Wooden pier over the water in South Padre Island near Brownsville, Texas, a key deregulated market where residents choose plans in the AEP Texas Central TDU territory

Brownsville Electricity Rates

Edited by Rafael Morales
Last updated:

The cheapest True Fixed electricity rate in Brownsville today for a 12 to 23 month term is 11.1¢/kWh at 1,000 kWh, from True Power. Across the 53 True Fixed plans in that range we track in Brownsville, the average is 13.3¢/kWh. Both numbers account for the energy provider’s charges and all TDU delivery and base charges, so they reflect what you actually pay.

That 11.1¢ is the floor for a real fixed rate in Brownsville on a term of 12 months or longer. If you see a 12-month-or-longer plan advertised well below this rate, it is almost certainly a bill credit plan. Those rates only apply if your monthly usage lands inside a narrow window, usually right around 1,000 kWh. Over a year you will likely miss it in at least 4 months (overpaying $400 or more), using too little or too much. Clear Energy Facts does not recommend these plans.

Every plan listed here is True Fixed. If you are looking for a different plan type in Brownsville, we track those separately: Best Free Nights plans, Best Free Weekends plans, and No-credit-check prepaid plans.

Our Recommendation

Our Recommendation
Swipe left or right to compare term lengths
12-23 Months
24-35 Months
36+ Months
Photo by Obed Esquivel-Pickett on Unsplash

Best True Fixed Plans in Brownsville

True Fixed Rate plans only, enter zipcode for full list and more details

Check details in your area
1st
True Power
Review Check Availability
True Value 12
PTC
Sep 13
12 months
500 KWH
11.4¢
1000 KWH
11.1¢
2000 KWH
10.9¢

Top concerns

⚠️ ⚠️ ⚠️ Risk of account being transferred

⚠️ ⚠️ ⚠️ Need to call for Autopay setup

⚠️ ⚠️ One of the highest cancellation fees

⚠️ ⚠️ High Complain Ratio. 1 on PUCT score

⚠️ 2% fee for payments outside AutoPay.

2nd
3rd
Express Energy
Review Check Availability
Express Energy Speedy 12SM
PTC
Sep 13
12 months
500 KWH
11.6¢
1000 KWH
11.2¢
2000 KWH
11.1¢

Top concerns

⚠️⚠️⚠️ One of the lowest ratings on Google Reviews

4th
Gexa Energy
Review Check Availability
Gexa Eco Choice 12
100% Renewable
PTC
Sep 13
12 months
500 KWH
11.6¢
1000 KWH
11.3¢
2000 KWH
11.1¢

Top concerns

⚠️ Common negative review: higher rates at renewal.

5th
Frontier
Review Check Availability
Frontier Power Saver 12
PTC
Sep 13
12 months
500 KWH
11.6¢
1000 KWH
11.3¢
2000 KWH
11.1¢

Top concerns

⚠️ Common negative review: higher rates at renewal.

6th
7th
Energy Texas
Review Check Availability
No Bull 12 - 12 month plan
100% Renewable
PTC
Sep 13
12 months
500 KWH
11.3¢
1000 KWH
11.4¢
2000 KWH
11.5¢
8th
Rhythm
Review Check Availability
Digital Choice 12 - 12 month plan
100% Renewable
PTC
Sep 13
12 months
500 KWH
11.3¢
1000 KWH
11.4¢
2000 KWH
11.5¢
9th
Budget Power
Review Check Availability
No Gimmicks 12 - AEP Texas Central
PTC
Sep 13
12 months
500 KWH
11.8¢
1000 KWH
11.5¢
2000 KWH
11.3¢

Top concerns

⚠️⚠️⚠️ Risk of account being transferred

⚠️⚠️⚠️ High Complain Ratio. 1 on PUCT score

⚠️⚠️ Poor Customer Service on Google Reviews

10th
Texans Choice Power
Review Check Availability
Choose 12
Company website
Sep 07
12 months
500 KWH
12.1¢
1000 KWH
11.8¢
2000 KWH
11.6¢

Top concerns

⚠️ Limited public review history: no active Google reviews profile

11th
Southern Federal
Review Check Availability
SoFed Digital Saver Plus - 12
Company website
Sep 11
12 months
500 KWH
12.5¢
1000 KWH
12.1¢
2000 KWH
12.0¢
12th
Atlantex Power
Review Check Availability
Luminous
Exclusive Offer
Sep 09
12 months
500 KWH
12.4¢
1000 KWH
12.1¢
2000 KWH
11.9¢

Top concerns

⚠️ Limited public review history: no active Google reviews profile

13th
14th
Abundance Energy
Review Check Availability
Confident Renter 12
Company website
Sep 11
12 months
500 KWH
12.6¢
1000 KWH
12.3¢
2000 KWH
12.1¢

Top concerns

⚠️ Common negative review: long wait times on customer service calls.

