TDU charges are part of your monthly electricity bill in Texas that pay for the delivery of power from the plant to your home, management and maintenance of power lines, and the meter and measurement of your home’s electricity consumption.
TDU stands for Transmission/Distribution Utility. TDUs are the organizations that are responsible for the delivery of electricity from the power plant to your home or your business. They manage and maintain power lines, as well as the meter on your home that measures your home’s energy usage. TDUs may also be referred to as Transportation and Distribution Service Providers (TDSP).
When trees fall into power lines during a bad storm, your TDU is responsible for repairing that line and restoring electricity to the area that lost power as a result of that fallen tree.
How Are TDU Charges Determined?
Charges from TDUs are approved by the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) and will appear as a line item on your bill next to the phrase “TDU charges,” TDU delivery charges,” or “TDU pass-through charges.”
TDU charges are adjusted twice per year, every March 1 and September 1. View the latest TDU charge updates.
TDU charges change because the TDUs are allowed to recuperate all of the costs incurred from the services they provide. If Houston experienced several severe hurricanes that required Centerpoint Energy to provide more maintenance than normal, they would likely need to increase their charges for a certain time.
How to Find Your TDU Charges
Before you enroll in an electricity plan, you can view your region’s TDU charges on that plan’s Electricity Facts Label or Fact Sheet.
Other Charges on Your Electricity Bill
After you enroll in a plan, your electricity bill should break down your monthly payment into different charges including:
TDU charge
Energy charge
Base fee (many plans do not have base fees)
PUC assessment
Sales tax
How Many TDUs Are There in Texas?
There are currently five TDUs providing services to different regions throughout the state of Texas: Oncor, Centerpoint Energy, Texas-New Mexico Power, American Electric Power (AEP) Texas Central, and AEP Texas North.
Oncor services most of North Texas, Centerpoint Energy services the Houston area, Texas-New Mexico Power provides services to West Texas, and AEP services Central and South Texas.
Here are a few of the major cities that lie within the service area of Texas’ Transmission and Distribution Service Providers.
Oncor: Dallas, Fort Worth, Waco, Temple, Round Rock, Midland, Odessa
Centerpoint: Houston, Beaumont
Texas-New Mexico Power: League City, Glen Rose, Pecos, Angleton
AEP Texas Central: Corpus Christi, McAllen, Victoria, Laredo, Harlingen
AEP Texas North: Abilene, San Angelo, Vernon
Soon, there will be a sixth TDU in Texas. Lubbock will soon join the deregulated energy market in Texas. You can read more about that transition in our guide to electricity choice in Lubbock.
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