"Co-op members in Texas can't shop suppliers". Except they can, in 78372.
Almost every guide on Texas electricity opens with the same line: "If you're served by a municipal utility or a cooperative, you can't choose your retail provider." For about 70 Texas co-ops out of 75, that is correct: they opted out of retail competition in 2002 under PURA.
Nueces Electric Cooperative did not. On August 16, 2004 NEC opted INTO retail electric competition, becoming one of a tiny handful of Texas co-ops where members CAN compare REPs on the state's Power to Choose portal. If you live in Driscoll, Robstown, Bishop, Kingsville or anywhere else in NEC's 8-county Coastal Bend footprint, you have a choice most Texas co-op members do not.
The catch. The default supplier (NEC's own retail brand NEC Co-op Energy) is just one option among many on Power to Choose. Stay if it is competitive; switch if it is not. That is the decision this page is built to help you make.
How an NEC bill is built: three layers, one of them shoppable.
An NEC service-area bill follows the same three-layer logic as any Texas bill in the competitive market. Because NEC opted in, the supply layer IS open to competition for you.
Layer 1 / Shoppable for NEC members
Supply (¢/kWh)
The electricity itself. NEC Co-op Energy is the default. You can pick a different REP on Power to Choose for ZIP 78372.
Layer 2 / Locked
TDU wires charge
NEC's own poles, wires, transformers and meter reading. Approved by the PUCT. You pay it no matter which REP you sign with.
Layer 3 / Mandatory
Fees, riders & taxes
Monthly base charge, PCRF when present, state/local sales tax (cities only; rural unincorporated areas are tax-exempt).
For NEC members, layer 1 (usually 40 to 55% of the bill) is the one you actually control by shopping a REP.
NEC default service vs a competitor REP, line by line.
A side-by-side view of what changes (and what does not) when an NEC member switches off the default to a Power to Choose plan.
| Line on the bill | NEC default (NEC Co-op Energy) | Competitor REP | Who sets it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy / Supply | NEC's posted rate | REP's contracted rate | The retailer you choose |
| PCRF / fuel adjustment | Variable, applied monthly | Usually baked into the all-in REP rate | Co-op board / REP contract |
| TDU delivery | NEC wires charge | Same NEC wires charge | PUCT-approved NEC tariff |
| Monthly base / customer charge | NEC member fee | REP base + NEC TDU base | Co-op board + REP |
| Capital credits | Eligible | Still eligible (you remain an NEC member) | NEC bylaws |
| Sales tax | Per city; rural exempt | Same; depends on address, not REP | Texas Comptroller |
Switching REPs in NEC territory does not change your wires company or your co-op membership. You keep the capital credits, keep the outage hotline, change only the supply line.
Most NEC members never compare. The ones who do save ~$200/year.
Industry data on the rest of competitive Texas suggests that fewer than 1 in 5 eligible customers actively shop their plan in a given year. Inside an opted-in co-op like NEC the share is almost certainly lower: most members assume "co-op = no choice" and never check.
For a Driscoll household using 1,300 kWh/month, the spread between the priciest and the cheapest fixed-rate REP listed on Power to Choose for ZIP 78372 is routinely 3 to 5 ¢/kWh. That is $470 to $780 per year at the extremes, and a realistic mid-case switch saves about $200.
Switching takes about ten minutes online and does not interrupt service. You stay on NEC's wires, keep your meter, keep your capital-credit record.
at default 13¢/kWh supply, all-in
How NEC's retail-choice opt-in actually works.
A short tour of the four moving pieces behind any NEC 78372 bill in the competitive market.
PURA + the 2002 co-op carve-out
When Texas opened most of its grid to retail competition under PURA on January 1, 2002, the law let each electric cooperative and municipal utility hold a separate vote on whether to opt in. Almost all co-ops opted OUT, which is why most rural Texans still have a single supplier.
NEC's August 16, 2004 opt-in
The NEC board voted to open its territory to retail competition effective August 16, 2004. From that day, members in all 8 counties could pick their own REP.
