For Dallas resident Ines Cervantes, summer electricity bills have become a painful balancing act as prices surge across the state.
Here’s what to know
According to The Dallas Morning News, the 69-year-old said her usual bills had been about $275 to $350 before they jumped to almost $460 in June and nearly $515 in July for her 1,300-square-foot home in Oak Cliff.
After she was unable to cover the full amount for several months, her August balance ballooned to $970. Dallas County helped her secure federal bill assistance, but she still cuts back on grocery shopping to afford the growing power costs.
From 2021 to 2024, household electricity spending climbed in Dallas-Fort Worth, spreading energy insecurity across the state. The term energy insecurity refers to trouble covering power bills or having to forgo heating or air conditioning because money is tight.
In 2024, a little over 40% of Texas households were energy insecure, compared with roughly 34% in 2020, according to Energy Information Administration figures cited by The Dallas Morning News. That put Texas third among the states for households unable to afford utilities.
The state also saw a faster rise than the country overall in households paying more than $200 per month for electricity. In Dallas-Fort Worth alone, the share increased by more than 15% between 2021 and 2024.
More background
Part of the increase traces back to the post-2021 push to strengthen Texas’ power system after Winter Storm Uri, which killed more than 200 people and revealed major weaknesses in the grid.
State officials required electric companies to make improvements across generation, transmission, and distribution. Much of that expense has trickled down to households through charges connected to bonds sold in the storm’s aftermath, the story reported.
UT Dallas professor Erin Litzow also told the paper that rising demand is adding to the strain on prices. With North Texas bringing in more residents and businesses, utilities including Oncor are expanding infrastructure, and Litzow said the rapid growth of data centers in Texas could intensify the need for more capacity.
At the same time, hotter weather and inflation are making the problem harder for families to manage. More extreme heat raises the need for air conditioning, while higher costs elsewhere in the household budget can leave less money for utility bills and energy efficiency improvements.
What can be done?
Public assistance can blunt some of the immediate pain. Cervantes received help through Dallas County, and she hopes to again qualify for the county’s weatherization assistance program, which insulated her home.
Another option is to look for a cheaper electricity plan in parts of Texas where customers can choose a provider. Over time, households may also trim bills through smaller efficiency steps such as sealing drafts, adding insulation, and staying current on air conditioning maintenance.
The report also noted that costs could come down somewhat if heavy power users such as data centers and large factories supplied more of their own electricity and storage. Incentive programs that pay customers to shift consumption away from peak demand periods could further ease grid stress.
A near-term drop in electricity prices appears unlikely, leaving Cervantes and many other Texans still confronting familiar trade-offs among food, comfort, and keeping the lights on.
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