Combes, Texas electricity: AEP Texas Central wires, 1 split ZIP code to check
AEP Texas Central wires, 1 split ZIP code and 1,095 competitive homes: the Combes numbers.
Reviewed by Brent Ward, founder, on 2026-10-19. Updated .
Combes at a glance: 1,095 Combes-addressed homes, all wired by AEP Texas Central (ERCOT, Oct. 5, 2026). 1 split ZIP code (78552) holds 40 of Combes's 1,095 placed homes (4%); those addresses need a lookup.
Combes wires and choice
AEP Texas Central outages: aeptexas.com/outages. AEP Texas Central
1 split ZIP code (78552) holds 40 of Combes's 1,095 placed homes (4%); those addresses need a lookup.
Non-choice utilities listed by EIA (2024) for Cameron: 1.
Moving to Combes
Local numbers for setting up a home in Combes, each checked on the official source. More contacts, and a printable list, are on Combes helpful move-in information.
- Water and utility billing: utility billing (start, transfer or stop water service), 956-425-7131.
- Natural gas: Texas Gas Service: customer service, 800-700-2443.
- Public schools: Harlingen CISD.
- Driver license: Texas DPS Driver License Office: Harlingen, 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 Combes 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.
Combes electricity, in numbers and sources
- Land: 3.2 sq mi; 1,002 residents and 342 households per sq mi; 2.93 people per Combes household. [Gazetteer; PEP; ACS]
- Heating fuel, Combes homes (ACS 2020-2024): electricity 97.6% (±4), utility gas 1.4%; Cameron County overall: 89.9% electric. All-electric homes feel winter rates more. [ACS]
- Of Combes homes paying a power bill, 27.8% report $250 or more a month and 8.2% under $100 (Cameron County: 30.9% at $250+). [ACS]
- Housing stock: 75.7% detached houses, 22.0% mobile homes; median year built 1999, 17.0% built 2010 or later. [ACS]
- Combes-addressed home meters on Oct. 5, 2026: 1,095 active, 329 inactive, 206 de-energized, so 32.8% were not in use (ERCOT). [ERCOT]
- ACS 2020-2024: 12.3% of Combes housing units vacant (±6), with 28.2% of vacant units held for seasonal use. Vacant homes keep meters that are not counted as households. [ACS]
- 78535 carries 1,048 of 1,095 Combes-addressed homes (96%); ratio across the whole ZIP 5.21, from 1,063 home meters in all and 204 households. [ERCOT; ACS]
Combes homes: heating fuel, bills, housing
| Combes | Estimate |
|---|---|
| Heat with electricity | 97.6% |
| Heat with utility gas | 1.4% |
| Bill $250 or more | 27.8% |
| Built 2010 or later | 17.0% |
| Renter households | 11.3% |
| Median year built | 1999 |
ACS 2020-2024, the city (Census boundary). Bill rows are shares of homes that pay an electric bill.
Combes meters and households
| Count | Combes |
|---|---|
| Residents, July 2025 | 3,255 |
| Residents, 2020 base | 3,143 |
| Households (ACS) | 1,111 |
| Active home meters | 1,095 |
| Inactive home meters | 329 |
| De-energized home meters | 206 |
| Active small-business meters | 152 |
| Active large-business meters | 0 |
| Home meters per household | 0.99 |
| ZIP codes listed | 3 |
| Split ZIP codes | 1 |
| County | Cameron |
ERCOT report 203, Oct. 5, 2026 (Combes postal city) and Census. CSV · Method
Combes plan prices, October 19, 2026
Median fixed-rate Power to Choose listings. AEP Texas Central (164 listings): 12.7¢ / 12.1¢ / 12¢ per kWh at 500 / 1,000 / 2,000 kWh, delivery 5.6898¢ + $3.24/mo included. Not a quote.
Combes ZIP codes, row by row
Not every address in these ZIP codes has retail choice; check your exact address.
| ZIP code | Combes homes | All ZIP homes | Combes share | ZIP households | Share of Combes land | Meters per household | Flags |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 78535 | 1,048 | 1,063 | 99% | 204 | 13% | 5.21 | none |
| 78552 | 40 | 10,265 | 0% | 13,567 | 43% | 0.76 | split |
| 78550 | 7 | 20,941 | 0% | 19,733 | 44% | 1.06 | none |
Combes split ZIP codes: 78552.
Towns around Combes
| From Combes | Town (2,000+) | Homes vs Combes | Wires | Per household | Competitive homes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 mi | Primera | 1.2× | AEP Texas Central | 0.90 | 1,325 |
| 4 mi | Harlingen | 26.6× | AEP Texas Central | 1.12 | 29,141 |
| 6 mi | Santa Rosa | 1.0× | AEP Texas Central | 1.32 | 1,144 |
| 9 mi | La Feria | 4.5× | AEP Texas Central | 1.88 | 4,945 |
| 9 mi | Rio Hondo | 1.1× | AEP Texas Central | 1.57 | 1,165 |
| 10 mi | San Benito | 11.2× | AEP Texas Central | 1.47 | 12,290 |
Combes businesses
152 Combes-addressed business meters; 0 large-class meters across its main ZIP codes (ERCOT). Request a business rate review.
Compare Combes plans
Combes questions
Is electricity deregulated in Combes?
Mostly. ERCOT counts 1,095 competitive Combes home meters, all on AEP Texas Central's system, against 1,111 households. Split: 78552. An address lookup settles it.
Do Combes homes heat with electricity?
97.6% of Combes homes heat with electricity (ACS 2020-2024, margin ±4) and 1.4% with utility gas; 27.8% of bill-paying homes report $250 or more a month. Electric-heat homes should compare plans at winter usage.
Which ZIP code covers most of Combes?
78535: 1,048 Combes-addressed competitive homes; ratio 5.21 across the ZIP (1,063 home meters in all, 204 households).
Who handles Combes power outages?
Outages go to AEP Texas Central (aeptexas.com/outages), the wires utility for 1,095 Combes competitive homes.
Moving to Combes: how do I start electricity?
Check the address is on AEP Texas Central's wires, choose a plan and a start date. Combes had 535 idle home meters (inactive or de-energized) on Oct. 5, 2026, so many move-ins reconnect an existing meter.
My Combes home has a Harlingen address. Does that matter?
Not for choice. Harlingen is the postal name on 99% of the 20,941-meter 78550 ZIP; the utility depends on the service address, not the postal name.
Near Combes
Wires and county: AEP Texas Central · Cameron. Nearby pages: Harlingen (4 mi) · La Feria (9 mi) · Primera (2 mi) · Rio Hondo (9 mi) · San Benito (10 mi) · Santa Rosa (6 mi)
No-choice areas · Methodology · Compare plans
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, tables B25040, B25132, B25024, B25034, B25035, B25018, B19013, B25003, B25002, B25004 (90% margins of error)
- 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 (Central Division)
- AEP Texas Central 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.