# Elsa, Texas electricity: AEP Texas Central wires, 3 split ZIP codes 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 4,756 active residential meters with an Elsa address, all on AEP Texas Central's wires (October 5, 2026). 3 of Elsa's ZIP codes are split, so most addresses can shop, but yours needs a check.

## Moving to Elsa

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

- **Water and utility billing:** City of Elsa: Finance Department (manages utility billing), 956-262-2127.
- **Natural gas:** Texas Gas Service: customer service, 800-700-2443.
- **Public schools:** Edcouch-Elsa ISD.
- **Driver license:** Texas DPS Driver License Office: Weslaco, 512-424-2600.

## Who delivers electricity in Elsa?
ERCOT counts 4,756 active residential meters with an Elsa address, all on AEP Texas Central's wires (October 5, 2026).

## Can every address in Elsa choose?
Split ZIP codes holding Elsa homes: 78538, 78541, 78542. They carry 200 of the 4,725 competitive homes with an Elsa address (4%); on those streets a neighbor's utility can differ from yours.

## What is different about Elsa?
- Elsa counted about 5,820 residents in the Census Bureau's 2025 estimate, against 5,677 in the 2020 base, a change of +2.5%. The largest one-year change was +52 people, from July 2022 to July 2023. July 1 estimates in between: 5,677 (2021), 5,689 (2022), 5,741 (2023), 5,773 (2024). (Source: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/cities/totals/sub-est2025_48.csv)
- Elsa covers 2.1 square miles of land (Census 2025 Gazetteer). That works out to about 2,789 residents and 948 occupied households per square mile of land, with roughly 2.9 residents for every Elsa 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/)
- Mailing addresses stretch past city limits here. 4,756 competitive residential meters use Elsa as their postal city, while the city itself has 1,978 Census households, a ratio of 2.4. (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/)
- Of the 810,296 homes AEP Texas Central serves on the competitive market, 0.6% have an Elsa mailing address. (Source: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203)
- Move-ins show up as vacant-to-active switches in ERCOT's daily files: 26 of them in the ZIP codes most Elsa homes use, Oct. 7-18, 2026. (Source: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203)
- Vacancy signal: 18.8 percent of residential meters in Elsa's core ZIP codes were de-energized on October 5, 2026 (1,552 off, 6,685 on), per ERCOT. (Source: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203)
- Most Elsa electricity customers live in 78543: 4,465 homes, or 94 percent of the 4,725 with an Elsa address; the full ZIP comes to 1.61 meters a 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/)
- Elsa is 10 of 22 on a Hidalgo County list of cities and towns ranked by postal-city competitive homes; the next one up is San Juan, at 5,038. (Source: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203)
- By the Census Bureau's 2025 estimates, Elsa is the number 14 city or town by population among the 22 that reach into Hidalgo County, one place ahead of La Joya (5,257 residents). (Source: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/cities/totals/sub-est2025_48.csv)
- Mailing cities on the 4,557 competitive home meters in 78543, Elsa's main ZIP code: Elsa 4,465, Edinburg 52. A mailing city is not a city limit, so the service address, not the postal name, settles which utility serves a home. (Source: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203)
- Coverage gap: 78541, home to 62 Elsa-addressed meters, has 0.55 ERCOT meters for each household the Census counts there. That fits co-op service: EIA's 2024 lists for the counties tied to the ZIP include 2 co-ops, such as the San Patricio and Magic Valley co-ops. Co-op homes stay off the competitive market unless their co-op opts 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/)
- The ACS 2020-2024 median household income tops out in 78543 ($44,527) and bottoms out in 78538 ($40,399) among Elsa's core ZIP codes, where 31.1 and 27.4 percent of households, respectively, report electric bills above $250. (Source: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/)

## By the numbers
- Population (July 1, 2025 estimate): 5,820
- Population (2020 estimates base): 5,677
- Occupied households (ACS 2020-2024): 1,978
- Active residential meters with an Elsa address: 4,756
- Active business meters with an Elsa address: 661
- Residential meters per Census household: 2.4
- Delivery utilities (homes): AEP Texas Central 4,756
- Counties: Hidalgo
- ZIP codes touching Elsa: 6
- Split ZIP codes (flagged below): 3

## Plan prices (median ¢/kWh at 500 / 1,000 / 2,000 kWh)
- AEP Texas Central: 12.7 / 12.1 / 12; delivery 5.6898¢/kWh + $3.24/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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 78596 | Weslaco 99% | 0% | 14,221 | 12,731 | 1.12 | Near-full coverage. 17 new residential meters Oct 7-18, 2026. Mostly outside Elsa city limits. |
| 78541 | Edinburg 99% | 0% | 9,211 | 16,679 | 0.55 | Split. Partial coverage. 12 new residential meters Oct 7-18, 2026. Mostly outside Elsa city limits. |
| 78542 | Edinburg 99% | 0% | 6,403 | 23,943 | 0.27 | Split. Partial coverage. 14 new residential meters Oct 7-18, 2026. Mostly outside Elsa city limits. |
| 78543 | Elsa 98%, Edinburg 1% | 33% | 4,557 | 2,834 | 1.61 | Near-full coverage.  |
| 78538 | Edcouch 60%, Monte Alto 33%, Elsa 5% | 0% | 2,128 | 3,556 | 0.6 | Split. Most homes, not all. Mostly outside Elsa city limits. |
| 78549 | Hargill 90%, Elsa 5%, Edinburg 5% | 0% | 498 | 266 | 1.87 | Near-full coverage. Mostly outside Elsa city limits. |

## Business electricity in Elsa
661 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
**Can Elsa residents pick their own electric company?** Most Elsa homes can. ERCOT's October 5, 2026 extract has 4,756 Elsa-addressed homes on AEP Texas Central's competitive system, compared with 1,978 households in the Census survey. Addresses in 78538, 78541, 78542 (all split) need an exact-address check before you shop.
**What is the biggest Elsa ZIP code for electricity customers?** 78543. It holds 4,465 Elsa-addressed competitive homes; counting every address in the ZIP, ERCOT has 4,557 meters for roughly 2,834 households, a 1.61 ratio. The weakest coverage among Elsa's ZIP codes: 78541, 0.55.
**How many Elsa households have a $250 electric bill?** 78543 has the highest share of $250-plus monthly electric bills among Elsa's core ZIP codes (31.1 percent of households, ACS 2020-2024); 78538 has 27.4 percent. Bigger and all-electric homes push the share up.
**How do I start electric service at a new Elsa address?** Start with the address check: AEP Texas Central-delivered Elsa homes choose among the plans offered there and set a start date. Turnover is real in 78543, where 3.8% moved in the past year (ACS); ERCOT logged 14 vacant-to-active meters in 78543 Oct. 7-18, 2026.
**Why are there more electric meters than households in Elsa?** 4,756 Elsa-addressed meters against 1,978 city households is 2.4 per household: the Elsa 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 Elsa power outage?** AEP Texas Central, at aeptexas.com/outages: it carries power to all 4,756 Elsa-addressed competitive homes, whatever retail provider bills them.

## 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/
- AEP Texas (Central Division): https://www.aeptexas.com/
- AEP Texas Central delivery tariff (effective September 29, 2026): https://www.aeptexas.com/lib/docs/ratesandtariffs/Texas/AEP_TEXAS_TARIFF_Eff_Sept_29_2026v1.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/
- 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
- 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
- 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/

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