San Antonio TX Electricity Plans: Real Cost at 1,000 kWh

If you are shopping for electricity in San Antonio the way you would in Houston or Dallas, stop here first. Most addresses in the city are served by CPS Energy, a municipally owned utility that never opted into Texas retail electric competition. You do not pick a retail electric provider (REP) on Power to Choose; you pay CPS’s tariff, which moves with fuel costs, regulatory riders, and a summer peak adder. That single fact changes what “plan” means—and what “cost at 1,000 kWh” should measure.

This guide translates San Antonio’s regulated model into dollars you can budget: how the bill is built, what 1,000 kWh typically costs, how that compares to statewide data and competitive Texas cities, and what you can still do to lower usage or total spend.

Why everyone quotes 1,000 kWh (even when you do not use exactly that)

Texas competitive-market plans must publish an Electricity Facts Label (EFL) with the total average price in cents per kilowatt-hour at 500, 1,000, and 2,000 kWh per month for residential customers (¹). The ² designed that format so offers are comparable “apples to apples,” like a nutrition label for price.

The 1,000 kWh tier became the de facto headline because comparison sites and the state’s Power to Choose portal sort and advertise on it. Plans can look cheapest at exactly 1,000 kWh while costing more at 850 or 1,500 kWh once bill credits, minimum-use fees, or tiered energy charges kick in—a pattern the PUCT’s three-tier EFL is meant to expose, not eliminate.

San Antonio twist: CPS customers are generally not buying a labeled REP product. Your “plan” is the utility’s residential tariff plus monthly adjustments. The 1,000 kWh benchmark is still useful: it matches how CPS benchmarks bills in public comparisons and how the ³ thinks about typical homes.

National context: U.S. residential customers averaged 16.48¢/kWh in 2024 across all sectors bundled in EIA’s national table (⁴). Texas at 14.94¢/kWh residential sits below that national figure, but city-level muni averages can be lower still.

San Antonio is not on the Texas “power to choose” map

Roughly three-quarters of load in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) sits in competitive retail areas, but municipal utilities and cooperatives may opt out (⁵). San Antonio’s City Council passed a resolution in 2001 electing not to participate in retail competition (⁶).

The ⁷ notes it does not set retail rates for municipally owned utilities such as CPS Energy in San Antonio, though it retains limited appellate authority and wholesale transmission oversight. Practically, that means:

• One electric seller for most homes: CPS Energy, governed by a local board and city council—not a menu of REPs (⁸).
• No EFL shopping for the bulk of Bexar County; rate changes run through CPS and city approval (⁹).
• PUCT consumer tools like ¹⁰ apply when you are in ERCOT and not served by a muni or co-op.

CPS’s electric territory spans about 1,515 square miles, including Bexar County and portions of Atascosa, Bandera, Comal, Guadalupe, Kendall, Medina, and Wilson counties (¹¹). The utility served more than 950,000 electric customers in that footprint for the year ended January 31, 2025 (⁶). If your address is in a neighboring county fringe, confirm on CPS boundary maps before assuming competitive market rules apply.

How CPS builds your bill at 1,000 kWh

CPS separates base rate components from pass-through adjustments (¹²).

Fixed and energy charges (tariff)

The ¹³ (effective with the February 2024 rate case) includes:

At 1,000 kWh in a summer month, the tariff energy stack before adjustments is approximately:

• $9.50 service charge
• $75.03 energy (1,000 × $0.07503)
• $8.60 peak capacity (400 kWh × $0.02150 above the 600 kWh threshold)
• ≈ $93.13 in base energy + peak lines

In October–May, the peak line drops off; the same 1,000 kWh lands near $84.53 before fuel and regulatory riders.

Base rates rose 4.25% effective February 1, 2024, after board and city council approval (⁹; ¹²).

Fuel and regulatory adjustments (the moving parts)

Retail bills also include:

• Fuel Adjustment Charge — recovers generation fuel and purchased power; computed monthly and can be a charge or credit. CPS publishes a current-month breakdown (for example, 35.4% generated, 40.2% renewable, 3.6% market power, 15.9% STEP, and 4.9% Winter Storm Uri in its posted mix) (¹²).
• Regulatory Adjustment — recovers ERCOT-wide transmission and related costs, among other approved items (¹²).

CPS publishes a blended “Average Cost Per kWh” for residential customers that rolls base and riders together. As of the utility’s June 2026 projection window, the 12-month average was 12.8¢/kWh (July 2025 through June 2026), with 12.6¢/kWh projected for June 2026 (¹²).

Translation at 1,000 kWh: 12.8¢ × 1,000 ≈ $128/month in electric charges using that all-in average—before city taxes or optional programs, and recognizing summer peak months can run hotter than winter months even at the same usage.

CPS’s own ¹⁴ shows a higher illustrative ~$196/month at 1,000 kWh after the February 2024 rate increase (versus ~$192 before). The tool is informational only and assumes historical usage patterns; it is not a guarantee of your next bill. When the estimator and the blended ¢/kWh average diverge, trust your actual metered usage plus the tariff lines on your PDF bill.

Winter Storm Uri recovery (small but real)

Since February 1, 2024, Uri recovery factors include $0.00080 per kWh for retail electric customers on the regulatory side (¹²)—about $0.80 per month at 1,000 kWh.

Real cost at 1,000 kWh: three numbers that answer different questions

1) Electric-only, utility’s all-in average (~$128)

Multiplying CPS’s published 12.8¢/kWh 12-month average by 1,000 kWh yields roughly $128 in monthly electric spend at that usage level (¹²). That aligns with CPS reporting 12.28¢ average residential revenue per kWh for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2025 (¹¹).

