Los Fresnos, Texas electricity: AEP Texas Central wires, 2 split ZIP codes to check
Los Fresnos sits on AEP Texas Central's wires, with a few split ZIP codes. Below: ZIP by ZIP, who can shop, and what plans cost this month.
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 5,254 active residential meters with a Los Fresnos address, all on AEP Texas Central's wires (October 5, 2026). 2 of Los Fresnos's ZIP codes are split, so most addresses can shop, but yours needs a check.
Who delivers electricity in Los Fresnos?
Outages: AEP Texas Central at aeptexas.com/outages.
AEP Texas Central delivery charges and area
Can every address in Los Fresnos choose an electricity provider?
Split ZIP codes holding Los Fresnos homes: 78566, 78586. They carry 5,238 of the 5,238 competitive homes with a Los Fresnos address (100%); on those streets a neighbor's utility can differ from yours.
Without retail choice unless opted in: 1 other utility in Cameron County (EIA 2024).
Moving to Los Fresnos
Local numbers for setting up a home in Los Fresnos, each checked on the official source. More contacts, and a printable list, are on Los Fresnos helpful move-in information.
- Water and utility billing: utility billing (start, transfer or stop water service), 956-233-5768.
- Natural gas: Texas Gas Service: customer service, 800-700-2443.
- Public schools: Los Fresnos CISD.
- Driver license: Texas DPS Driver License Office: Brownsville, 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 Los Fresnos 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 Los Fresnos
Typical weather near Los Fresnos, from the nearest NOAA station with a complete 1991-2020 record: Port Isabel Cameron Airport, about 11 miles from the city center (station elevation 19 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 93°F; January has the coolest average low, 52°F. Average daily highs reach 90°F or more in June 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 632 for the month, and heating-degree days (below 65°F) peak in January at 177. 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 | 70 | 52 | 1.0 | 55 | 177 |
| Feb | 74 | 56 | 1.2 | 96 | 103 |
| Mar | 78 | 62 | 1.1 | 189 | 39 |
| Apr | 83 | 68 | 1.3 | 314 | 7 |
| May | 88 | 73 | 2.1 | 484 | 0 |
| Jun | 92 | 77 | 2.7 | 577 | 0 |
| Jul | 92 | 78 | 1.4 | 623 | 0 |
| Aug | 93 | 77 | 1.3 | 632 | 0 |
| Sep | 90 | 75 | 5.3 | 529 | 0 |
| Oct | 85 | 69 | 2.7 | 374 | 4 |
| Nov | 78 | 61 | 1.9 | 180 | 50 |
| Dec | 72 | 54 | 1.3 | 85 | 147 |
Historical weather records for Cameron County
The Texas Railroad Commission's county table lists a record low of 12°F (1899) and a record high of 108°F (1915), and a regional estimate of 18 consecutive hours as a typical longest freezing or frozen-precipitation period for Cameron County. These are historical county extremes, not Los Fresnos'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 Los Fresnos, and not an estimate for your home. EIA source.
Sources: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, station USW00012957; Texas Railroad Commission, Historical Weather Data by County (2022).
What is different about electricity in Los Fresnos?
- Population: 8,150 (2020 base) to 8,703 (July 2025), +6.8%, per Census Vintage 2025 estimates. The largest one-year change was +185 people, from July 2023 to July 2024. July 1 estimates in between: 8,143 (2021), 8,244 (2022), 8,409 (2023), 8,594 (2024). (Census)
- Los Fresnos covers 4.4 square miles of land and 0.2 square miles of water (Census 2025 Gazetteer). That works out to about 1,982 residents and 540 occupied households per square mile of land, with roughly 3.7 residents for every Los Fresnos household. (Census, Census, Census)
- Mailing addresses stretch past city limits here. 5,254 competitive residential meters use Los Fresnos as their postal city, while the city itself has 2,369 Census households, a ratio of 2.22. (ERCOT, Census)
- AEP Texas Central share: 0.6% of its 810,296 competitive residential meters carry a Los Fresnos address. (ERCOT)
- Move-ins show up as vacant-to-active switches in ERCOT's daily files: 26 of them in the ZIP codes most Los Fresnos homes use, Oct. 7-18, 2026. (ERCOT)
- Vacancy signal: 15.6 percent of residential meters in Los Fresnos's core ZIP codes were de-energized on October 5, 2026 (1,272 off, 6,880 on), per ERCOT. (ERCOT)
- One ZIP code, 78566, holds almost every Los Fresnos-addressed competitive home (5,213); it also carries 1,074 Bayview addresses and 356 Indian Lake addresses. Taken whole, 78566 has 0.95 competitive meters per Census household: 6,880 meters, 7,241 households. (ERCOT, Census)
- Among the 17 cities and towns that reach into Cameron County, Los Fresnos places 5 for competitive homes on its postal city; the next one up is South Padre Island, at 7,591. (ERCOT)
- By the Census Bureau's 2025 estimates, Los Fresnos is the number 4 city or town by population among the 17 that reach into Cameron County, one place ahead of La Feria (7,222 residents). (Census)
- Mailing cities on the 6,879 competitive home meters in 78566, Los Fresnos's main ZIP code: Los Fresnos 5,213, Bayview 1,074, Indian Lake 356, Laureles 92. A mailing city is not a city limit, so the service address, not the postal name, settles which utility serves a home. (ERCOT)
- Electric bills over $250 a month: 31.9 percent of households in 78566, Los Fresnos's main ZIP code, per the ACS 2020-2024; the same survey puts median household income there at $60,187 and the renter share at 25.0 percent. (Census)
- Neighbors differ: San Benito, about 10 miles away, has 12,290 competitive homes on its postal city, while Brownsville manages 0.17 per household. (ERCOT, Census)
Los Fresnos electricity by the numbers
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Population (July 1, 2025 estimate) | 8,703 |
| Population (2020 estimates base) | 8,150 |
| Occupied households (ACS 2020-2024) | 2,369 |
| Active residential meters with a Los Fresnos address | 5,254 |
| Active business meters with a Los Fresnos address | 881 |
| Residential meters per Census household | 2.22 |
| Delivery utilities (homes) | AEP Texas Central 5,254 |
| Counties | Cameron |
| ZIP codes touching Los Fresnos | 2 |
| Split ZIP codes (flagged below) | 2 |
How we built these numbers. Download: Los Fresnos ZIP table (CSV).
