Electricity in Dallas
Dallas electricity is a summer story with a wind-and-ice subplot. From May to September, an average household pulls about 6,300 kWh — roughly 45% of the annual total in a third of the year¹⁴. That window — not the EFL's tidy 1,000 kWh tier¹³ — judges the plan you pick. Around 80 REPs sell into Oncor's wires here⁴; the right plan for a Dallas household is the one that stays honest above 1,500 kWh.
Quick facts — Dallas
- Utility (TDU)
- Oncor Electric Delivery
- Market
- Deregulated (Texas competitive market)
- Avg residential usage
- 1,170 kWh/month
- Avg residential bill
- $178/month
- Retail providers serving
- ~80 REPs (PUCT-registered)
- Avg outage duration
- 110 minutes/year (SAIDI)
- Base Power available
- Yes
- TDU base charge
- $4/mo
- TDU energy delivery
- 5.62¢/kWh
About electricity in Dallas
Cooling load drives the math. July and August daily highs average near 96°F¹; modeled household usage swings from 700 kWh in April to 1,750 kWh in August¹⁴ — almost entirely air conditioning. Most of Dallas is on Oncor's wires¹⁵, which is the territory Base Power sells into — the address block below confirms whether any specific home qualifies. Dallas is also the state's largest center for the bank, telecom, and tech sectors that anchor steady metro growth.
Reliability tracks the median for Texas urban utilities — Oncor's 2024 PUCT filing reports about 110 minutes of outage per residential customer annually, excluding major-event days⁶. The local failure mode is wind, ice, and equipment, not bulk-grid capacity. Winter Storm Uri in February 2021 remains the standout event⁷; a February 2023 ice storm knocked out hundreds of thousands of Oncor customers across DFW⁹; the May 2024 thunderstorm-and-derecho complex damaged transmission and distribution across the metro¹⁰.
How usage shifts across the year
| Month | Avg kWh | Avg high °F | Avg low °F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1,250 | 56.5 | 36.1 |
| Feb | 1,050 | 60.9 | 40.1 |
| Mar | 800 | 68.6 | 47.8 |
| Apr | 700 | 76.1 | 55.2 |
| May | 1,100 | 83.6 | 64.5 |
| Jun | 1,500 | 91.5 | 72.2 |
| Jul | 1,700 | 95.6 | 75.8 |
| Aug | 1,750 | 95.8 | 75.7 |
| Sep | 1,300 | 88.6 | 68.5 |
| Oct | 800 | 78.4 | 57.1 |
| Nov | 850 | 66.6 | 46.2 |
| Dec | 1,200 | 57.9 | 38.3 |
Source: NOAA Climate Data Online (1991–2020 normals) + EIA RECS 2020 cooling-degree-day model
Local climate
North Texas humid subtropical — long hot summers with July highs near 96°F, mild winters punctuated by occasional Arctic outbreaks, and a busy spring severe-weather season dominated by thunderstorm wind and hail.
Switch to Base Power in Dallas
Type your address. We'll check service availability and route you to checkout if Base is the right fit.
Neighborhoods we serve
- Uptown 75204 High-density mixed-use corridor immediately north of downtown
- Lakewood 75214 Established residential neighborhood east of White Rock Lake
- Lower Greenville 75206 Walkable corridor with restaurants and vintage residential streets
- Bishop Arts 75208 North Oak Cliff arts and dining district south of the Trinity
- Deep Ellum 75226 Historic music and arts district east of downtown
Frequently asked questions
Who is my utility (TDU) in Dallas?#
Oncor for nearly all of Dallas¹⁵ — Oncor owns the wires, poles, and meter, and dispatches the line crews when the lights go out. Whichever REP you sign up with handles your billing, but the restoration call goes to Oncor every time.
How do I switch electricity providers in Dallas?#
Pick a plan, give the REP your service address, and ERCOT switches your meter on the next business day or your next meter-read date. Typical changeover: 1–3 days with no service interruption. The new REP coordinates with Oncor automatically.