2) Electric + typical gas bundle (~$170)

CPS compares ten large U.S. cities using 1,000 kWh electric and 5 MCF gas in FY2025. San Antonio totals $169.64 for that combined bundle—the lowest in the table—versus $212.70 (Houston) and $247.23 (Dallas) for electric-only competitive-market examples (¹¹). Footnotes note Houston and Dallas electric figures come from Power to Choose 12-month offers with high customer ratings.

If you are benchmarking “my utility bill,” use the same fuel definition: many San Antonio homes heat water and cook with gas, so the combined figure is fairer than electric alone.

3) Summer stress test (same usage, higher tariff lines)

From June through September, every kWh over 600 picks up 2.15¢ in peak capacity charges (¹³). At 1,000 kWh that is $8.60/month on top of winter tariff math, before hotter weather pushes usage itself above 1,000 kWh.

ERCOT’s statewide peak demand keeps setting records—85,508 MW on August 10, 2023, with roughly 250 homes per MW during peak hours (¹⁵). CPS’s summer 2024 operational review noted peak loads remain sensitive to evening solar ramp-down across ERCOT (¹⁶). San Antonio summers track that grid stress through CPS’s peak charge and a generation portfolio that includes gas, coal, nuclear, purchases, and renewables (¹¹).

How San Antonio compares to Texas averages and competitive cities

Statewide retail average (EIA): Texas residential customers averaged 14.94¢/kWh in 2024—about $149 per 1,000 kWh if that average applied flat (³). San Antonio’s CPS-published 12.8¢ all-in average sits below that statewide residential average, but remember: EIA figures blend competitive and regulated areas and include TDU delivery economics that differ from CPS’s integrated muni model.

Competitive metros (REP + TDU): In deregulated ERCOT cities, the TDU (CenterPoint, Oncor, AEP, TNMP) still delivers power; the REP bills you. PUCT rules require EFL disclosure at 500 / 1,000 / 2,000 kWh so you can see bill-credit cliffs (¹). Houston and Dallas headline 1,000 kWh averages in marketing, but effective price tracks your actual usage tier.

Takeaway for relocators: Moving from Dallas to San Antonio is not “choosing a cheaper REP.” You are switching regulatory models—from shopping EFLs to monitoring CPS adjustments and city rate cases.

Tax note: Competitive REPs in incorporated cities may pass through miscellaneous gross receipts tax reimbursements on bills (¹⁷). CPS muni bills follow different local tax treatment; compare total dollars, not just energy charge.

What you can control (without switching providers)

1. Usage level — Air conditioning drives ERCOT peaks and CPS summer peak charges. Efficiency upgrades and setpoint discipline attack the kWh multiplier, not just the rate.
2. Seasonal timing — Same 1,000 kWh costs less in winter than summer because of the 600 kWh peak threshold (¹³).
3. Programs — CPS lists savings programs, bill assistance, and efficiency rebates on its site; eligibility varies.
4. Gas vs electric end-uses — Combined-bill comparisons show gas still matters for total wallet impact (¹¹).
5. Advocacy — Rate changes go through CPS board and San Antonio City Council (⁹); public hearings are the competitive-market equivalent of “voting with your feet.”

You cannot legally bypass CPS with a retail contract inside its certificated electric territory merely because a comparison website lists “San Antonio plans.” Those listings target competitive footprints, not the muni island.

Renters, new move-ins, and small businesses

Renters: Your landlord may or may not roll electric into rent. If you open CPS service in your name, you still pay the tariff and riders; there is no third-party EFL.
New construction: CPS requires boundary checks before subdivision energization (¹⁸).
Small commercial: CPS publishes separate commercial tariffs (general service, large lighting/power, extra-large power) on the ⁹. The 1,000 kWh residential benchmark does not map cleanly to business demand charges or load factor assumptions used in small-commercial EFLs (¹).

Edge cases: when “San Antonio” on a map is not CPS electric

• Competitive pockets in Greater San Antonio metro may be served by REPs and TDUs while the city core stays CPS. Always verify the ESIID service address.
• Adjacent counties may be in CPS’s certificated area but outside Bexar board quadrants for governance purposes (¹⁹).
• Co-ops and munis elsewhere follow the same opt-out logic described in ²⁰.

If your ZIP code shows plans on Power to Choose, you are likely outside CPS electric territory even if mail says “San Antonio.”

Decision checklist at 1,000 kWh

1. Confirm provider — CPS account vs REP account.
2. Pick the right benchmark — Electric-only (~$128 at 12.8¢ all-in) vs electric + gas (~$170 using CPS city comparison).
3. Seasonalize — Re-run expectations for June–September with the peak capacity line.
4. Read adjustments monthly — Fuel and regulatory lines change without a new “plan.”
5. Compare fairly to Dallas/Houston friends — Their 1,000 kWh EFL rate excludes your bundled muni structure; use the CPS fact sheet methodology if you want an apples-to-apples city table (¹¹).
6. If moving out of CPS territory — Only then shop EFLs at 500 / 1,000 / 2,000 kWh on Power to Choose and read the contract fees (²).

Bottom line

For most San Antonio residents, “electricity plans” means CPS’s residential tariff, not a competitive EFL. At 1,000 kWh, the utility’s own trailing 12.8¢/kWh average points to about $128 in monthly electric charges, while a 1,000 kWh + 5 MCF city benchmark totals about $170—still below Houston and Dallas electric comparisons in CPS’s FY2025 fact sheet. Summer bills climb from the 600 kWh peak threshold even if you never change providers.

Treat 1,000 kWh as a yardstick, not a prophecy: measure your actual usage, watch adjustment lines each month, and compare cities only when the fuel definitions match. That is how you get the real cost—not the lowest advertised cent sign on a plan you cannot buy.