Crystal City, Texas electricity: AEP Texas Central wires and 3,061 competitive homes
Crystal City: 5,871 residents, 2,188 households in the Census survey and 3,061 competitive home meters on its postal city. Here is who delivers the power, which addresses can shop and what plans cost on AEP Texas Central's wires.
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 3,061 active residential meters with a Crystal City address, all on AEP Texas Central's wires (October 5, 2026). Nearly every Crystal City address in our data is on AEP Texas Central's wires and can pick a retail provider.
Who delivers electricity in Crystal City?
Outages: AEP Texas Central at aeptexas.com/outages.
AEP Texas Central delivery charges and area
Can every address in Crystal City choose an electricity provider?
No split flag on any ZIP code that holds Crystal City's 3,060 competitive homes; most streets here can shop.
Without retail choice unless opted in: 2 other utilities in Zavala County (EIA 2024).
Moving to Crystal City
Local numbers for setting up a home in Crystal City, each checked on the official source. More contacts, and a printable list, are on Crystal City helpful move-in information.
- City hall (ask about water service): City of Crystal City: City Hall (main line), 830-602-0247.
- Public schools: Crystal City ISD.
- Driver license: Texas DPS Driver License Office: Crystal City, 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 Crystal City 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 Crystal City
Typical weather near Crystal City, from the nearest NOAA station with a complete 1991-2020 record: Crystal City, about 1 mile from the city center (station elevation 580 ft). These are normals for that station, not readings at your address. August is the warmest month on average, with a normal daily high of 99°F; January has the coolest average low, 44°F. Average daily highs reach 90°F or more in May to September. No month averages a daily low at or below freezing.
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 August at 696 for the month, and heating-degree days (below 65°F) peak in January at 310. 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 | 67 | 44 | 1.0 | 12 | 310 |
| Feb | 72 | 49 | 0.9 | 41 | 171 |
| Mar | 79 | 55 | 1.7 | 135 | 73 |
| Apr | 86 | 62 | 1.3 | 281 | 13 |
| May | 91 | 70 | 2.2 | 476 | 1 |
| Jun | 96 | 75 | 2.1 | 615 | 0 |
| Jul | 97 | 76 | 2.1 | 664 | 0 |
| Aug | 99 | 76 | 1.9 | 696 | 0 |
| Sep | 93 | 72 | 2.4 | 516 | 0 |
| Oct | 85 | 64 | 2.0 | 304 | 16 |
| Nov | 74 | 53 | 1.0 | 81 | 122 |
| Dec | 68 | 45 | 0.8 | 18 | 285 |
Historical weather records for Zavala County
The Texas Railroad Commission's county table lists a record low of 6°F (1962) and a record high of 115°F (2000), and a regional estimate of 12 consecutive hours as a typical longest freezing or frozen-precipitation period for Zavala County. These are historical county extremes, not Crystal City'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 Crystal City, and not an estimate for your home. EIA source.
Sources: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, station USC00412160; Texas Railroad Commission, Historical Weather Data by County (2022).
What is different about electricity in Crystal City?
- Population: 6,360 (2020 base) to 5,871 (July 2025), -7.7%, per Census Vintage 2025 estimates. The largest one-year change was -138 people, from July 2020 to July 2021. July 1 estimates in between: 6,213 (2021), 6,137 (2022), 6,108 (2023), 5,977 (2024). (Census)
- Crystal City covers 3.7 square miles of land (Census 2025 Gazetteer). That works out to about 1,601 residents and 597 occupied households per square mile of land, with roughly 2.7 residents for every Crystal City household. (Census, Census, Census)
- The Crystal City mailing area is bigger than the city: ERCOT lists 3,061 competitive homes under the Crystal City postal city, 1.4 for each of the city's 2,188 Census households. (ERCOT, Census)
- Of the 810,296 homes AEP Texas Central serves on the competitive market, 0.4% have a Crystal City mailing address. (ERCOT)
- Move-ins show up as vacant-to-active switches in ERCOT's daily files: 13 of them in the ZIP codes most Crystal City homes use, Oct. 7-18, 2026. (ERCOT)
- Vacancy signal: 18.6 percent of residential meters in Crystal City's core ZIP codes were de-energized on October 5, 2026 (732 off, 3,209 on), per ERCOT. (ERCOT)
- One ZIP code, 78839, holds almost every Crystal City-addressed competitive home (3,060); it also carries 147 Winter Haven addresses. Taken whole, 78839 has 1.26 competitive meters per Census household: 3,209 meters, 2,544 households. (ERCOT, Census)
- Mailing cities on the 3,209 competitive home meters in 78839, Crystal City's main ZIP code: Crystal City 3,060, Winter Haven 147. A mailing city is not a city limit, so the service address, not the postal name, settles which utility serves a home. (ERCOT)
- Renting is most common in 78839, where the ACS 2020-2024 counts 31.8 percent of households as renters; in that part of Crystal City, electricity accounts change hands with each lease. (Census)
- Electric bills over $250 a month: 45.1 percent of households in 78839, Crystal City's main ZIP code, per the ACS 2020-2024; the same survey puts median household income there at $37,365. (Census)
Crystal City electricity by the numbers
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Population (July 1, 2025 estimate) | 5,871 |
| Population (2020 estimates base) | 6,360 |
| Occupied households (ACS 2020-2024) | 2,188 |
| Active residential meters with a Crystal City address | 3,061 |
| Active business meters with a Crystal City address | 717 |
| Residential meters per Census household | 1.4 |
| Delivery utilities (homes) | AEP Texas Central 3,061 |
| Counties | Zavala |
| ZIP codes touching Crystal City | 1 |
| Split ZIP codes (flagged below) | 0 |
How we built these numbers. Download: Crystal City ZIP table (CSV).
