Sweetwater, Texas electricity: Oncor wires and 4,984 competitive homes
4,984 Sweetwater-addressed homes buy power on Oncor's system, about 1.17 for each Census household. Here is where choice stops, what delivery costs and where plan prices sit today.
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 4,984 active residential meters with a Sweetwater address, all on Oncor's wires (October 5, 2026). Nearly every Sweetwater address in our data is on Oncor's wires and can pick a retail provider.
Who delivers electricity in Sweetwater?
Outages: Oncor at oncor.com/outages.
Oncor delivery charges and area
Can every address in Sweetwater choose an electricity provider?
No split flag on any ZIP code that holds Sweetwater's 4,984 competitive homes; most streets here can shop.
Without retail choice unless opted in: 3 other utilities in Nolan County (EIA 2024).
Moving to Sweetwater
Local numbers for setting up a home in Sweetwater, each checked on the official source. More contacts, and a printable list, are on Sweetwater helpful move-in information.
- Water and utility billing: City of Sweetwater: City Hall (main line), 325-236-6313.
- Trash pickup: Republic Services: trash and recycling, 325-267-9954.
- Natural gas: Atmos Energy: customer service, 888-286-6700.
- Public schools: Sweetwater ISD.
- Driver license: Texas DPS Driver License Office: Sweetwater, 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 Sweetwater 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 Sweetwater
Typical weather near Sweetwater, from the nearest NOAA station with a complete 1991-2020 record: Roscoe, about 7 miles from the city center (station elevation 2,380 ft). These are normals for that station, not readings at your address. July is the warmest month on average, with a normal daily high of 95°F; January has the coolest average low, 31°F. Average daily highs reach 90°F or more in June to August. Average lows are at or below freezing in January.
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 July at 557 for the month, and heating-degree days (below 65°F) peak in January at 677. 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 | 56 | 31 | 1.0 | 0 | 677 |
| Feb | 60 | 34 | 1.0 | 3 | 498 |
| Mar | 69 | 42 | 1.4 | 19 | 325 |
| Apr | 78 | 50 | 1.5 | 86 | 122 |
| May | 85 | 60 | 2.8 | 256 | 28 |
| Jun | 91 | 68 | 3.1 | 437 | 1 |
| Jul | 95 | 71 | 1.8 | 557 | 0 |
| Aug | 94 | 71 | 2.2 | 527 | 0 |
| Sep | 86 | 63 | 2.1 | 297 | 12 |
| Oct | 77 | 53 | 2.2 | 100 | 114 |
| Nov | 65 | 41 | 1.2 | 9 | 372 |
| Dec | 57 | 33 | 1.0 | 0 | 623 |
Historical weather records for Nolan County
The Texas Railroad Commission's county table lists a record low of -11°F (1947) and a record high of 113°F (1994), and a regional estimate of 30 consecutive hours as a typical longest freezing or frozen-precipitation period for Nolan County. These are historical county extremes, not Sweetwater'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 Sweetwater, and not an estimate for your home. EIA source.
Sources: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, station USC00417743; Texas Railroad Commission, Historical Weather Data by County (2022).
What is different about electricity in Sweetwater?
- Sweetwater counted about 10,141 residents in the Census Bureau's 2025 estimate, against 10,618 in the 2020 base, a change of -4.5%. The largest one-year change was -144 people, from July 2022 to July 2023. July 1 estimates in between: 10,510 (2021), 10,377 (2022), 10,233 (2023), 10,165 (2024). (Census)
- Sweetwater covers 10.9 square miles of land (Census 2025 Gazetteer). That works out to about 930 residents and 389 occupied households per square mile of land, with roughly 2.4 residents for every Sweetwater household. (Census, Census, Census)
- Sweetwater-addressed homes make up 0.1% of the 3,564,530 residential meters on Oncor's competitive system. (ERCOT)
- Move-ins show up as vacant-to-active switches in ERCOT's daily files: 12 of them in the ZIP codes most Sweetwater homes use, Oct. 7-18, 2026. (ERCOT)
- Vacancy signal: 14.0 percent of residential meters in Sweetwater's core ZIP codes were de-energized on October 5, 2026 (813 off, 4,985 on), per ERCOT. (ERCOT)
- One ZIP code, 79556, holds almost every Sweetwater-addressed competitive home (4,984). Taken whole, 79556 has 0.98 competitive meters per Census household: 4,985 meters, 5,103 households. (ERCOT, Census)
- Among the 3 cities and towns that reach into Nolan County, Sweetwater places 1 for competitive homes on its postal city; second place is Roscoe, at 777. (ERCOT)
- By the Census Bureau's 2025 estimates, Sweetwater is the number 1 city or town by population among the 3 that reach into Nolan County, one place ahead of Roscoe (1,208 residents). (Census)
- Renting is most common in 79556, where the ACS 2020-2024 counts 34.0 percent of households as renters; in that part of Sweetwater, electricity accounts change hands with each lease. (Census)
- Electric bills over $250 a month: 35.4 percent of households in 79556, Sweetwater's main ZIP code, per the ACS 2020-2024; the same survey puts median household income there at $49,393. (Census)
Sweetwater electricity by the numbers
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Population (July 1, 2025 estimate) | 10,141 |
| Population (2020 estimates base) | 10,618 |
| Occupied households (ACS 2020-2024) | 4,245 |
| Active residential meters with a Sweetwater address | 4,984 |
| Active business meters with a Sweetwater address | 1,737 |
| Residential meters per Census household | 1.17 |
| Delivery utilities (homes) | Oncor 4,984 |
| Counties | Nolan |
| ZIP codes touching Sweetwater | 1 |
| Split ZIP codes (flagged below) | 0 |
How we built these numbers. Download: Sweetwater ZIP table (CSV).
