Smart Meter — Texas
Texas Electricity Glossary
A smart meter is a digital electricity meter installed by your TDU that records usage data in 15-minute intervals and transmits it automatically to the TDU via a wireless network. Unlike old analog meters that required a monthly manual read, smart meters provide granular real-time data used for accurate billing, outage detection, time-of-use plans, and prepaid electricity daily balance tracking. Texas was an early national leader in smart meter deployment — approximately 7 million are installed across the ERCOT territory.
What Smart Meters Enable
- Accurate monthly billing: No more estimated reads — every billing period reflects actual consumption
- Prepaid electricity: Daily balance deduction requires daily interval data from a smart meter
- Time-of-use plans: Free nights and free weekends plans require 15-minute interval data to bill different periods at different rates
- Outage detection: TDUs can identify outages automatically when meters stop reporting, speeding up restoration
- Usage alerts: Your REP can send daily kWh and cost alerts based on smart meter readings
- Peak demand tracking: Enables demand charge plans that bill on peak kW draws
Smart Meter Texas Portal
Every Texas smart meter customer can access their data at smartmetertexas.com — a free portal funded by the TDUs. It shows daily and 15-minute interval usage, historical data up to 24 months, and allows you to grant data access to third parties for personalized plan recommendations. Knowing your actual usage pattern — including when during the day you consume the most — is valuable when evaluating time-of-use plans.
Smart Meters and Privacy
Smart meters record when electricity is used, which can indirectly reveal occupancy patterns. Under PUCT rules, your usage data is your property. TDUs must get your consent before sharing interval data with your REP or third parties for purposes beyond billing and grid operations. You can revoke that consent at any time through the Smart Meter Texas portal.
Related Terms
- Prepaid Electricity Plan — requires smart meter for daily balance tracking
- Free Nights Plan — requires smart meter for time-of-use billing
- Demand Charge — enabled by smart meter interval data
- TDU — the entity that installs and owns the smart meter
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Texas have smart meters?
Yes. Texas was one of the first states to broadly deploy smart meters. As of 2025, approximately 7 million smart meters are installed across the ERCOT service territory. Most TDUs (Oncor, CenterPoint, AEP Texas, TNMP) have completed or nearly completed their smart meter rollouts. If your meter was replaced in the past 10+ years, it is almost certainly a smart meter.
Can I opt out of a smart meter in Texas?
Opt-out policies vary by TDU. Some TDUs allow customers to opt out of smart meters, typically for a one-time installation fee plus a monthly meter-reading fee to cover manual reads. If you have concerns about smart meters, contact your TDU directly. Note that opting out prevents you from enrolling in prepaid or time-of-use plans that require interval data.
How do I access my smart meter data in Texas?
You can access your 15-minute usage data through the Smart Meter Texas portal (smartmetertexas.com). All Texas customers with smart meters can create a free account to view daily and interval usage data, download historical usage, and authorize third parties (like comparison sites) to access their data for personalized recommendations.