How to Cancel or Stop Your Texas Electricity Service (Moving Out)

By the TexasPowerCost Editorial Team — independent Texas electricity analysis · Last reviewed October 18, 2026 · how we analyze plans

Last updated: October 18, 2026  ·  5 min read

Leaving your place in Texas? Ending electricity service is simple, but there's one costly mistake: just moving out and stopping payment. Until you formally end (or transfer) service, the meter stays in your name — so you can be billed for the next resident's power, or left on the hook. Here's the clean way to close it out.

Step by Step

1. Pick your service-end date. Decide the day you want power shut off (or transferred) at your old address — typically your move-out day. Build in three to five business days.
2. Contact your provider (don't just stop paying). Call or use your provider's online account to schedule the service end or a transfer to your new address. Until you do, the meter stays in your name.
3. Check your EFL for the move-out ETF waiver. If you're in contract, confirm whether the early-termination fee is waived for a move (many are, with proof) and what proof they need.
4. Give a forwarding address. So your final bill and any deposit refund reach you. Then confirm the account is closed after your end date.

Cancel, or Transfer to Your New Home?

If you're happy with your plan and staying in the deregulated market, a transfer of service to your new address is usually easiest and can keep your rate. If you're moving into a different TDU territory or your contract is nearly up, it may be a better moment to shop fresh. Either way, set the new address's start date and the old address's stop date so you never pay two bills at once. Starting service at the new place is covered in setting up electricity when moving.

The decision turns on three things: the season, the rate, and the new home's usage. A move is one of the few moments you can leave a plan mid-term without a fee (see the next section), so treat it as a free re-shop and compare before you transfer. Transfer when your current rate still beats the market at the new ZIP and you are moving in a season when new offers run high — June through September — because a transfer carries the old price into the expensive window. Re-shop when you are moving in a shoulder month such as October, November, March or April, when fixed-rate offers tend to be lowest, or when the new home's usage will be very different from the old one. That last point catches people: a bill-credit plan that fit a 1,200 kWh house can be the wrong plan for a 700 kWh apartment, because the credit no longer triggers and the effective rate jumps — the 1,000 kWh illusion in reverse. Run the new address and your expected usage through the tool before deciding, and if you do re-shop, choose a term that ends in a shoulder month; which contract length is best has the end-date table.

Mechanically, a transfer keeps the same contract, rate and end date; the provider simply moves the agreement to the new ESI ID (the meter identifier) and bills you at the new address from the start date. Delivery charges change with the territory — moving from CenterPoint to Oncor changes the TDU portion of the bill even on the same plan — and a provider can decline a transfer into a territory it does not serve. Give three to five business days for either path, and confirm both dates in writing so the old meter is never billed in your name after you leave.

The Early-Termination Fee (and When It's Waived)

If you're mid-contract, the early-termination fee is the thing to check — and when you are moving, the answer is set by rule rather than by the plan. Under 16 Texas Administrative Code §25.475(c)(2)(C), a retail provider may not assess an early-termination fee as a result of your relocation if you provide a forwarding address and, if the provider requires it, reasonable evidence that you are moving (a lease, a closing statement, a utility start order at the new address). As of October 2026 that applies to every residential fixed-rate contract in the competitive market; it is not a courtesy some plans extend and others do not. If you're switching providers at the same address, the ETF on your EFL does apply.

Three details make the waiver work smoothly. First, give the forwarding address when you schedule the stop date, not after the final bill arrives; the rule ties the waiver to providing it. Second, keep the evidence handy — providers are allowed to ask, and a lease or closing document settles it in one email. Third, know what the fee would otherwise be: the EFL must disclose it (§25.475(g)(4)), and it takes one of two shapes — a single fixed dollar figure, or a monthly charge multiplied by the months still to run — so a 24-month plan with 20 months left can carry several hundred dollars of exposure that the move erases. Two other no-fee exits exist whether or not you move: the final two weeks of the term, when the rule bars any termination penalty (§25.475(e)(2)(C)(ii)), and any month-to-month holdover product, which cannot carry a termination fee at all (§25.475(b)(7)). What happens when your contract ends covers the notices and the window; if your move lands close to the end date, the two protections overlap and either one gets you out free.

Related

Set up electricity when moving · Moving utility checklist · Contract ending? What to do

Common Questions

How do I cancel my electricity service in Texas when I move out?

Contact your retail provider and give a move-out (service-end) date — usually with three to five business days' notice. They schedule the disconnect at your old address, and you get a final bill for usage up to that date. Do not simply stop paying: until you formally end service, you remain responsible for the electricity used at that meter, even after you leave.

Do I pay an early-termination fee if I cancel because I'm moving?

No. Under PUCT rule 16 TAC 25.475(c)(2)(C), a provider may not assess an early-termination fee when you cancel because you are relocating, as long as you provide a forwarding address and, if the provider requires it, reasonable evidence of the move such as a lease or closing document. This is a rule, not a plan-by-plan courtesy, and it applies to every residential fixed-rate contract. If you are simply switching providers at the same address, the ETF on your EFL does apply.

Should I cancel my old plan or transfer it to my new home?

If you like your current plan and you're staying in the deregulated market, transferring (a "move" or "transfer of service") to your new address is usually easiest and can keep your rate. If you're moving to a different TDU territory or your contract is nearly up, it may be a better moment to shop fresh. Either way, set the start date at the new place and the stop date at the old one so you're never paying for both.

What happens to my deposit and final bill when I cancel?

Any deposit you paid is refunded or applied to your final bill when the account closes. Your final bill covers usage through your service-end date, including that month's TDU delivery charges. Give the provider a forwarding address so the final bill and any refund reach you.

Is moving a good time to switch to a new electricity plan?

Often, yes. Because the relocation waiver removes the early-termination fee, a move is one of the few moments you can leave a mid-term plan for free, so compare your current rate against the market at the new address before transferring. The strongest case for a fresh plan is a move in a shoulder month such as October or April, when fixed-rate offers tend to be lowest, or a move to a home with very different usage, where a bill-credit plan tuned to your old kWh may no longer fit. The strongest case for transferring is a competitive rate with months left in a season when offers are high.