What do electricity plans cost in Los Fresnos 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) |
Los Fresnos 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 Los Fresnos address | Share of ZIP land in Los Fresnos | Mailing cities | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 78586 | 0.80 | 12,497 | 15,699 | 25 | 0% | San Benito 98%, Laureles 2% | Split. Most homes, not all. Split: Brownsville Public Utilities Board (Brownsville city limits cover about 6% of the ZIP's land); that utility's customers can't choose. Mostly outside Los Fresnos city limits. |
| 78566 | 0.95 | 6,880 | 7,241 | 5,213 | 3% | Los Fresnos 76%, Bayview 16%, Indian Lake 5% | Split. Near-full coverage. Split: Brownsville Public Utilities Board (Brownsville city limits cover about 12% of the ZIP's land); that utility's customers can't choose. Mostly outside Los Fresnos city limits. |
Split ZIP codes for Los Fresnos: 78566, 78586.
Homes, renters and electric bills in Los Fresnos’s ZIP codes
ZIP 78566 leads Los Fresnos on electric bills over $250 a month, reported by 31.9 percent of its households (Census ACS 2020-2024).
| ZIP | Bills $250+ | Household income (median) | Built since 2020 | Los Fresnos-addressed homes | Renting | Meters added Oct 7-18 | In 5+ unit buildings | Vacant-to-active switches |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 78566 | 31.9% | $60,187 | 3.4% | 5,213 | 25.0% | 2 | 6.0% | 26 |
ACS 2020-2024 by ZCTA; meters: ERCOT daily files, Oct 7-18, 2026.
Los Fresnos and its neighbors
| Nearby town (2,000+ residents) | Wires utility | Can homes choose? | Postal-city meters per household | Distance | Competitive homes, postal city |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rancho Viejo | AEP Texas Central | Yes, mostly | 1.34 | 5 mi away | 1,467 homes |
| Brownsville | AEP Texas Central | Some; city utility elsewhere | 0.17 | 6 mi away | 9,974 homes |
| San Benito | AEP Texas Central | Yes, mostly | 1.47 | 10 mi away | 12,290 homes |
| Port Isabel | AEP Texas Central | Yes, mostly | 1.68 | 11 mi away | 3,465 homes |
| Laguna Vista | AEP Texas Central | Yes, mostly | 1.38 | 12 mi away | 2,219 homes |
| Rio Hondo | AEP Texas Central | Yes, mostly | 1.57 | 13 mi away | 1,165 homes |
Business electricity in Los Fresnos
Los Fresnos business meters: 881 (6.0 homes per business meter); large non-residential meters in Los Fresnos’s main ZIP codes: 2 (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 Los Fresnos?
ZIP first, then your address; read each plan’s Electricity Facts Label before choosing.
Common questions about electricity in Los Fresnos
Can Los Fresnos residents pick their own electric company?
Yes, where AEP Texas Central's wires reach the house, which in Los Fresnos is most of the city: 5,254 homes with a Los Fresnos mailing address were on the competitive market on October 5, 2026, 2.22 for each Census household. Addresses in 78566, 78586 (all split) need an exact-address check before you shop.
Which Los Fresnos ZIP code has the most homes on the competitive market?
That is 78566, home to 5,213 of the competitive meters with a Los Fresnos address. ZIP-wide: 6,880 ERCOT meters, about 7,241 Census households, 0.95 per household.
What is the average electricity rate in Los Fresnos?
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.
How do I start electric service at a new Los Fresnos address?
6.3% of 78566 residents moved within a year (ACS), and 26 meters in 78566 turned from vacant to active Oct. 7-18, 2026. Check that your Los Fresnos address is on AEP Texas Central's wires, then choose a plan and start date.
Why are there more electric meters than households in Los Fresnos?
5,254 Los Fresnos-addressed meters against 2,369 city households is 2.22 per household: the Los Fresnos 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 Los Fresnos power outage?
Call AEP Texas Central (aeptexas.com/outages), the wires utility for Los Fresnos's 5,254 competitive homes; a retail provider can't fix lines.
Where to next?
Up: AEP Texas Central area · Cameron County
Nearest town pages: San Benito · Harlingen · La Feria · Mercedes · Weslaco · Raymondville · Donna · Elsa
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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