The Texas Cities Driving Summer Power Demand and A/C Costs

With triple-digit heat becoming more common across Texas, staying cool isn’t just about comfort. It’s also a major part of your summer budget. Using 2024 data from ERCOT and weather info from Open Meteo, we explored how much power Texans use during the summer and which cities are facing the highest cooling costs by home size. This research can help Texans better understand how weather impacts their energy use, especially in regions where the heat hits hardest.

Key Takeaways

• The Texas weather zone that’s home to Dallas and Fort Worth accounts for 30% of the ERCOT load during summer months, the most among all zones.
• The Texas weather zones that are home to the big 5 Texas cities account for 72% of the ERCOT load during summer months.
• Irving, Texas, is the hottest city in the state, with 58.1% of summer hours exceeding 85 degrees Fahrenheit. The estimated cost of cooling a home in Irving through summer can range from $393 to $982 based on home size.
• Among the big 5 Texas cities, Dallas is the hottest city, with 53.2% of summer hours exceeding 85 degrees Fahrenheit. The estimated cost of cooling a home in Dallas through summer can range from $360 to $899 based on home size.

Where Texas Uses the Most Power in Summer

As the mercury rises, so does the strain on the Texas electric grid. Some regions, especially those with larger populations, use a much bigger share of power than others. ERCOT divides the state into weather zones, each home to major cities as follows:

• North Central: Dallas, Fort Worth
• Coast: Houston
• South Central: Austin, San Antonio
• Far West: Midland
• Southern: Corpus Christi, McAllen, Brownsville
• East: Tyler
• North: Lubbock, Wichita Falls
• West: Abilene

Data from all summer days in 2024 shows which zones consumed the largest share of electricity during peak heat.

Summer in Texas puts significant pressure on the electrical grid, especially in densely populated regions. The ERCOT “North Central” weather zone, which includes Dallas and Fort Worth, used the most electricity of any zone during the 2024 summer months. This area alone made up 30% of the state’s energy demand.

Houston, located in the “Coast” zone, followed closely, accounting for 26% of the ERCOT summer load. Together, these two metro regions consumed more than half the state’s power during the hottest months of the year.

Other major contributors include the “South Central” zone, home to both Austin and San Antonio, which made up 17% of the summer grid load. Combined, the zones representing the five largest cities in Texas accounted for 72% of total summer power use.

Texas Cities With the Highest Cooling Costs

When it comes to beating the heat, some cities face higher costs than others. These differences can add up fast when temperatures stay above 85 degrees for most of the day.

Irving ranked as the hottest city in the state, with over 58% of summer hours exceeding 85 degrees Fahrenheit in 2024. For residents, that means air conditioning runs nearly constantly. Depending on home size, cooling a home in Irving this past summer cost between $393 for a small house and $982 for a large one.

Among the largest cities in Texas, Dallas stood out as the hottest. With 53.2% of summer hours above 85 degrees, Dallas homeowners faced steep A/C bills. Estimated cooling costs ranged from $360 to $899, depending on the square footage of the home. These numbers show just how much temperature can affect your electricity costs, especially if you live in a larger space.

Conclusion: Managing Energy Use To Save This Summer

Texas summers can take a serious toll on your electric bill and where you live plays a big role in what you pay to stay cool. In high-demand areas, even small changes make a difference. Turning up your thermostat a few degrees, using ceiling fans, and sealing air leaks can all cut down your energy use. A prepaid electricity plan can help too, giving you more control and fewer surprises on your bill.

Methodology

For the first half of this study, we leveraged data on the ERCOT grid load by weather zone via GridStatus.io to understand how power consumption looks across different areas of Texas during the summer months.

For the second half, we estimated cooling costs in the 50 largest Texas cities. To do so, we leveraged Open-Meteo data to understand hourly weather during the summer of 2024. We then determined the percentage of summer hours above 85 degrees Fahrenheit and used that as the gauge of A/C usage.

Based on A/C unit size by square footage, determining that small homes are around 1,500 square feet, medium homes are around 2,500 square feet, and large homes are around 3,500, we calculated the cost of cooling homes in each city, assuming A/C usage occurs when outside temperature is 85 degrees or more and Texas electricity cost is 15.3 cents per kWh.

About Payless Power

Payless Power provides Texans with affordable prepaid electricity plans that help cut costs and avoid big deposits or long-term contracts. If you’re in a high-demand spot like Dallas or just want to lower your summer cooling bills, Payless Power makes it easy to stay flexible and save.

Fair Use Statement

This content is available for noncommercial use. If you share these findings, please link back to Payless Power and provide proper credit.

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