Rio Hondo, Texas electricity: AEP Texas Central wires, 1 split ZIP code to check
Rio Hondo, pop. 2,332, buys power over AEP Texas Central's lines; 1,165 homes here are on the competitive market.
Reviewed by Brent Ward, founder, on 2026-10-19. Updated .
Rio Hondo at a glance: 1,165 Rio Hondo-addressed homes, all wired by AEP Texas Central (ERCOT, Oct. 5, 2026). 1 split ZIP code (78583) holds 1,162 of Rio Hondo's 1,162 placed homes (100%); those addresses need a lookup.
Rio Hondo wires and choice
AEP Texas Central outages: aeptexas.com/outages. AEP Texas Central
1 split ZIP code (78583) holds 1,162 of Rio Hondo's 1,162 placed homes (100%); those addresses need a lookup.
Non-choice utilities listed by EIA (2024) for Cameron: 1.
Moving to Rio Hondo
Local numbers for setting up a home in Rio Hondo, each checked on the official source. More contacts, and a printable list, are on Rio Hondo helpful move-in information.
- City hall (ask about water service): City of Rio Hondo: City Hall (main line), 956-748-2102.
- Natural gas: Texas Gas Service: customer service, 800-700-2443.
- Public schools: Rio Hondo ISD.
- Driver license: Texas DPS Driver License Office: Harlingen, 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 Rio Hondo 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 Rio Hondo
Typical weather near Rio Hondo, from the nearest NOAA station with a complete 1991-2020 record: Harlingen Rio Grande Airport, about 5 miles from the city center (station elevation 34 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, 50°F. Average daily highs reach 90°F or more in May 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 659 for the month, and heating-degree days (below 65°F) peak in January at 190. 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 | 72 | 50 | 1.1 | 59 | 190 |
| Feb | 76 | 54 | 0.7 | 102 | 105 |
| Mar | 81 | 59 | 1.3 | 201 | 40 |
| Apr | 87 | 65 | 1.5 | 332 | 7 |
| May | 91 | 71 | 2.5 | 502 | 0 |
| Jun | 95 | 75 | 2.3 | 594 | 0 |
| Jul | 96 | 75 | 1.8 | 643 | 0 |
| Aug | 97 | 75 | 1.9 | 659 | 0 |
| Sep | 92 | 73 | 5.3 | 521 | 0 |
| Oct | 88 | 66 | 2.7 | 364 | 5 |
| Nov | 79 | 57 | 1.8 | 162 | 62 |
| Dec | 73 | 52 | 1.2 | 82 | 162 |
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 Rio Hondo'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 Rio Hondo, and not an estimate for your home. EIA source.
Sources: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, station USW00012904; Texas Railroad Commission, Historical Weather Data by County (2022).
Rio Hondo electricity, in numbers and sources
- Land: 1.7 sq mi (water 0.1); 1,381 residents and 440 households per sq mi; 3.13 people per Rio Hondo household. [Gazetteer; PEP; ACS]
- Heating fuel, Rio Hondo homes (ACS 2020-2024): electricity 95.7% (±5), utility gas 3.6%; Cameron County overall: 89.9% electric. All-electric homes feel winter rates more. [ACS]
- Of Rio Hondo homes paying a power bill, 17.1% report $250 or more a month and 8.5% under $100 (Cameron County: 30.9% at $250+); 88.7% of homes pay one at all. [ACS]
- Housing stock: 64.5% detached houses, 18.4% in 5+ unit buildings, 14.4% mobile homes; median year built 1986, 6.5% built 2010 or later. [ACS]
- Rio Hondo-addressed home meters on Oct. 5, 2026: 1,165 active, 292 inactive, 210 de-energized, so 30.1% were not in use (ERCOT). [ERCOT]
- 1,165 home meters use the Rio Hondo postal name, against 744 households inside city limits (1.57 per household): the mailing area runs well past the boundary. [ERCOT; ACS]
- 78583 carries every one of Rio Hondo's placed homes; ratio across the whole ZIP 0.66, from 1,296 home meters in all and 1,952 households. [ERCOT; ACS]
- Weakest Rio Hondo ZIP: 78583, 0.66 competitive meters per household, 1,162 Rio Hondo-addressed. EIA (2024) lists 1 co-op in its counties; co-op members stay with the co-op unless it opted in to competition. [ERCOT; ACS; EIA]
Rio Hondo homes: heating fuel, bills, housing
| Rio Hondo | Estimate |
|---|---|
| Heat with electricity | 95.7% |
| Heat with utility gas | 3.6% |
| Bill $250 or more | 17.1% |
| Built 2010 or later | 6.5% |
| Renter households | 41.8% |
| Median year built | 1986 |
ACS 2020-2024, the city (Census boundary). Bill rows are shares of homes that pay an electric bill.
