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A common question with a simple answer

Oncor vs CenterPoint — What's the Difference?

The short answer: you don't choose between them. Here's what they actually are, which one serves your address, and why it matters less than you might think.

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Oncor and CenterPoint aren't electricity companies you sign up with — they're the regulated utilities that own the physical wires to your home.

Side by side

What each one actually is

Oncor

Serves: Dallas–Fort Worth and most of North, Central, and West Texas

Texas's largest delivery utility by territory size. If you live in the DFW metro or much of North Texas, Oncor almost certainly owns the poles and wires to your home — regardless of which REP (TXU, Gexa, Reliant, etc.) you choose.

CenterPoint Energy

Serves: Greater Houston and the Gulf Coast

Covers Houston, Baytown, Galveston, Sugar Land, and most of the surrounding metro. Same role as Oncor — owns the physical delivery infrastructure, regardless of which REP you sign up with.

The choice that actually matters

Your REP, not your TDU

Since your TDU is fixed by address and every REP in that territory pays the same delivery rate, it has almost no bearing on which electricity plan is the best deal for you. What actually varies — and is worth comparing — is your Retail Electric Provider: the energy rate, contract term, and whether a plan has a usage-based bill credit worth chasing. See our full breakdown of every fee on a Texas bill for the complete picture.

Compare what actually changes your bill

See real plan costs for your address

Our calculator bakes your area's delivery cost into every total automatically — so you're comparing real, all-in numbers from the start.

Compare Real Plan Costs →

Oncor vs CenterPoint — FAQ

Can I choose between Oncor and CenterPoint?

No. Your delivery utility (TDU) is fixed entirely by your physical address — Oncor serves Dallas-Fort Worth and most of North/Central/West Texas, while CenterPoint serves the greater Houston area. You can't select one over the other; only your Retail Electric Provider (REP) is a choice.

Is Oncor better than CenterPoint, or vice versa?

They're not really comparable as a "which is better" question — you don't choose between them, and both are regulated similarly by the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) with comparable reliability standards. The meaningful choice for your bill is which Retail Electric Provider you pick, not which TDU serves your address.

Does my delivery charge differ between Oncor and CenterPoint?

Delivery rates are set independently for each TDU through PUCT tariff filings and can differ somewhat between territories, but every REP operating in a given territory pays and passes through the exact same rate — so it's not something you can shop around within your own address.

How do I know if I'm in Oncor or CenterPoint territory?

It's determined by your street address, not your city name alone — some cities have areas split between multiple TDUs. Your Retail Electric Provider will identify the correct TDU automatically when you enter your address to sign up or compare plans.