"Call your utility" is the wrong first step in Texas.
Most reconnect guides on the open web are written for traditional regulated markets. They tell you to call the utility, pay the past-due balance, and wait for a truck. In Texas that advice gets you nowhere.
Since 2002, most of the state has been deregulated. Your REP is the only party that can authorize a reconnection of your service. The TDU owns the meter and the line to your house, but it will not act without a service order from your REP, routed through the ERCOT MarkeTrak system.
If you call the TDU directly to plead your case, the agent will tell you to call your REP. That round trip costs you hours. Call the REP first, every time.
How a Texas reconnect actually moves.
Three parties, one short choreography. Once you understand who does what, the wait time stops feeling random.
Step 1 - You
Call your REP
Find the customer service number on your last bill. Tell them you want to reconnect. They will quote the past-due balance, the reconnect fee, and any reinstatement deposit.
Step 2 - You
Pay arrears plus fees
Pay the past-due balance and the reconnect fee in full, or set up an eligible payment plan. The REP will tell you the fastest payment method that posts in real time.
Step 3 - REP and TDU
Service order to ERCOT
The REP submits a reconnect order to your TDU through the ERCOT MarkeTrak system. With a smart meter the TDU energizes the meter remotely. Without one, a truck is dispatched.
If you have a smart meter and you paid before 5 pm on a weekday, expect power back the same hour. After-hours and weekend orders still process, but the TDU queue can stretch.
Every step, who pays, how long.
A single map of the reconnect choreography. Use it to push back on a REP agent who gives you a different story.
| Step | Who does it | Cost to you | Typical timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Call REP, confirm balance | You and your REP | $0 | 10 to 30 minutes on the phone |
| Pay arrears in full or set DPP | You | Full balance due | Real-time card or bank push |
| Reconnect fee | REP charges | $20 to $100 | Posted same call |
| Reinstatement deposit | REP may require | Up to 1/5 of annual bill | Within 12 months of prior disconnect |
| Service order to TDU (smart meter) | REP via ERCOT MarkeTrak | Included | 30 to 90 minutes |
| Service order to TDU (non-smart) | REP via ERCOT MarkeTrak, truck roll | Standard or priority fee | 1 to 5 business days |
| Priority same-day connect | REP charges, TDU executes | Add-on fee, varies | Same business day |
Fees in the table are PUCT-capped under Substantive Rule 25.483. Exact dollar amounts vary by REP and are published in your contract's EFL and Terms of Service.
A smart meter turns a 3-day wait into a 1-hour wait.
Roughly 7 million Texas homes already have an advanced meter. When the REP sends a reconnect order, the TDU energizes the meter remotely over its mesh network. No truck. No appointment. Typical end-to-end reconnect window: 30 to 90 minutes.
If your service still runs on a legacy electromechanical meter (uncommon now but possible in rural areas), the TDU has to dispatch a technician. Standard service orders are queued for 1 to 5 business days. A "priority" or after-hours reconnect costs extra and pulls you to the front of the queue, but only the TDU controls how fast the truck moves.
The reconnect fee itself typically runs $20 to $40 for a smart-meter remote reconnect and $30 to $100 for a standard truck roll, with after-hours or weekend dispatch on the higher end. Texas caps these fees under PUCT Substantive Rule 25.483.
all-in reconnect fee, typical Texas REP
The PUCT rules that protect you.
Four rules from the Texas Substantive Rules govern almost every reconnect dispute. If a REP refuses something on this list, escalate.
Disconnect notice and reconnect fees
Requires a written disconnect notice at least 10 days before service is cut, with the past-due amount and reasons clearly stated. Caps the reconnect fee a REP can charge and forbids "phantom" disconnect fees.
Deferred Payment Plan
Eligible customers can spread past-due balances over at least 5 months. The REP cannot demand more than 50% of the balance up front. A signed DPP blocks disconnection while you stay current.