Rio Hondo meters and households
| Count | Rio Hondo |
|---|---|
| Residents, July 2025 | 2,332 |
| Residents, 2020 base | 2,036 |
| Households (ACS) | 744 |
| Active home meters | 1,165 |
| Inactive home meters | 292 |
| De-energized home meters | 210 |
| Active small-business meters | 177 |
| Active large-business meters | 0 |
| Home meters per household | 1.57 |
| ZIP codes listed | 2 |
| Split ZIP codes | 1 |
| County | Cameron |
ERCOT report 203, Oct. 5, 2026 (Rio Hondo postal city) and Census. CSV · Method
Rio Hondo plan prices, October 19, 2026
Median fixed-rate Power to Choose listings. 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. Not a quote.
Rio Hondo ZIP codes, row by row
Not every address in these ZIP codes has retail choice; check your exact address.
| ZIP code | Rio Hondo homes | All ZIP homes | Rio Hondo share | ZIP households | Share of Rio Hondo land | Meters per household | Flags |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 78583 | 1,162 | 1,296 | 90% | 1,952 | 70% | 0.66 | split |
| 78550 | 0 | 20,941 | 0% | 19,733 | 30% | 1.06 | none |
Rio Hondo split ZIP codes: 78583.
Towns around Rio Hondo
| From Rio Hondo | Town (2,000+) | Homes vs Rio Hondo | Wires | Per household | Competitive homes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 mi | Harlingen | 25.0× | AEP Texas Central | 1.12 | 29,141 |
| 8 mi | San Benito | 10.5× | AEP Texas Central | 1.47 | 12,290 |
| 9 mi | Combes | 0.9× | AEP Texas Central | 0.99 | 1,095 |
| 11 mi | Primera | 1.1× | AEP Texas Central | 0.90 | 1,325 |
| 13 mi | Los Fresnos | 4.5× | AEP Texas Central | 2.22 | 5,254 |
| 14 mi | Rancho Viejo | 1.3× | AEP Texas Central | 1.34 | 1,467 |
Rio Hondo businesses
177 Rio Hondo-addressed business meters; 0 large-class meters across its main ZIP codes (ERCOT). Request a business rate review.
Compare Rio Hondo plans
Rio Hondo questions
Do I get to pick my electric company in Rio Hondo?
Yes, on AEP Texas Central's wires: 1,165 Rio Hondo homes were on the competitive market Oct. 5, 2026 (1.57 per household). Split: 78583. Confirm your address.
Why are some Rio Hondo electric bills so high in winter?
95.7% of Rio Hondo homes heat with electricity (ACS 2020-2024, margin ±5) and 3.6% with utility gas; 17.1% of bill-paying homes report $250 or more a month. Electric-heat homes should compare plans at winter usage.
What ZIP code do most Rio Hondo electricity customers have?
78583: 1,162 Rio Hondo-addressed competitive homes; ratio 0.66 across the ZIP (1,296 home meters in all, 1,952 households).
Who do I call when the power is out in Rio Hondo?
Outages go to AEP Texas Central (aeptexas.com/outages), the wires utility for 1,165 Rio Hondo competitive homes.
How do I set up power at a new Rio Hondo home?
Check the address is on AEP Texas Central's wires, choose a plan and a start date. Rio Hondo had 502 idle home meters (inactive or de-energized) on Oct. 5, 2026, so many move-ins reconnect an existing meter.
My Rio Hondo home has a Harlingen address. Does that matter?
Not for choice. Harlingen is the postal name on 99% of the 20,941-meter 78550 ZIP; the utility depends on the service address, not the postal name.
Near Rio Hondo
Wires and county: AEP Texas Central · Cameron. Nearby pages: Combes (9 mi) · Harlingen (8 mi) · Los Fresnos (13 mi) · Primera (11 mi) · Rancho Viejo (14 mi) · San Benito (8 mi)
No-choice areas · Methodology · Compare plans
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, tables B25040, B25132, B25024, B25034, B25035, B25018, B19013, B25003, B25002, B25004 (90% margins of error)
- 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)
BJW Ventures LLC d/b/a Power Hopper | PUCT BR260201. PUCT registration is not an endorsement.