Who to Call When the Power Goes Out in Texas
Whenever you lose power, it’s important to know who to call to report the problem. Many Texas consumers think you should report outages to the company that sends you your bill, your residential electric supplier; however, you actually need to report the outage to your electric utility. Your electric utility is responsible for reliability issues, such as power outages, downed power lines, and maintenance.
Because hurricane season starts June 1, we put together a list of all the electric utility emergency contact numbers that Spark Energy customers in Texas can call if their power ever goes out, even in the event of a hurricane.
It might be best to print out this information and keep it handy. After all, if the power goes out, you won’t be able to come back to this webpage for the information.
Contacting Your Electric Utility
If you don’t know who your electric utility is, find your electric bill and look for Local Distribution Company. Your electric utility is identified here. The following emergency numbers should be there as well, but we’ve also listed them here for your convenience.
Oncor – 888-313-4747
TNMP – 888-866-7465
Customers in TNMP’s service area are encouraged to select option 2 when they call in order to hear a recorded message about known power outages. Customers who don’t hear a message about their power outage should select option 1 to be transferred to an agent who will record their information.
Centerpoint
For power outages: 800-332-7143 or 713-207-2222
For downed power lines: 713-207-2222
AEP Texas (AEP Texas Central Company and AEP Texas North Company)
Customers in AEP Texas’ service areas which include customers of AEP Texas Central Company and AEP Texas North Company are asked not to call the utility in case of a major storm, such as a hurricane. According to the utility’s website:
“In the immediate aftermath of a major storm, we ask that you call only to report safety hazards such as downed power lines or equipment that is sparking. During major storms, our telephone lines can become overloaded with customer calls. In these situations, we are aware of major damage to long-distance transmission lines and distribution circuits.”
For downed power lines and other safety hazards: 866-223-8505
For power outages not the result of a major storm: go online at http://www.aeptexas.com/outages/report.
