# San Benito, 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 12,290 active residential meters with a San Benito address, all on AEP Texas Central's wires (October 5, 2026). 2 of San Benito's ZIP codes are split, so most addresses can shop, but yours needs a check.

## Moving to San Benito

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

- **Water and utility billing:** utility billing (start, transfer or stop water service), 833-329-3384.
- **Natural gas:** Texas Gas Service: customer service, 800-700-2443.
- **Public schools:** San Benito CISD.
- **Driver license:** Texas DPS Driver License Office: Harlingen, 512-424-2600.

## Who delivers electricity in San Benito?
ERCOT counts 12,290 active residential meters with a San Benito address, all on AEP Texas Central's wires (October 5, 2026).

## Can every address in San Benito choose?
12,286 of 12,286 San Benito-addressed competitive homes (100%) are in split ZIP codes (78586, 78566), where a neighbor may have a different utility.

## What is different about San Benito?
- San Benito counted about 24,980 residents in the Census Bureau's 2025 estimate, against 24,982 in the 2020 base, a change of -0.0%. The largest one-year change was +203 people, from July 2023 to July 2024. (Source: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/cities/totals/sub-est2025_48.csv)
- Mailing addresses stretch past city limits here. 12,290 competitive residential meters use San Benito as their postal city, while the city itself has 8,351 Census households, a ratio of 1.47. (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/)
- Of the 810,296 homes AEP Texas Central serves on the competitive market, 1.5% have a San Benito mailing address. (Source: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203)
- From Oct. 7 to Oct. 18, 2026, 34 residential meters in San Benito's main ZIP codes went from vacant to active in ERCOT's daily files, which usually means a move-in. (Source: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203)
- De-energized homes, usually empty or between tenants, number 2,152 in San Benito's main ZIP codes, 14.7% of all 14,649 residential meters there. (Source: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203)
- ZIP 78586 holds 12,224 of the 12,286 competitive homes with a San Benito address (99%); across the whole ZIP there are 0.80 competitive meters per Census 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/)
- Cameron County context: San Benito ranks 2 of 17 touching cities and towns for postal-city competitive homes, just behind Harlingen (29,141). (Source: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203)
- In 78586, the ZIP holding most San Benito homes, the ACS 2020-2024 survey finds a median household income of $45,575, 25.8% renters and 29.5% of households with $250+ monthly electric bills. (Source: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/)
- Of San Benito's six nearest towns, Harlingen has the most competitive homes (29,141, 5 mi away) and Primera the fewest per household (0.90). (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): 24,980
- Population (2020 estimates base): 24,982
- Occupied households (ACS 2020-2024): 8,351
- Active residential meters with a San Benito address: 12,290
- Active business meters with a San Benito address: 1,910
- Residential meters per Census household: 1.47
- Delivery utilities (homes): AEP Texas Central 12,290
- Counties: Cameron
- ZIP codes touching San Benito: 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% | 10% | 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. |
| 78566 | Los Fresnos 76%, Bayview 16%, Indian Lake 5% | 0% | 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 San Benito city limits. |

## Business electricity in San Benito
1,910 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
**Does San Benito have electricity choice?** Most San Benito homes can. ERCOT's October 5, 2026 extract has 12,290 San Benito-addressed homes on AEP Texas Central's competitive system, compared with 8,351 households in the Census survey. Split ZIP codes for San Benito: 78586, 78566; on those, check the exact address.
**Which San Benito ZIP code has the most homes on the competitive market?** ZIP 78586: 12,224 of its 12,497 competitive residential meters use a San Benito address, and the ZIP has about 15,699 Census households (ratio 0.80).
**Can businesses in San Benito choose an electricity provider?** Yes, where AEP Texas Central delivers: 1,910 San Benito-addressed business meters are on the competitive market in ERCOT's data, and large accounts can also buy from commercial suppliers directly.
**I'm moving to San Benito. How do I set up electricity?** Confirm the address is on AEP Texas Central's wires, then pick a plan and a start date. In 78586, 6.1% of residents moved in the past year (ACS); 34 78586 meters went vacant-to-active Oct. 7-18, 2026.
**Why are there more electric meters than households in San Benito?** 12,290 San Benito-addressed meters against 8,351 city households is 1.47 per household: the San Benito 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 San Benito power outage?** Call AEP Texas Central (aeptexas.com/outages), the wires utility for San Benito's 12,290 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
- 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 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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