The NEC Co-op Energy affiliate
NEC spun up its own PUCT-licensed REP (NEC Co-op Energy at 1-855-632-7348, neccoopenergy.com) to keep serving members who do not actively shop. It is the default supplier; competitors are listed alongside it on Power to Choose for ZIP 78372.
Wires stay with the co-op
Whichever REP you pick, NEC remains your TDU. Outages still go through 1-800-NEC-WATT (1-800-632-9288), meter reading is still NEC, capital credits keep accruing because membership does not depend on the supply contract.
In short: same poles, same outage line, same co-op governance. Just a different name on the supply line of the bill if you choose to switch.
How NEC members quietly overpay.
Five patterns specific to a co-op that opted into retail competition. Each one costs real money. Each one is fixable in an evening.
Coastal Bend hurricane season and NEC outages.
Driscoll, Robstown, Bishop and Kingsville sit inside the Coastal Bend: Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 through November 30, peaks in September. NEC's grid is rural overhead line; a Category 1 strike will knock out power for hours, a Category 3+ for days.
Report outages immediately to 1-800-NEC-WATT (1-800-632-9288): the line is staffed 24/7. Do not assume your neighbor already called. NEC's restoration crew works highest-customer-count circuits first, then radials.
What to actually do in 78372.
Shop Power to Choose for 78372
Enter your ZIP at powertochoose.org. Because NEC opted in, you will see a real list of plans (not the empty result most Texas co-op ZIPs return).
Compare against NEC Co-op Energy
Pull your default rate from NEC Co-op Energy at neccoopenergy.com or 1-855-632-7348. Plug both into the calculator above at YOUR usage.
Contact NEC member services
Robstown HQ: 1-800-632-9288, Mon-Fri 8am-5pm. The Orange Grove service center is closed: Robstown handles its former territory.
Report an outage
24/7 outage line: 1-800-NEC-WATT. Have your account number and street address ready. Do not call the REP for outages.
Bill assistance
If you are behind, apply for CEAP through your local community action agency. Federal funding flows from LIHEAP.
Cut usage, not just rate
In Coastal Bend heat, a heat-pump retrofit and smart thermostat will outperform any REP switch. Federal IRS energy credits stack with NEC member rebates where available.
Common questions about NEC and 78372.
Yes. According to NEC's own website (nueceselectric.org), the Nueces Electric Cooperative Retail Electric Choice began on August 16, 2004. Almost every other Texas cooperative opted OUT in 2002, which is why NEC is unusual: members in Driscoll (78372), Robstown, Bishop, Kingsville and the rest of the 8-county footprint can shop suppliers on Power to Choose.
NEC Co-op Energy is the licensed Retail Electric Provider (REP) owned by the cooperative. NEC the co-op still owns the wires, poles and meters and handles outages. NEC Co-op Energy is the supply brand on Power to Choose: the default for members who do not actively shop. You can stay with it or pick a competitor, with no impact on co-op membership.
No. Capital credits accrue to members of the cooperative. The supply contract is separate from membership. Whether you buy power from NEC Co-op Energy or any other REP listed on Power to Choose, you remain a member-owner and your capital-credit record continues.
Always call NEC the cooperative, not your REP. The 24/7 outage hotline is 1-800-NEC-WATT (1-800-632-9288). Your REP only sells electricity: NEC owns the wires and dispatches the trucks.
No. The Orange Grove service center is closed. NEC members in that area are now served by the Robstown HQ at 14353 Cooperative Ave, Robstown TX 78380 (Mon-Fri 8am-5pm) or the Ben Bolt office at 5646 S. Hwy 281, Alice TX. Phone for either: 1-800-632-9288.
NEC serves about 34,846 member-owners across 8 Coastal Bend counties with 3,671 miles of distribution line. It was founded in 1938 under the federal Rural Electrification Act (REA) that brought power to rural America.
More U.S. states with energy choice
Same playbook, different utility. Pick another deregulated state to compare utilities, suppliers and switching rules.