What's the average electricity bill in Dallas?#
Modeled annual residential usage in Dallas is ~14,000 kWh, peaking near 1,750 kWh in August and bottoming near 700 kWh in April¹⁴. At Texas's February 2026 average residential rate of 15.41¢/kWh², that runs roughly $2,160 a year. The seasonal swing pulls August closer to $270 and April closer to $108.
Why does my bill go up so much in summer?#
Cooling, mostly. Dallas's July and August averages near 96°F mean A/C runs hard for months¹. Cooling load roughly doubles monthly kWh between April's shoulder and August's peak¹⁴ — that's the half of the year when plan structure actually shows up on the bill.
What's an EFL?#
An Electricity Facts Label is the one-pager every Texas REP must publish per plan, under PUCT Substantive Rule §25.475¹³. It shows the all-in rate at three usage tiers: 500, 1,000, and 2,000 kWh. Dallas's August reality is closer to 1,750 kWh — only the 2,000 kWh column reflects what you'll actually pay; the 1,000 kWh column is the one bill-credit plans optimize around. Read both — the gap between them is the plan's honesty test.
Can I get a 100% renewable plan in Dallas?#
Yes. Multiple REPs offer 100% renewable-content plans, accounted for via Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) — one REC per MWh of qualifying generation¹², retired by the REP against your monthly usage. Plan structure (rate, term, EFL) doesn't change. Oncor delivers the same electrons over the same wires regardless of which plan you pick.
What happens during a power outage in Dallas?#
Report to Oncor (1-888-313-4747 or oncor.com) — your REP can't dispatch line crews. Most non-event Dallas outages trace to thunderstorm wind or equipment faults⁶. Major events are the outliers: Winter Storm Uri Feb 2021⁷, the February 2023 ice storm⁹, and the May 2024 thunderstorm-and-derecho complex¹⁰.
Does Base Power Company serve Dallas?#
Yes — nearly all of Dallas is in Oncor territory, which is where Base Power sells¹⁵. The address widget on this page checks your specific service availability in seconds. Once Base confirms your address, the switch processes through ERCOT in 1–3 business days with no service interruption.
Sources
- NOAA NCEI Climate Data Online — 1991–2020 monthly normals, Dallas/Fort Worth International station (USW00003927); verified against the NWS Fort Worth records-and-normals pageRetrieved
- EIA Open Data API v2 — Texas residential retail rate (Feb 2026: 15.41¢/kWh)Retrieved
- US Census Bureau — ACS 5-Year Estimates (2024 release), Dallas city, TX housing dataRetrieved
- PUCT — Directory of Retail Electric ProvidersRetrieved
- Oncor Tariff for Retail Delivery Service (2025 schedule, currently effective; 2026 rate case approved by PUCT 2026-04-17, new rates pending tariff filing)Retrieved
- Oncor 2024 PUCT System Reliability Report (IEEE 1366 SAIDI, excluding major-event days)Retrieved
- NWS Fort Worth — Winter Storm Uri (February 2021) post-event summaryRetrieved
- NWS Fort Worth — DFW severe-weather climatology and storm reportsRetrieved
- NPR — "Ice storm leaves hundreds of thousands of Texans without power" (Feb 2023); Oncor restoration map citations naming DFW among hardest-hit metrosRetrieved
- Dallas Morning News — May 2024 derecho and severe thunderstorm coverage; Oncor outage and restoration reports across the DFW metroRetrieved
- Dallas Regional Chamber — Dallas economic anchors and major-employer profileRetrieved
- ERCOT — Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) program documentationRetrieved
- PUCT Substantive Rule §25.475 — Information Disclosures to Residential and Small Commercial Customers (Electricity Facts Label requirements)Retrieved
- EIA Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS 2020) — West-South-Central census division (cooling-degree-day elasticity used for monthly kWh modeling)Retrieved
- EIA Form 861 via findenergy.com — Dallas city electricity service split (Oncor primary territory)Retrieved