See commercial rates at your address
The process for starting commercial electricity in Texas depends on one question: does your location already have an electricity meter? Most businesses moving into an existing building, retail suite, or office space already have a meter. New construction — a ground-up build, a newly subdivided space, or a location that has never had electric service — requires a new meter installation from the TDU before a provider can start service.
Existing meter (most businesses)
New meter (new construction)
Most of this guide covers the existing-meter scenario, since that applies to the majority of new businesses, relocations, and second-location expansions. New meter installation is covered in Section 6.
Your ESID (Electric Service Identifier) is a unique 17–22 digit number assigned to every electricity meter in deregulated Texas. Your retail electricity provider needs this number to enroll your account and start service. Think of it as the address of your meter in the ERCOT system — it is how the market knows which physical meter belongs to which account.
The fastest way to find your ESID is to search by address using our free ESID lookup tool. Enter your business address and the tool returns your ESID, your TDU (Oncor, CenterPoint, AEP Texas, or TNMP), and whether the meter is classified as residential or commercial.
If the lookup returns no results, your address is likely new construction. The ESID does not exist until the TDU installs a physical meter and registers it with ERCOT. See Section 6 for the new meter installation process.
Other ways to find your ESID:
Once you have your ESID, the next step is choosing a retail electricity provider (REP). Texas has over 100 licensed REPs competing for commercial accounts. The rate you pay depends on your TDU territory, usage volume, contract length, and when you sign.
Commercial plans generally come in three structures:
| Plan Type | How It Works | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed-rate | Locked energy rate for the full contract term (6–60 months). TDU delivery charges still vary. | Most businesses. Predictable budgeting, protection from summer price spikes. |
| Variable / month-to-month | Rate changes monthly based on market conditions. No contract term, no ETF. | Short-term leases, temporary locations, or businesses waiting for a better fixed rate. |
| Indexed | Rate tied to a wholesale market index (typically ERCOT real-time or day-ahead) plus a fixed margin. | Large-usage businesses with the ability to shift load to off-peak hours. |
For most new commercial accounts, a fixed-rate plan is the safest starting point. It protects you from summer ERCOT price volatility while you establish your usage pattern. After 6–12 months of billing history, you will have the data to evaluate whether a different structure makes sense at renewal.
What you need to enroll:
When you enroll with a Texas electricity provider, your move-in request is processed through ERCOT using one of two transaction types. The one you choose determines how quickly your power turns on — whether you are opening a restaurant, moving into a new office, or activating a warehouse.
| Transaction | Timeline | Requirements | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| MVI (Move-In) | 2–3 business days | Standard enrollment. Start date must be 5+ business days out. | Planned moves where you have time to prepare. |
| PMVI (Priority Move-In) | Same day to next business day | Smart meter at the location. Enroll before the provider’s daily cutoff (typically noon CT). Additional fees may apply. | Urgent moves, last-minute lease signings, businesses that need power on immediately. |
Same-day business electricity is available across most of deregulated Texas if your location has a smart meter — and in 2026, the vast majority of commercial meters in Oncor, CenterPoint, and AEP Texas territories are smart meters. Enroll before the provider’s cutoff and service activates the same day with no truck roll. The meter is switched remotely.
If your location does not have a smart meter (older buildings, rural areas), activation requires a physical truck roll from the TDU to read or connect the meter. Even a PMVI takes 1–5 business days in that case.
Tips for fast activation:
Under PUCT Rule §25.478, providers can require a deposit from commercial customers who cannot demonstrate satisfactory credit. This is one of the most common friction points for new businesses — you need electricity to open, but you don’t have established business credit yet.
| Situation | Deposit Required? |
|---|---|
| Established business with good credit history | Typically no |
| New business, no credit history | Likely yes — amount based on estimated usage (up to 2 months of billing) |
| Business with previous late payments or disconnection | Yes |
| Government entities | No — exempt by PUCT rule |
How to reduce or avoid the deposit:
Deposits earn interest at a rate set annually by the PUCT and are typically refunded after 12–24 consecutive months of on-time payments.
If your business is moving into a new building, a newly subdivided retail space, or any location that has never had electric service, you need a new meter installation from your TDU before a provider can start service. This applies whether you are building a new restaurant, opening an office in a fresh build-out, setting up a medical clinic, or activating a warehouse or retail store.
