# Rio Bravo, Texas electricity: AEP Texas Central wires and 1,357 competitive homes

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

**Rio Bravo at a glance:** 1,357 Rio Bravo-addressed homes, all wired by AEP Texas Central (ERCOT, Oct. 5, 2026). Rio Bravo's 1,345 placed homes sit in unsplit ZIP codes; a lookup still confirms each address.

## Moving to Rio Bravo

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

- **City hall (ask about water service):** City of Rio Bravo: City Hall (main line), 956-790-9500.
- **Public schools:** United ISD.
- **Driver license:** Texas DPS Driver License Office: Laredo, 512-424-2600.

## Facts
- Land: 0.7 sq mi; 6,958 residents and 1,711 households per sq mi; 4.07 people per Rio Bravo 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, Rio Bravo homes (ACS 2020-2024): electricity 93.4% (±4), utility gas 0.4%, propane 6.2%; Webb County overall: 85.0% 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 Rio Bravo homes paying a power bill, 39.7% report $250 or more a month and 11.4% under $100 (Webb County: 34.9% at $250+). (Source: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/)
- Housing stock: 72.6% detached houses, 17.5% mobile homes; median year built 1990, 8.4% built 2010 or later. (Source: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/)
- Rio Bravo-addressed home meters on Oct. 5, 2026: 1,357 active, 412 inactive, 368 de-energized, so 36.5% were not in use (ERCOT). (Source: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203)
- ACS 2020-2024: 11.5% of Rio Bravo housing units vacant (±6). 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, Rio Bravo ZIP codes: 12 (top: 78046, 12); vacant-to-active: 81. (Source: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203)
- 78046 carries every one of Rio Bravo's placed homes; ratio across the whole ZIP 1.19, from 22,495 home meters in all and 18,900 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: 93.4%
- Heat with utility gas: 0.4%
- Bill $250 or more: 39.7%
- Built 2010 or later: 8.4%
- Renter households: 25.8%
- Median year built: 1990

## Meters and households
- Residents, July 2025: 4,523
- Residents, 2020 base: 4,592
- Households (ACS): 1,112
- Active home meters: 1,357
- Inactive home meters: 412
- De-energized home meters: 368
- Active small-business meters: 104
- Active large-business meters: 0
- Home meters per household: 1.22
- ZIP codes listed: 1
- Split ZIP codes: 0
- County: Webb

## 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 78046 | 1,345 | 22,495 | 18,900 | 1.19 | none |

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

## Questions
**Do I get to pick my electric company in Rio Bravo?** Yes, on AEP Texas Central's wires: 1,357 Rio Bravo homes were on the competitive market Oct. 5, 2026 (1.22 per household). Confirm your address.
**Why are some Rio Bravo electric bills so high in winter?** 93.4% of Rio Bravo homes heat with electricity (ACS 2020-2024, margin ±4) and 0.4% with utility gas; 39.7% 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 Rio Bravo?** 78046: 1,345 Rio Bravo-addressed competitive homes; ratio 1.19 across the ZIP (22,495 home meters in all, 18,900 households).
**Who do I call when the power is out in Rio Bravo?** Outages go to AEP Texas Central (aeptexas.com/outages), the wires utility for 1,357 Rio Bravo competitive homes.
**Moving to Rio Bravo: how do I start electricity?** Check the address is on AEP Texas Central's wires, choose a plan and a start date. Rio Bravo had 780 idle home meters (inactive or de-energized) on Oct. 5, 2026, so many move-ins reconnect an existing meter.
**My Rio Bravo home has a Laredo address. Does that matter?** Not for choice. Laredo is the postal name on 91% of the 22,495-meter 78046 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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