Penitas, Texas electricity: AEP Texas Central wires and 4,058 competitive homes
Penitas sits on AEP Texas Central's wires. 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 4,058 active residential meters with a Penitas address, all on AEP Texas Central's wires (October 5, 2026). Nearly every Penitas address in our data is on AEP Texas Central's wires and can pick a retail provider.
Who delivers electricity in Penitas?
Outages: AEP Texas Central at aeptexas.com/outages.
AEP Texas Central delivery charges and area
Can every address in Penitas choose an electricity provider?
No split flag on any ZIP code that holds Penitas's 4,047 competitive homes; most streets here can shop.
Without retail choice unless opted in: 1 other utility in Hidalgo County (EIA 2024).
Moving to Penitas
Local numbers for setting up a home in Penitas, each checked on the official source. More contacts, and a printable list, are on Penitas helpful move-in information.
- City hall (ask about water service): City of Penitas: City Hall (main line), 956-581-3345.
- Natural gas: Texas Gas Service: customer service, 800-700-2443.
- Public schools: La Joya ISD.
- Driver license: Texas DPS Driver License Office: Mission, 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 Penitas 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 Penitas
Typical weather near Penitas, from the nearest NOAA station with a complete 1991-2020 record: La Joya, about 8 miles from the city center (station elevation 213 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 97°F; January has the coolest average low, 47°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 648 for the month, and heating-degree days (below 65°F) peak in January at 257. 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 | 69 | 47 | 0.8 | 38 | 257 |
| Feb | 74 | 51 | 0.9 | 79 | 146 |
| Mar | 79 | 57 | 1.4 | 168 | 65 |
| Apr | 85 | 63 | 1.7 | 278 | 14 |
| May | 90 | 70 | 1.9 | 461 | 1 |
| Jun | 95 | 74 | 2.0 | 582 | 0 |
| Jul | 95 | 75 | 2.2 | 622 | 0 |
| Aug | 97 | 75 | 1.2 | 648 | 0 |
| Sep | 92 | 71 | 3.5 | 498 | 0 |
| Oct | 87 | 64 | 2.2 | 320 | 9 |
| Nov | 78 | 55 | 1.1 | 129 | 80 |
| Dec | 71 | 48 | 1.4 | 53 | 226 |
Historical weather records for Hidalgo County
The Texas Railroad Commission's county table lists a record low of 10°F (1962) and a record high of 113°F (1998), and a regional estimate of 12 consecutive hours as a typical longest freezing or frozen-precipitation period for Hidalgo County. These are historical county extremes, not Penitas'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 Penitas, and not an estimate for your home. EIA source.
Sources: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, station USC00414911; Texas Railroad Commission, Historical Weather Data by County (2022).
What is different about electricity in Penitas?
- ERCOT's data has no postal city for Salida del Sol Estates (a census-designated place of about 7,766 residents, ACS 2020-2024), mostly in ZIP 78576. Those homes use Penitas mailing addresses, so residents there can use this page's ZIP table; there is no separate page for Salida del Sol Estates. (ERCOT, Census, Census)
- Population: 6,465 (2020 base) to 6,495 (July 2025), +0.5%, per Census Vintage 2025 estimates. The largest one-year change was +165 people, from July 2023 to July 2024. July 1 estimates in between: 6,392 (2021), 6,389 (2022), 6,384 (2023), 6,549 (2024). (Census)
- Penitas covers 9.4 square miles of land (Census 2025 Gazetteer). That works out to about 694 residents and 193 occupied households per square mile of land, with roughly 3.6 residents for every Penitas household. (Census, Census, Census)
- The Penitas mailing area is bigger than the city: ERCOT lists 4,058 competitive homes under the Penitas postal city, 2.24 for each of the city's 1,808 Census households. (ERCOT, Census)
- Of the 810,296 homes AEP Texas Central serves on the competitive market, 0.5% have a Penitas mailing address. (ERCOT)
- Move-ins show up as vacant-to-active switches in ERCOT's daily files: 18 of them in the ZIP codes most Penitas homes use, Oct. 7-18, 2026. (ERCOT)
- On October 5, 2026, ERCOT showed 1,025 home meters switched off (de-energized) in the ZIP codes most Penitas homes use, against 6,220 switched on; that 14.1 percent is mostly vacant houses and apartments between occupants. (ERCOT)
- Most Penitas electricity customers live in 78576: 3,856 homes, or 95 percent of the 4,047 with a Penitas address; the full ZIP comes to 1.12 meters a household. (ERCOT, Census)
- Among the 22 cities and towns that reach into Hidalgo County, Penitas places 12 for competitive homes on its postal city; the next one up is Palmview, at 4,721. (ERCOT)
- By the Census Bureau's 2025 estimates, Penitas is the number 13 city or town by population among the 22 that reach into Hidalgo County, one place ahead of Elsa (5,820 residents). (Census)
- Mailing cities on the 4,070 competitive home meters in 78576, Penitas's main ZIP code: Penitas 3,856, La Joya 81, Palmview 81, Mission 49. A mailing city is not a city limit, so the service address, not the postal name, settles which utility serves a home. (ERCOT)
- Renting is most common in 78560, where the ACS 2020-2024 counts 46.8 percent of households as renters; in that part of Penitas, electricity accounts change hands with each lease. (Census)
Penitas electricity by the numbers
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Population (July 1, 2025 estimate) | 6,495 |
| Population (2020 estimates base) | 6,465 |
| Occupied households (ACS 2020-2024) | 1,808 |
| Active residential meters with a Penitas address | 4,058 |
| Active business meters with a Penitas address | 518 |
| Residential meters per Census household | 2.24 |
| Delivery utilities (homes) | AEP Texas Central 4,058 |
| Counties | Hidalgo |
| ZIP codes touching Penitas | 3 |
| Split ZIP codes (flagged below) | 0 |
How we built these numbers. Download: Penitas ZIP table (CSV).
