# Los Fresnos, Texas electricity: AEP Texas Central wires, 2 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 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.

## Moving to Los Fresnos

Local numbers for setting up a home in Los Fresnos, each checked on the official source. More contacts: https://powerhopper.energy/texas-electricity/los-fresnos/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.

## Who delivers electricity in Los Fresnos?
ERCOT counts 5,254 active residential meters with a Los Fresnos address, all on AEP Texas Central's wires (October 5, 2026).

## Can every address in Los Fresnos choose?
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.

## What is different about 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). (Source: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/cities/totals/sub-est2025_48.csv)
- 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. (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. 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. (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/)
- AEP Texas Central share: 0.6% of its 810,296 competitive residential meters carry a Los Fresnos 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 Los Fresnos homes use, Oct. 7-18, 2026. (Source: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203)
- 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. (Source: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203)
- 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. (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/)
- 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. (Source: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203)
- 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). (Source: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/cities/totals/sub-est2025_48.csv)
- 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. (Source: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203)
- 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. (Source: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/)
- Neighbors differ: San Benito, about 10 miles away, has 12,290 competitive homes on its postal city, while Brownsville manages 0.17 per 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/)

## By the numbers
- 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

## 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 78586 | San Benito 98%, Laureles 2% | 0% | 12,497 | 15,699 | 0.8 | 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 | Los Fresnos 76%, Bayview 16%, Indian Lake 5% | 3% | 6,880 | 7,241 | 0.95 | 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. |

## Business electricity in Los Fresnos
881 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 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.

## 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
- 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/

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