# Primera, Texas electricity: AEP Texas Central wires, 1 split ZIP code to check

_Updated October 19, 2026. Data: ERCOT Oct 5, 2026; Census ACS 2020-2024; Power to Choose Oct 19, 2026, 7:59 AM CT._

**Primera at a glance:** 1,325 Primera-addressed homes, all wired by AEP Texas Central (ERCOT, Oct. 5, 2026). 1 split ZIP code (78552) holds 1,070 of Primera's 1,313 placed homes (81%); those addresses need a lookup.

## Moving to Primera

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

- **City hall (ask about water service):** City of Primera: City Hall (main line), 956-423-9654.
- **Natural gas:** Texas Gas Service: customer service, 800-700-2443.
- **Public schools:** Harlingen CISD.
- **Driver license:** Texas DPS Driver License Office: Harlingen, 512-424-2600.

## Facts
- Land: 2.8 sq mi; 1,973 residents and 530 households per sq mi; 3.72 people per Primera 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/)
- Heating fuel, Primera homes (ACS 2020-2024): electricity 90.8% (±2), utility gas 3.7%, propane 3.5%; Cameron County overall: 89.9% electric. All-electric homes feel winter rates more. (Source: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/)
- Of Primera homes paying a power bill, 29.4% report $250 or more a month and 10.4% under $100 (Cameron County: 30.9% at $250+). (Source: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/)
- Housing stock: 77.2% detached houses, 4.2% in 5+ unit buildings, 10.6% mobile homes; median year built 2003, 32.5% built 2010 or later. (Source: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/)
- ERCOT status split for 1,788 Primera home meters (Oct. 5, 2026): active 1,325, inactive 258, de-energized 205; idle share 25.9%. (Source: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203)
- ACS 2020-2024: 18.2% of Primera housing units vacant (±8). Vacant homes keep meters that are not counted as households. (Source: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/)
- New home meters, Oct. 7-18, 2026, Primera ZIP codes: 17 (top: 78550, 14); vacant-to-active: 106. (Source: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203)
- 78552 carries 1,070 of 1,313 Primera-addressed homes (81%); ratio across the whole ZIP 0.76, from 10,265 home meters in all and 13,567 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/)

## Homes: heating fuel, bills, housing (ACS 2020-2024, the city (Census boundary))
- Heat with electricity: 90.8%
- Heat with utility gas: 3.7%
- Bill $250 or more: 29.4%
- Built 2010 or later: 32.5%
- Renter households: 24.5%
- Median year built: 2003

## Meters and households
- Residents, July 2025: 5,478
- Residents, 2020 base: 5,255
- Households (ACS): 1,471
- Active home meters: 1,325
- Inactive home meters: 258
- De-energized home meters: 205
- Active small-business meters: 96
- Active large-business meters: 0
- Home meters per household: 0.9
- ZIP codes listed: 2
- Split ZIP codes: 1
- County: Cameron

## Plan prices (Oct 19, 2026 medians)
AEP Texas Central (164 listings): 12.7¢ / 12.1¢ / 12¢ per kWh at 500 / 1,000 / 2,000 kWh, delivery 5.6898¢ + $3.24/mo included.

## ZIP codes
**Not every address in these ZIP codes has retail choice; check your exact address.**

| ZIP | Homes with this address | All ZIP homes | Households | Ratio | Flags |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 78552 | 1,070 | 10,265 | 13,567 | 0.76 | split |
| 78550 | 243 | 20,941 | 19,733 | 1.06 | none |

## Businesses
96 business meters. Business rate reviews: /business.

## Questions
**Do I get to pick my electric company in Primera?** Mostly. ERCOT counts 1,325 competitive Primera home meters, all on AEP Texas Central's system, against 1,471 households. Split: 78552. An address lookup settles it.
**Why are some Primera electric bills so high in winter?** 90.8% of Primera homes heat with electricity (ACS 2020-2024, margin ±2) and 3.7% with utility gas; 29.4% of bill-paying homes report $250 or more a month. Electric-heat homes should compare plans at winter usage.
**Which ZIP code covers most of Primera?** 78552 (1,070 Primera homes on the competitive market). Across the full ZIP: 0.76 meters per household, 10,265 home meters in all.
**Who handles Primera power outages?** Outages go to AEP Texas Central (aeptexas.com/outages), the wires utility for 1,325 Primera competitive homes.
**Moving to Primera: how do I start electricity?** Check the address is on AEP Texas Central's wires, choose a plan and a start date. Primera had 463 idle home meters (inactive or de-energized) on Oct. 5, 2026, so many move-ins reconnect an existing meter.
**My Primera home has a Harlingen address. Does that matter?** Not for choice. Harlingen is the postal name on 82% of the 10,265-meter 78552 ZIP; the utility depends on the service address, not the postal name.

## 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
- ERCOT TDSP ESIID Extract (report 203), Oct 5, 2026: meters by status and premise type, by postal city: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203
- Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, tables B25040, B25132, B25024, B25034, B25035, B25018, B19013, B25003, B25002, B25004 (90% margins of error): https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/
- 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/
- Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, tables B25040, B25132, B25024, B25034, B25035, B25018, B19013, B25003, B25002, B25004 (90% margins of error): https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/
- Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, tables B25040, B25132, B25024, B25034, B25035, B25018, B19013, B25003, B25002, B25004 (90% margins of error): https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/
- Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, tables B25040, B25132, B25024, B25034, B25035, B25018, B19013, B25003, B25002, B25004 (90% margins of error): 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 estimates, tables B25040, B25132, B25024, B25034, B25035, B25018, B19013, B25003, B25002, B25004 (90% margins of error): 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
- 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

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