# Early, Texas electricity: Oncor wires and 1,580 competitive homes

_Updated October 19, 2026. Data: ERCOT Oct 5, 2026; Census ACS 2020-2024; Power to Choose Oct 19, 2026, 7:59 AM CT._

**Early at a glance:** 1,580 Early-addressed homes, all wired by Oncor (ERCOT, Oct. 5, 2026). Early's 1,580 placed homes sit in unsplit ZIP codes; a lookup still confirms each address.

## Moving to Early

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

- **City hall (ask about water service):** City of Early: City Hall (main line), 325-643-5451.
- **Natural gas:** Atmos Energy: customer service, 888-286-6700.
- **Public schools:** Early ISD.
- **Driver license:** Texas DPS Driver License Office: Brownwood, 512-424-2600.

## Facts
- Land: 3.7 sq mi; 837 residents and 314 households per sq mi; 2.66 people per Early 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/)
- Heating fuel, Early homes (ACS 2020-2024): electricity 74.2% (±8), utility gas 21.5%, propane 2.9%; Brown County overall: 65.8% electric. All-electric homes feel winter rates more. (Source: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/)
- Of Early homes paying a power bill, 29.3% report $250 or more a month and 11.1% under $100 (Brown County: 30.8% at $250+). (Source: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/)
- Housing stock: 72.0% detached houses, 13.8% in 5+ unit buildings, 8.6% mobile homes; median year built 1982, 19.2% built 2010 or later. (Source: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/)
- ERCOT status split for 1,933 Early home meters (Oct. 5, 2026): active 1,580, inactive 222, de-energized 131; idle share 18.3%. (Source: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203)
- ACS 2020-2024: 9.6% of Early housing units vacant (±7), with 35.5% of vacant units held for seasonal use. Vacant homes keep meters that are not counted as households. (Source: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/)
- 1,580 home meters use the Early postal name, against 1,170 households inside city limits (1.35 per household): the mailing area runs well past the boundary. (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/)
- 76802 carries every one of Early's placed homes; ratio across the whole ZIP 0.92, from 1,874 home meters in all and 2,034 households. (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/)

## Homes: heating fuel, bills, housing (ACS 2020-2024, the city (Census boundary))
- Heat with electricity: 74.2%
- Heat with utility gas: 21.5%
- Bill $250 or more: 29.3%
- Built 2010 or later: 19.2%
- Renter households: 28.6%
- Median year built: 1982

## Meters and households
- Residents, July 2025: 3,117
- Residents, 2020 base: 3,053
- Households (ACS): 1,170
- Active home meters: 1,580
- Inactive home meters: 222
- De-energized home meters: 131
- Active small-business meters: 471
- Active large-business meters: 0
- Home meters per household: 1.35
- ZIP codes listed: 1
- Split ZIP codes: 0
- County: Brown

## Plan prices (Oct 19, 2026 medians)
Oncor (170 listings): 14.1¢ / 13.4¢ / 13.2¢ per kWh at 500 / 1,000 / 2,000 kWh, delivery 6.8673¢ + $4.06/mo included.

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

| ZIP | Homes with this address | All ZIP homes | Households | Ratio | Flags |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 76802 | 1,580 | 1,874 | 2,034 | 0.92 | none |

## Businesses
471 business meters. Business rate reviews: /business.

## Questions
**Is electricity deregulated in Early?** Mostly. ERCOT counts 1,580 competitive Early home meters, all on Oncor's system, against 1,170 households. An address lookup settles it.
**Why are some Early electric bills so high in winter?** 74.2% of Early homes heat with electricity (ACS 2020-2024, margin ±8) and 21.5% with utility gas; 29.3% of bill-paying homes report $250 or more a month. Electric-heat homes should compare plans at winter usage.
**What ZIP code do most Early electricity customers have?** 76802: 1,580 Early-addressed competitive homes; ratio 0.92 across the ZIP (1,874 home meters in all, 2,034 households).
**Who handles Early power outages?** Outages go to Oncor (oncor.com/outages), the wires utility for 1,580 Early competitive homes.
**How do I set up power at a new Early home?** Check the address is on Oncor's wires, choose a plan and a start date. Early had 353 idle home meters (inactive or de-energized) on Oct. 5, 2026, so many move-ins reconnect an existing meter.

## 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
- ERCOT TDSP ESIID Extract (report 203), Oct 5, 2026: meters by status and premise type, by postal city: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203
- Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, tables B25040, B25132, B25024, B25034, B25035, B25018, B19013, B25003, B25002, B25004 (90% margins of error): https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/
- 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
- 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/
- Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, tables B25040, B25132, B25024, B25034, B25035, B25018, B19013, B25003, B25002, B25004 (90% margins of error): https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/
- Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, tables B25040, B25132, B25024, B25034, B25035, B25018, B19013, B25003, B25002, B25004 (90% margins of error): https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/
- Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, tables B25040, B25132, B25024, B25034, B25035, B25018, B19013, B25003, B25002, B25004 (90% margins of error): 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 estimates, tables B25040, B25132, B25024, B25034, B25035, B25018, B19013, B25003, B25002, B25004 (90% margins of error): 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
- 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 Bureau Vintage 2025 city and town population estimates: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/cities/totals/sub-est2025_48.csv

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