with roughly 3.8 residents for every Childress household. (Census, Census, Census)
- Mailing addresses stretch past city limits here. 2,315 competitive residential meters use Childress as their postal city, while the city itself has 1,504 Census households, a ratio of 1.54. (ERCOT, Census)
- Childress-addressed homes make up 1.4% of the 163,108 residential meters on AEP Texas North's competitive system. (ERCOT)
- Vacancy signal: 18.2 percent of residential meters in Childress's core ZIP codes were de-energized on October 5, 2026 (521 off, 2,337 on), per ERCOT. (ERCOT)
- One ZIP code, 79201, holds almost every Childress-addressed competitive home (2,315). Taken whole, 79201 has 1.25 competitive meters per Census household: 2,337 meters, 1,877 households. (ERCOT, Census)
- Electric bills over $250 a month: 17.2 percent of households in 79201, Childress's main ZIP code, per the ACS 2020-2024; the same survey puts median household income there at $58,438 and the renter share at 28.4 percent. (Census)
Childress electricity by the numbers
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Population (July 1, 2025 estimate) | 5,650 |
| Population (2020 estimates base) | 5,729 |
| Occupied households (ACS 2020-2024) | 1,504 |
| Active residential meters with a Childress address | 2,315 |
| Active business meters with a Childress address | 773 |
| Residential meters per Census household | 1.54 |
| Delivery utilities (homes) | AEP Texas North 2,315 |
| Counties | Childress |
| ZIP codes touching Childress | 1 |
| Split ZIP codes (flagged below) | 0 |
How we built these numbers. Download: Childress ZIP table (CSV).
What do electricity plans cost in Childress right now?
Same-day medians for AEP Texas North’s area (AEP Texas North: 160 listings), delivery included; not a quote.
| Delivery utility | 500 kWh | 1,000 kWh | 2,000 kWh | Delivery charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AEP Texas North | 13.7¢ | 13¢ | 12.8¢ | 5.5751¢/kWh + $3.24/mo (effective September 29, 2026; tariff) |
Childress ZIP codes: how much of each is on the competitive market?
Not every address in these ZIP codes has retail choice; check your exact address.
| ZIP | Meters per household | ERCOT competitive homes | Census households | With Childress address | Share of ZIP land in Childress | Mailing cities | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 79201 | 1.25 | 2,337 | 1,877 | 2,315 | 1% | Childress 99% | Near-full coverage. Mostly outside Childress city limits. |
Split ZIP codes for Childress: none flagged.
Homes, renters and electric bills in Childress’s ZIP codes
ZIP 79201 leads Childress on electric bills over $250 a month, reported by 17.2 percent of its households (Census ACS 2020-2024).
| ZIP | Bills $250+ | Household income (median) | Built since 2020 | Childress-addressed homes | Renting | Meters added Oct 7-18 | In 5+ unit buildings | Vacant-to-active switches |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 79201 | 17.2% | $58,438 | 1.4% | 2,315 | 28.4% | 3 | 3.1% | 7 |
ACS 2020-2024 by ZCTA; meters: ERCOT daily files, Oct 7-18, 2026.
Business electricity in Childress
Childress business meters: 773 (3.0 homes per business meter); large non-residential meters in Childress’s main ZIP codes: 1 (ERCOT, October 5, 2026).
Larger accounts can go out to bid with retail providers and direct suppliers; we can’t promise savings or bids.
How do I compare electricity plans in Childress?
ZIP first, then your address; read each plan’s Electricity Facts Label before choosing.
Common questions about electricity in Childress
Does Childress have electricity choice?
Yes, where AEP Texas North's wires reach the house, which in Childress is most of the city: 2,315 homes with a Childress mailing address were on the competitive market on October 5, 2026, 1.54 for each Census household. No Childress ZIP code carries a split flag, but only an address lookup is certain.
Which Childress ZIP code has the most homes on the competitive market?
That is 79201, home to 2,315 of the competitive meters with a Childress address. ZIP-wide: 2,337 ERCOT meters, about 1,877 Census households, 1.25 per household.
How much is electricity in Childress 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 Childress. How do I set up electricity?
Start with the address check: AEP Texas North-delivered Childress homes choose among the plans offered there and set a start date. Turnover is real in 79201, where 16.8% moved in the past year (ACS); ERCOT logged 7 vacant-to-active meters in 79201 Oct. 7-18, 2026.
Why are there more electric meters than households in Childress?
2,315 Childress-addressed meters against 1,504 city households is 1.54 per household: the Childress 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 Childress power outage?
Call AEP Texas North (aeptexas.com/outages), the wires utility for Childress's 2,315 competitive homes; a retail provider can't fix lines.
Where to next?
Up: AEP Texas North area · Childress County
Nearest town pages: Vernon · Iowa Park · Burkburnett · Wichita Falls · Lubbock · Snyder · Graham · Sweetwater
Compare plans · Moving · High bill · Texas rates · Areas without retail choice · Methodology
Sources
- ERCOT TDSP ESIID Extract (report 203): full extract as of Oct 5, 2026; daily files Oct 7-18, 2026
- Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates (B25003 households, B01003 population)
- Census Vintage 2025 city and town population estimates
- Census 2020 ZCTA-to-place and ZCTA-to-county relationship files
- EIA-861 (2024) utility service territories by county
- PUCT Power to Choose residential offer export, Oct 19, 2026, 7:59 AM CT
- PUCT: Choosing an Electric Plan
- PUCT broker directory (BR260201)
- AEP Texas (North Division)
- AEP Texas North delivery tariff (effective September 29, 2026)
- Census Bureau 2025 Gazetteer Files, Texas places (land and water area)
BJW Ventures LLC d/b/a Power Hopper | PUCT BR260201. PUCT registration is not an endorsement.