What do electricity plans cost in Crystal City right now?
Same-day medians for AEP Texas Central’s area (AEP Texas Central: 164 listings), delivery included; not a quote.
| Delivery utility | 500 kWh | 1,000 kWh | 2,000 kWh | Delivery charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AEP Texas Central | 12.7¢ | 12.1¢ | 12¢ | 5.6898¢/kWh + $3.24/mo (effective September 29, 2026; tariff) |
Crystal City 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 Crystal City address | Share of ZIP land in Crystal City | Mailing cities | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 78839 | 1.26 | 3,209 | 2,544 | 3,060 | 2% | Crystal City 95%, Winter Haven 5% | Near-full coverage. Mostly outside Crystal City city limits. |
Split ZIP codes for Crystal City: none flagged.
Homes, renters and electric bills in Crystal City’s ZIP codes
ZIP 78839 leads Crystal City on electric bills over $250 a month, reported by 45.1 percent of its households (Census ACS 2020-2024).
| ZIP | Bills $250+ | Household income (median) | Built since 2020 | Crystal City-addressed homes | Renting | Meters added Oct 7-18 | In 5+ unit buildings | Vacant-to-active switches |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 78839 | 45.1% | $37,365 | 0.0% | 3,060 | 31.8% | 3 | 1.1% | 13 |
ACS 2020-2024 by ZCTA; meters: ERCOT daily files, Oct 7-18, 2026.
Crystal City and its neighbors
| Nearby town (2,000+ residents) | Wires utility | Can homes choose? | Postal-city meters per household | Distance | Competitive homes, postal city |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carrizo Springs | AEP Texas Central | Yes, mostly | 1.80 | 12 mi away | 3,080 homes |
Business electricity in Crystal City
Crystal City business meters: 717 (4.3 homes per business meter); large non-residential meters in Crystal City’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 Crystal City?
ZIP first, then your address; read each plan’s Electricity Facts Label before choosing.
Common questions about electricity in Crystal City
Can Crystal City residents pick their own electric company?
Yes, where AEP Texas Central's wires reach the house, which in Crystal City is most of the city: 3,061 homes with a Crystal City mailing address were on the competitive market on October 5, 2026, 1.4 for each Census household. No Crystal City ZIP code carries a split flag, but only an address lookup is certain.
Which Crystal City ZIP code has the most homes on the competitive market?
78839. It holds 3,060 Crystal City-addressed competitive homes; counting every address in the ZIP, ERCOT has 3,209 meters for roughly 2,544 households, a 1.26 ratio.
How much is electricity in Crystal City right now?
On October 19, 2026, the median fixed-rate Power to Choose listing on AEP Texas Central's wires was 12.1¢ per kWh at 1,000 kWh a month (164 listings); AEP Texas Central's delivery charge of 5.6898¢ per kWh plus $3.24 a month is included. A median is not a quote.
I'm moving to Crystal City. How do I set up electricity?
Confirm the address is on AEP Texas Central's wires, then pick a plan and a start date. In 78839, 1.7% of residents moved in the past year (ACS); 13 meters in 78839 went vacant-to-active Oct. 7-18, 2026.
Why are there more electric meters than households in Crystal City?
3,061 Crystal City-addressed meters against 2,188 city households is 1.4 per household: the Crystal City 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.
Who do I call in Crystal City when the power goes out?
Call AEP Texas Central (aeptexas.com/outages), the wires utility for Crystal City's 3,061 competitive homes; a retail provider can't fix lines.
Where to next?
Up: AEP Texas Central area · Zavala County
Nearest town pages: Uvalde · Eagle Pass · Pearsall · Del Rio · Laredo · Pleasanton · Alice · Beeville
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 (Central Division)
- AEP Texas Central delivery tariff (effective September 29, 2026)
- Census Bureau 2025 Gazetteer Files, Texas places (land and water area)
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