What do electricity plans cost in Sweetwater right now?
Same-day medians for Oncor’s area (Oncor: 170 listings), delivery included; not a quote.
| Delivery utility | 500 kWh | 1,000 kWh | 2,000 kWh | Delivery charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oncor | 14.1¢ | 13.4¢ | 13.2¢ | 6.8673¢/kWh + $4.06/mo (effective October 4, 2026; tariff) |
Sweetwater 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 Sweetwater address | Share of ZIP land in Sweetwater | Mailing cities | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 79556 | 0.98 | 4,985 | 5,103 | 4,984 | 3% | Sweetwater 100% | Near-full coverage. Mostly outside Sweetwater city limits. |
Split ZIP codes for Sweetwater: none flagged.
Homes, renters and electric bills in Sweetwater’s ZIP codes
ZIP 79556 leads Sweetwater on electric bills over $250 a month, reported by 35.4 percent of its households (Census ACS 2020-2024).
| ZIP | Bills $250+ | Household income (median) | Built since 2020 | Sweetwater-addressed homes | Renting | Meters added Oct 7-18 | In 5+ unit buildings | Vacant-to-active switches |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 79556 | 35.4% | $49,393 | 0.3% | 4,984 | 34.0% | 2 | 4.4% | 12 |
ACS 2020-2024 by ZCTA; meters: ERCOT daily files, Oct 7-18, 2026.
Sweetwater and its neighbors
| Nearby town (2,000+ residents) | Wires utility | Can homes choose? | Postal-city meters per household | Distance | Competitive homes, postal city |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merkel | AEP Texas North | Yes, mostly | 1.21 | 23 mi away | 1,114 homes |
| Colorado City | Oncor | Yes, mostly | 2.28 | 27 mi away | 2,832 homes |
Business electricity in Sweetwater
Sweetwater business meters: 1,737 (2.9 homes per business meter); large non-residential meters in Sweetwater’s main ZIP codes: 9 (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 Sweetwater?
ZIP first, then your address; read each plan’s Electricity Facts Label before choosing.
Common questions about electricity in Sweetwater
Is Sweetwater deregulated for electricity?
Most Sweetwater homes can. ERCOT's October 5, 2026 extract has 4,984 Sweetwater-addressed homes on Oncor's competitive system, compared with 4,245 households in the Census survey. No Sweetwater ZIP code carries a split flag, but only an address lookup is certain.
Where do most Sweetwater electricity customers live?
79556. It holds 4,984 Sweetwater-addressed competitive homes; counting every address in the ZIP, ERCOT has 4,985 meters for roughly 5,103 households, a 0.98 ratio.
How much is electricity in Sweetwater right now?
On October 19, 2026, the median fixed-rate Power to Choose listing on Oncor's wires was 13.4¢ per kWh at 1,000 kWh a month (170 listings); Oncor's delivery charge of 6.8673¢ per kWh plus $4.06 a month is included. A median is not a quote.
How do I start electric service at a new Sweetwater address?
14.3% of 79556 residents moved within a year (ACS), and 12 meters in 79556 turned from vacant to active Oct. 7-18, 2026. Check that your Sweetwater address is on Oncor's wires, then choose a plan and start date.
How many households in Sweetwater can shop for electricity?
ERCOT's October 5, 2026 extract lists 4,984 competitive residential meters with a Sweetwater mailing address and 1,737 business meters; ACS 2020-2024: 4,245 occupied Sweetwater households.
Where do I report a Sweetwater power outage?
Call Oncor (oncor.com/outages), the wires utility for Sweetwater's 4,984 competitive homes; a retail provider can't fix lines.
Where to next?
Up: Oncor area · Nolan County
Nearest town pages: Snyder · Abilene · Big Spring · San Angelo · Lamesa · Brownwood · Midland · Lubbock
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)
- Oncor Electric Delivery
- Oncor delivery tariff (effective October 4, 2026)
- Census Bureau 2025 Gazetteer Files, Texas places (land and water area)
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