🇺🇸 Cheapest electricity hours in Texas today
See Texas's current wholesale electricity price and the cheapest available hours today.
When is electricity cheapest in Texas?
Texas runs its own power grid, managed by ERCOT (the Electric Reliability Council of Texas), covering roughly 90% of the state's electricity load. This page shows the statewide hub average price from ERCOT's day-ahead market.
ERCOT's grid is intentionally not synchronously connected to the two other major US power grids, which keeps it largely outside direct federal (FERC) regulation — but it also means Texas has very limited ability to import emergency power from neighboring states. West Texas has some of the highest wind power capacity in the country, so strong wind output — often overnight — can push prices low or even negative. Prices tend to spike during periods of extreme heat or cold, when demand is very high and the grid has little outside help available.
This dynamic played out dramatically during Winter Storm Uri in February 2021, when extreme cold knocked out a large share of ERCOT's generating capacity while heating demand spiked, pushing wholesale prices to the market cap for days.
The price shown here is the ERCOT wholesale market price, not your retail electricity rate. Most Texas households are on fixed-rate plans from a competitive retail provider, so this wholesale price will usually differ from what's on your bill — unless you're specifically on a wholesale-indexed plan.
Frequently asked questions
Why was electricity in Texas so expensive in February 2021?
During Winter Storm Uri in February 2021, extreme cold knocked out a large share of ERCOT's power plants at the same time that demand for heating spiked. Because ERCOT's grid is isolated and largely can't import emergency power from neighboring states, wholesale prices hit the market cap of $9,000/MWh for days, causing massive bills for customers on wholesale-linked plans.
When is electricity cheapest in Texas?
Prices tend to be lowest overnight and in the middle of the day, especially on windy days — West Texas has some of the highest wind power capacity in the US, and strong wind output combined with low demand can push prices very low or even negative.
Is this the same price as my electricity bill?
No. This is the ERCOT wholesale market price. Most Texas households are on fixed-rate retail plans from a competitive retail electricity provider, and the retail price includes transmission and distribution charges, provider margin and fees — it does not move hour by hour the way this wholesale price does, unless you're specifically on a wholesale-indexed plan.
Why does Texas have its own separate electricity grid?
ERCOT operates almost entirely within Texas and is intentionally not synchronously connected to the two other major US grids (the Eastern and Western Interconnections). This keeps ERCOT outside direct federal (FERC) regulation, but it also means Texas has very limited ability to import emergency power from neighboring states during extreme weather or high-demand events.
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