15th
Abundance Energy
Review Check Availability
Fixed Rate – Straight Forward 12
Company website
Sep 11
12 months
500 KWH
13.2¢
1000 KWH
12.4¢
2000 KWH
12.0¢

Top concerns

⚠️ Common negative review: long wait times on customer service calls.

16th
17th
Constellation
Review Check Availability
Fix Rate 12
Company website
Sep 12
12 months
500 KWH
13.0¢
1000 KWH
12.7¢
2000 KWH
12.6¢

Top concerns

Live Agent Payment Fee: They charge a $6.95 per call fee for customers who choose to make a payment via a call center agent

18th
Cleansky Energy
Review Check Availability
Embrace Green 12 - Fixed Rate Product
100% Renewable
Company website
Sep 11
12 months
500 KWH
13.0¢
1000 KWH
12.7¢
2000 KWH
12.5¢
19th
Atlantex Power
Review Check Availability
Luminous Green
100% Renewable
Exclusive Offer
Sep 09
12 months
500 KWH
13.0¢
1000 KWH
12.7¢
2000 KWH
12.5¢

Top concerns

⚠️ Limited public review history: no active Google reviews profile

20th

Showing the best available 500 / 1000 / 2000 kWh prices for the selected term range. Sources include PowerToChoose (“PTC”) and direct provider sites. We are not affiliated with PowerToChoose.org or the Public Utility Commission of Texas; these offers are shown for informational purposes only.

TDU Contact and Outage Information for Brownsville

The main ZIP codes for Brownsville are 78520, 78521, and 78526. Brownsville is served by AEP Texas Central, which is the utility company responsible for delivering electricity to your home and the company you should contact if there is an outage in your area

Utility Service Contacts

AEP Texas Central

Visit TDU Website Open Outage Map

Support Phone

866-223-8508

Brownsville Housing & Heating Facts

Local housing and heating composition based on city profile inputs.

Median Year Built

1995

Brownsville stands out for its high humidity, which makes cooling more expensive than in drier parts of Texas. Your A/C is not just working to lower the temperature. It is also working to remove moisture from the air, and that can push summer electricity use much higher. On top of that, most homes in Brownsville are houses, and electricity is by far the dominant heating source. That usually means many households also depend heavily on electricity for other major uses inside the home. Because of this combination, it is especially important in Brownsville to shop for the most competitive electricity rates possible.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau. "Selected Housing Characteristics." American Community Survey, ACS 5-Year Estimates Data Profiles, Table DP04.

Heating Type Share

Electricity 89.6%
Gas 7.9%
Other 2.5%

Housing Mix Share

House 70.9%
Apartment 15.3%
Other 13.8%

What a typical Brownsville home pays for electricity

Based on Brownsville's housing profile, a medium house with electric heat is the most common setup in the city. Priced at the average of every 12 month True Fixed plan in Brownsville, that runs about $1,812 a year, or roughly $151 a month, though the monthly figure swings with the season.

Use this as a reference point. If your usage is similar to the profile below and your bill is well above these numbers, you are probably overpaying.

Change the profile if yours is different.

Estimated yearly cost

$1,812

Sum of the four seasonal blocks

Average month

$151

Seasons swing above and below this

Season Usage Estimated Bill per month
Dec - Feb -- --
Mar - May -- --
Jun - Aug -- --
Sep - Nov -- --

The Real Cost of Gimmicky Bill-Credit Plans in Brownsville

All the plans shown in the table above for Brownsville are True Fixed plans. Clear Energy Facts properly categorizes and ranks them from least to most expensive. These plans offer the lowest risk of paying more than expected.

However, other comparison websites and electricity brokers often feature plans that appear cheaper on paper than True Fixed plans. These are known as bill-credit plans. They offer a credit when your usage reaches a specific threshold, but the underlying rate is usually much higher. If you miss that threshold—even by a small amount—you lose the entire credit. Because electricity usage changes throughout the year, many customers will miss the threshold during several months of their contract.

For more information, read our main guide to bill-credit plans. As an example, the table below estimates the actual cost by housing type using the lowest advertised bill-credit rate we currently track.

Use the filters to apply the plan’s actual charges and credits to different Brownsville housing and heating profiles over 12 months.

Estimated yearly cost

$1,965

Average month

$164

True yearly rate

14.4¢

Total annual bill divided by annual usage

Season Usage (kWh) Energy + delivery Base cost Bill credit Estimated bill Effective rate
Dec - Feb 1,200 $235.25 $3.24 −$125.00 $113.49 9.5¢
Mar - May 850 $166.64 $3.24 $0.00 $169.88 20.0¢
Jun - Aug 1,600 $313.67 $3.24 −$125.00 $191.91 12.0¢
Sep - Nov 900 $176.44 $3.24 $0.00 $179.68 20.0¢

Top 5 Reviewed Electricity Companies in Brownsville

Highest review scores among True Fixed providers currently listed for Brownsville.