What do electricity plans cost in Penitas 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) |
Penitas 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 Penitas address | Share of ZIP land in Penitas | Mailing cities | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 78572 | 1.35 | 35,943 | 26,723 | 0 | 1% | Mission 83%, Palmview 10%, Moore Field 4% | Near-full coverage. 15 new residential meters Oct 7-18, 2026. Mostly outside Penitas city limits. |
| 78576 | 1.12 | 4,070 | 3,637 | 3,856 | 15% | Penitas 95%, La Joya 2%, Palmview 2% | Near-full coverage. |
| 78560 | 1.47 | 2,150 | 1,467 | 191 | 0% | La Joya 90%, Penitas 9% | Near-full coverage. Mostly outside Penitas city limits. |
Split ZIP codes for Penitas: none flagged.
Homes, renters and electric bills in Penitas’s ZIP codes
ZIP 78576 leads Penitas on electric bills over $250 a month, reported by 45.6 percent of its households; 78560 has the largest renter share, 46.8 percent (Census ACS 2020-2024).
| ZIP | Bills $250+ | Household income (median) | Built since 2020 | Penitas-addressed homes | Renting | Meters added Oct 7-18 | In 5+ unit buildings | Vacant-to-active switches |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 78576 | 45.6% | $49,137 | 0.7% | 3,856 | 15.4% | 4 | 1.5% | 10 |
| 78560 | 20.6% | $55,721 | 2.9% | 191 | 46.8% | 0 | 7.2% | 8 |
ACS 2020-2024 by ZCTA; meters: ERCOT daily files, Oct 7-18, 2026.
Penitas and its neighbors
| Nearby town (2,000+ residents) | Wires utility | Can homes choose? | Postal-city meters per household | Distance | Competitive homes, postal city |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Joya | AEP Texas Central | Yes, mostly | 1.39 | 2 mi away | 2,033 homes |
| Palmview | AEP Texas Central | Yes, mostly | 0.95 | 4 mi away | 4,721 homes |
| Sullivan City | AEP Texas Central | Yes, mostly | 1.96 | 8 mi away | 2,274 homes |
| Mission | AEP Texas Central | Yes, mostly | 1.49 | 8 mi away | 42,908 homes |
| Alton | AEP Texas Central | Some areas | 0.43 | 8 mi away | 2,317 homes |
| Palmhurst | AEP Texas Central | Yes, mostly | 0.88 | 9 mi away | 688 homes |
Business electricity in Penitas
Penitas business meters: 518 (7.8 homes per business meter); large non-residential meters in Penitas’s main ZIP codes: 1 (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 Penitas?
ZIP first, then your address; read each plan’s Electricity Facts Label before choosing.
Common questions about electricity in Penitas
I live in Salida del Sol Estates. Which electricity page covers me?
Use this Penitas page. Salida del Sol Estates has no postal city of its own in ERCOT's data; its homes carry Penitas addresses. In ZIP 78576, ERCOT lists 4,070 competitive residential meters against about 3,637 Census households (ratio 1.12). Check your exact address.
Does Penitas have electricity choice?
Most Penitas homes can. ERCOT's October 5, 2026 extract has 4,058 Penitas-addressed homes on AEP Texas Central's competitive system, compared with 1,808 households in the Census survey. No Penitas ZIP code carries a split flag, but only an address lookup is certain.
Where do most Penitas electricity customers live?
That is 78576, home to 3,856 of the competitive meters with a Penitas address. ZIP-wide: 4,070 ERCOT meters, about 3,637 Census households, 1.12 per household.
Are electric bills high in Penitas?
78576 has the highest share of $250-plus monthly electric bills among Penitas's core ZIP codes (45.6 percent of households, ACS 2020-2024); 78560 has 20.6 percent. Bigger and all-electric homes push the share up.
I'm moving to Penitas. How do I set up electricity?
4.4% of 78560 residents moved within a year (ACS), and 10 meters in 78576 turned from vacant to active Oct. 7-18, 2026. Check that your Penitas address is on AEP Texas Central's wires, then choose a plan and start date.
Why are there more electric meters than households in Penitas?
4,058 Penitas-addressed meters against 1,808 city households is 2.24 per household: the Penitas 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 to next?
Up: AEP Texas Central area · Hidalgo County
Nearest town pages: Palmview · Mission · Alton · McAllen · Hidalgo · Pharr · Edinburg · San Juan
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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