The process involves your electrician, the city, and the utility — and the timeline depends on all three finishing their parts in sequence.
| Step | Who | What Happens | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Electrical work | Your electrician | Installs meter base, service entrance, and main panel to TDU specifications (Oncor’s Electric Service Requirements, CenterPoint’s Business Construction Handbook, etc.) | Depends on project |
| 2. City inspection | Local building department | Inspects electrical work and issues a release to the TDU. The TDU will not install a meter without this release. Some cities also require a Certificate of Occupancy. | 1–2 weeks |
| 3. TDU meter set | Oncor, CenterPoint, or AEP Texas | Installs the physical meter, creates your ESID in the ERCOT system, and registers the meter as ready for service. | 3–10 business days |
| 4. REP enrollment | Your chosen provider | Enrolls your ESID on a competitive supply contract. Do this before energization to avoid POLR (Provider of Last Resort) rates. | 1–3 business days |
| 5. Energization | TDU | TDU energizes the meter after the REP enrollment processes. Power is on. | Same day to 3 days |
Total timeline: 3–6 weeks for standard commercial service from the time your electrician finishes the installation. Larger services that require a new transformer can take far longer — Oncor’s published lead time for three-phase transformers is 14–16 weeks, and in 2026 pad-mount transformer lead times across Texas are running 30–50 weeks due to supply chain constraints and data center demand.
Do not skip REP enrollment. Until a retail electricity provider enrolls your new ESID on a competitive contract, the meter is either not energized or assigned to a POLR (Provider of Last Resort) at the POLR rate. POLR rates in Texas are set by the PUCT and are among the highest commercial rates available — they exist as a temporary safety net, not a viable supply option. Enroll with a competitive REP as soon as your ESID is created to ensure your meter is on a market-rate plan from day one.
TDU contact information for new meter installation:
Ground-up construction projects — a new restaurant build, a retail strip center, a warehouse — typically need electricity during the construction phase itself, before the permanent meter is installed. This is handled through a temporary construction meter, which is a separate service from the permanent commercial meter.
Request your temporary meter early in the construction schedule. Waiting until framing is complete to request construction power creates idle days where crews cannot work — a cost that compounds quickly on a commercial build.
Taking over an existing suite for a different type of business — converting a retail space into a restaurant, an office into a medical clinic, or a warehouse into a production facility — introduces an electrical consideration that catches many business owners off guard: the existing electrical service may not support your new use.
Most existing retail and office suites are wired for 200A single-phase service. That is sufficient for a small café or an office, but a full-service restaurant with commercial kitchen equipment, a medical clinic with imaging equipment, or a production facility with motor loads typically requires 400A+ three-phase service.
If your new use requires a service upgrade:
The right time to ask “when will we have power?” is not two weeks before opening. It is the day you start lease negotiations.
Look up your address using an ESID lookup tool. If an ESID exists, choose a retail electricity provider, enroll with your ESID and business information, and service starts within 1–3 business days via a standard MVI (Move-In) request, or same-day via PMVI (Priority Move-In) if the location has a smart meter. If no ESID exists (new construction), coordinate with your TDU for a new meter installation first — see Section 6.
MVI (Move-In) and PMVI (Priority Move-In) are the two ERCOT transaction types for starting electricity at a new location. MVI is the standard process and takes 2–3 business days; your start date must be at least 5 business days out. PMVI is an expedited request that activates service same-day or next business day, but requires a smart meter at the location and enrollment before the provider’s daily cutoff (typically noon CT). Some providers charge a small fee for PMVI.
For existing locations with a meter: same-day to 3 business days depending on whether you use a PMVI or standard MVI. For new construction requiring a new meter installation: 3–6 weeks for standard commercial service, longer if three-phase transformer installation is needed (Oncor quotes 14–16 weeks for three-phase transformers).
It depends on your credit. Under PUCT Rule §25.478, providers can require a deposit from businesses that cannot demonstrate satisfactory credit. Deposits are typically capped at two months of estimated billing. Businesses with good credit history or a letter of credit from a previous provider can often avoid the deposit entirely. Government entities are exempt.
Yes. If your location already has a smart meter, submit a PMVI (Priority Move-In) request before the provider’s daily cutoff — typically noon CT — and service can be active the same day. The meter is switched remotely with no truck roll needed. Locations without smart meters or locations requiring new meter installation cannot use same-day activation.
Your address likely needs a new meter installation. The ESID does not exist until the TDU installs a physical meter and registers it with ERCOT — typically within 24 hours of the meter being set. Contact your TDU to begin the new meter installation process. If the address is in a non-deregulated area (served by a municipal utility like Austin Energy or CPS Energy), an ESID will not exist because those areas use a different system.
Your general contractor or electrician requests a temporary service installation from the TDU (Oncor, CenterPoint, or AEP Texas). The site must pass a temporary service inspection first. Once the temporary meter is set (typically 5–10 business days), you enroll the temporary meter’s ESID with a REP on a month-to-month plan. When the permanent meter is installed and energized, the TDU removes the temporary meter.
POLR stands for Provider of Last Resort. If your new meter’s ESID is energized without an active REP enrollment, it gets assigned to a POLR at the PUCT-regulated POLR rate — one of the highest commercial rates in the Texas market. To avoid this, enroll with a competitive retail electricity provider before the TDU energizes your new meter. Most REPs can execute a forward-start contract aligned to your energization date.
See commercial rates at your business address