Rank #1 Score 4.59/5
Spark Energy

Spark Energy

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

From 9.9¢ @ 1000 kWh

2 eligible plans

Read Full Review
Rank #2 Score 4.29/5
Cleansky Energy

Cleansky Energy

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

From 12.3¢ @ 1000 kWh

6 eligible plans

Read Full Review
Rank #3 Score 4.24/5
Champion Energy

Champion Energy

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

From 12.7¢ @ 1000 kWh

5 eligible plans

Read Full Review
Rank #4 Score 4.23/5
Constellation

Constellation

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

From 10.6¢ @ 1000 kWh

2 eligible plans

Read Full Review
Rank #5 Score 4.16/5
Southern Federal

Southern Federal

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

From 10.5¢ @ 1000 kWh

4 eligible plans

Read Full Review

How Switching Electricity Plans Works in Brownsville: The 14-Day Rule

This is one of the most misunderstood parts of shopping for electricity in Brownsville and across Texas. Many people think they have to wait until the last day of their contract to switch, but that is not true. If you wait too long, you could end up rolling onto a high month-to-month rate.

In Texas, you can switch to a new electricity provider up to 14 days before your current contract ends without paying an early termination fee. That means you do not have to wait until the exact expiration date. As long as your new plan starts within that 14-day window, your current provider cannot charge you a penalty for leaving early.

Even though the penalty-free window is 14 days, you can usually shop much earlier than that. Many providers let you lock in a new rate 30 to 60 days in advance, and sometimes even earlier. When you enroll, you can usually choose a future start date so the new plan begins when your current contract ends.

In most cases, the switch is handled for you. When you sign up with a new provider, they coordinate the change through the Texas grid system, so you do not have to cancel your old service separately under the normal switching process.

There is no interruption in power, and there should not be any overlap in service. Your old provider bills you through the switch date, and the new provider takes over after that. Most switches happen on the next meter read date, but in many cases you can also request a specific switch date to line up with your contract end date.

What Happens If You Cancel Your Electricity Contract Early in Brownsville?

If you cancel your electricity contract before it expires, you will usually have to pay an early termination fee. In many cases, that fee is around $100 to $150 for a 12-month plan, and $200 or more for a 24-month plan or longer. The exact amount depends on your provider and the terms of your contract.

Even so, paying the cancellation fee can sometimes still be the better financial move. A lot of people in Texas, especially those who are not familiar with how the market works, end up paying far too much for electricity. If your current plan is costing you much more than the best plans available today, switching early may still save you money even after the cancellation fee.

For example, if you are overpaying by more than $500 over the remaining life of your contract, canceling may be worth it. In some cases, the savings can be much higher.

How do you know if canceling makes sense?
The only way to know for sure is to compare:
  •  your current plan 
  •  the early termination fee 
  •  the best plans currently available in Brownsville 

We created a comparison tool only for that purpose. The full process is explained in this article:  Can You Save Money Switching Electricity Providers?

 
In that guide, we show you how to compare your current plan against the best options in the market. Our tool helps you estimate how much you would pay if you stay, how much you would pay if you switch, and whether you would actually save money after the cancellation fee.

Frequently Asked Questions about Electricity Rates in Brownsville

What is the best 12-month True Fixed rate in Brownsville right now?

The Cheapest 12-month True Fixed plan right now in Brownsville is True Power — True Value 12, with a rate of 11.1¢/kWh at 1000 kWh.

What is the average electricity bill in Brownsville for a small apartment (electric heating)?

Priced at the average of every 12 month True Fixed plan in Brownsville, the estimated monthly bill for a small apartment with electric heating is $87.67. That average includes the TDU delivery charges and assumes no provider base charge, so it works as a reference point: a similar home paying well above it is probably on an expensive plan.

What is the average electricity bill in Brownsville for a large house (electric heating)?

Priced at the average of every 12 month True Fixed plan in Brownsville, the estimated monthly bill for a large house with electric heating is $232.49. That average includes the TDU delivery charges and assumes no provider base charge, so it works as a reference point: a similar home paying well above it is probably on an expensive plan.

What is the average electricity bill in Brownsville for a large house (gas heating)?

Priced at the average of every 12 month True Fixed plan in Brownsville, the estimated monthly bill for a large house with gas heating is $191.57. That average includes the TDU delivery charges and assumes no provider base charge, so it works as a reference point: a similar home paying well above it is probably on an expensive plan.

How do I know if a plan I choose is a True Fixed plan in Brownsville?

If you find a plan that looks good on another provider’s website, in an online ad, or even on Power to Choose, you can still use Clear Energy Facts to double-check it.

First, download or open the plan’s Electricity Facts Label (EFL). Then compare it using our EFL Inspector: EFL Inspector .

This tool helps you tell whether a plan is truly fixed, a bill-credit plan, a free nights/weekends offer, or something else.

Which TDU serves Brownsville?

The primary TDU serving Brownsville is AEP Texas Central. This TDU owns and maintains local delivery poles and wires, and also manages outage restoration.

How do I confirm the correct TDU for my address in Brownsville?

Check your current electricity bill or service paperwork for the delivery utility name. If you are moving, enter your ZIP code and address during enrollment to confirm the exact TDU.