Critical care and chronic condition customers
A registered critical-care customer cannot be disconnected for non-pay. To register, your physician completes the PUCT critical-care form and your REP files it. Renewal is required annually.
Prepaid service rules
If you are on a prepaid plan, low-balance disconnects follow a separate notification track. Critical-care customers may not enroll in prepaid plans, and weather-extreme bans still apply.
Extreme weather disconnect ban
When the PUCT declares an extreme weather emergency (heat advisory or hard freeze), no residential disconnects for non-pay are allowed during the declared window. The ban runs from declaration to end-of-event plus one business day.
If a REP refuses any of these protections, file a complaint with the PUCT consumer line at 1-888-782-8477 or 211 for the Texas helpline.
5 mistakes Texans make when reconnecting.
Each of these costs hours, dollars, or both. Skipping them keeps your reconnect on the fast track.
If you cannot pay the arrears.
The CEAP program, administered by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA), can pay past-due electric bills for eligible low-income households. Funds come from the federal LIHEAP grant.
Many REPs also run private hardship and emergency assistance funds, sometimes branded as "Neighbor to Neighbor" or "CARES". Ask your REP directly if any such fund is open.
Call 211 (the Texas helpline) or visit TDHCA CEAP to find your local community action agency.
Six things to do right now.
Call your REP
Number on your last bill. Ask for the past-due balance, the reconnect fee, and any reinstatement deposit, all in one quote.
Ask about a DPP
Eligible customers can spread arrears over at least 5 months under PUCT rule 25.480. Use the exact phrase: "I want to set up a Deferred Payment Plan."
Register critical-care
If anyone in your home depends on electric medical equipment, have your doctor sign the PUCT critical-care form. Submit it to your REP. Renew annually.
Apply for CEAP
Call 211 or contact your local community action agency. CEAP can pay arrears for eligible low-income households on a first-come basis.
Ask about extreme weather
During PUCT-declared heat advisories or hard freezes, non-pay disconnects are suspended. Confirm any pending disconnect is honoring the active weather order.
File with the PUCT
If you believe you were wrongly disconnected, call the PUCT consumer line at 1-888-782-8477 or file online at puc.texas.gov.
Common questions about Texas reconnection.
Only in narrow safety situations: meter tampering, theft of service, or a hazardous condition the TDU detects. For non-payment, PUCT Substantive Rule 25.483 requires the REP to send a written disconnect notice at least 10 days before service is cut, stating the past-due amount and the steps you can take to avoid disconnection.
It varies by REP, but typically runs from $20 to $40 for a smart-meter remote reconnect and $30 to $100 for a non-smart truck roll. After-hours and weekend reconnects cost more. The cap is set by PUCT rule 25.483 and the exact fee is published in your contract's Electricity Facts Label and Terms of Service.
A DPP is a PUCT-mandated installment plan under rule 25.480. Eligible customers can spread arrears over at least 5 months. The REP cannot demand more than 50% of the balance up front. Eligibility is based on circumstances such as a declared state of disaster, an extreme weather event, illness in the household, or other hardship. Once you sign a DPP and stay current, the REP cannot disconnect you.
Register as a critical-care or chronic-condition customer under PUCT rule 25.497. Your physician completes the PUCT critical-care form, and your REP files it. Once registered, a critical-care customer cannot be disconnected for non-payment. Registration must be renewed annually. Critical-care customers also get priority restoration after outages.
No, when the PUCT issues an extreme weather emergency order. The order suspends all residential non-pay disconnects from the declaration time through the end of the event plus one business day. Each summer the PUCT also adopts a heat-advisory protocol. Check puc.texas.gov for current orders.
The Comprehensive Energy Assistance Program (CEAP) is administered by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) using federal LIHEAP funds. Call 211 to be routed to your local community action agency, or visit TDHCA CEAP for eligibility and application steps. Funds are first-come, first-served and seasonal.
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