# Galveston, Texas electricity: CenterPoint wires and 36,198 competitive homes

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

**In short:** Every Galveston-addressed home in ERCOT's competitive data is on CenterPoint's wires (36,198 active residential meters, October 5, 2026). Addresses on CenterPoint's wires can choose a retail provider, and in Galveston that is nearly everyone our data can see. Your delivery utility handles the wires and outages; the retail provider you choose sets your price and sends the bill.

## Moving to Galveston

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

- **Water and utility billing:** utility billing (start, transfer or stop water service), 409-797-3550.
- **Natural gas:** Texas Gas Service: customer service, 800-700-2443.
- **Public schools:** Galveston ISD.
- **Driver license:** Texas DPS Driver License Office: Galveston, 512-424-2600.

## Who delivers electricity in Galveston?
Every Galveston-addressed home in ERCOT's competitive data is on CenterPoint's wires (36,198 active residential meters, October 5, 2026).

## Can every address in Galveston choose?
Addresses on CenterPoint's wires can choose a retail provider, and in Galveston that is nearly everyone our data can see.

## What is different about Galveston?
- ZIP 77554 (the west end) lists 11,768 competitive residential meters for about 5,135 Census-counted occupied households; the Census excludes vacation homes and seasonal rentals, which still have meters. (Source: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203)
- Hurricane Beryl in July 2024 left more than 2.6 million Texas customers without power, mostly on CenterPoint's system. (Source: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/07/25/texas-power-grid-puc-centerpoint-hurricane-beryl/)

## By the numbers
- Population (July 1, 2025 estimate): 53,636
- Population (2020 estimates base): 53,691
- Occupied households (ACS 2020-2024): 25,198
- Active residential meters with a Galveston address: 36,198
- Active business meters with a Galveston address: 4,647
- Residential meters per Census household: 1.44
- Delivery utilities (homes): CenterPoint 36,198
- Counties: Galveston
- ZIP codes touching Galveston: 4
- Split ZIP codes (flagged below): 0

## Plan prices (median ¢/kWh at 500 / 1,000 / 2,000 kWh)
- CenterPoint: 14 / 13.2 / 13; delivery 6.5333¢/kWh + $4.90/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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 77550 | Galveston 13,923 | 100% | 13,923 | 11,860 | 1.17 | Most homes are on the competitive market.  |
| 77554 | Galveston 11,767, Jamaica Beach 1 | 95% | 11,768 | 5,135 | 2.29 | Most homes are on the competitive market. More meters than year-round households: vacant, seasonal, new or recently built homes. |
| 77551 | Galveston 10,508 | 100% | 10,508 | 9,412 | 1.12 | Most homes are on the competitive market.  |
| 77555 | — | 100% | 0 | n/a | n/a | Very few homes; ratio not meaningful.  |

## Business electricity in Galveston
4,647 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
**Is the City of Galveston my electric company?** No. City utility billing is separate from electricity, and EIA’s 2024 data lists no city-owned electric utility in Galveston. Island homes buy from a retail provider and get power over CenterPoint’s wires.
**Who delivers electricity in Galveston?** CenterPoint. All 36,198 Galveston-addressed homes in ERCOT's October 5, 2026 data are on its wires, so you pick a retail provider.
**Do I need a different plan for a Galveston beach house or short-term rental?** There is no special category, but usage at a part-time home can be low or uneven, and Galveston has many: ZIP 77554 on the west end has 11,768 competitive meters for about 5,135 year-round households. Read each plan's Electricity Facts Label at 500 kWh as well as 1,000, and check base charges and minimum-usage fees.
**Is Entergy Texas in Galveston?** EIA's 2024 data lists Entergy Texas in Galveston County, but not on the island in our data: every Galveston-addressed home ERCOT lists is CenterPoint.
**Who restores power in Galveston after a hurricane?** CenterPoint, not your retail provider. After Hurricane Beryl in July 2024, CenterPoint reported restoring more than 2 million customers across its system by July 15. Report outages at centerpointenergy.com/outage.

## 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/
- CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric: https://www.centerpointenergy.com/
- CenterPoint delivery tariff (effective October 1, 2026): https://ftp.puc.texas.gov/public/puct-info/industry/electric/rates/tdr/tdu/CenterPoint_Rate_Report.pdf
- ERCOT TDSP ESIID Extract (report 203), Oct 5, 2026: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203
- Texas Tribune, July 25, 2024: CenterPoint and Hurricane Beryl: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/07/25/texas-power-grid-puc-centerpoint-hurricane-beryl/
- EIA-861 (2024) utility service territories by county: https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/eia861/
- CenterPoint Energy: Hurricane Beryl restoration updates: https://www.centerpointenergy.com/en-us/about-us/hurricane-response-updates

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