Quick answer
Three routes exist and they stack. Ask your provider for a deferred payment plan, which they must offer in defined situations. Apply for energy assistance through the Comprehensive Energy Assistance Program via your local community agency. Call 211 for everything else in your area. Do all three in the same week, not one after another.
First, the thing nobody tells you
Call before the bill is overdue, not after.
Providers have more options available before an account goes to collections, and many assistance agencies prioritise households that already hold a disconnection notice. Those two facts pull in opposite directions, which is why doing all three routes at once beats doing them in sequence.
Route one: a deferred payment plan
A deferred payment plan splits a balance into instalments while your power stays on.
Under PUCT Substantive Rule 25.480, providers must offer one in specific circumstances, including for bills that come due during an extreme weather emergency. Outside those situations they are encouraged rather than required, so ask plainly and ask early.
What to know before you call:
| Point | Detail |
|---|---|
| Down payment | The initial payment required cannot be more than half the amount owed |
| Finance charge | A plan may carry a charge, capped at 10 percent simple annual interest, and it must be stated in the agreement |
| In writing | Ask for the terms in writing before you agree |
| The catch | Agreeing to a payment plan normally places a switch-hold on your meter, so you cannot change providers until the balance clears |
That last point is real and it is worth understanding before you sign.
Route two: energy assistance
The Comprehensive Energy Assistance Program, run by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs, helps low-income households with energy bills and crisis situations. It is federally funded and delivered locally.
How it works in practice:
- Find your local community action agency through the TDHCA website.
- Check the income guidelines for the current programme year.
- Gather documents before you apply: ID, proof of income for everyone in the household, your most recent bill, and your disconnection notice if you have one.
- Apply through the agency, not through your provider.
Funds are limited and demand is seasonal. Applications spike after the first big summer bills and again in January, so applying slightly ahead of those waves helps.
Route three: 211
211 Texas is the general entry point for local assistance. Call 2-1-1 or use the website.
They know about programmes that never show up in a search: church funds, county emergency assistance, nonprofit utility funds, and whatever is currently available in your specific county. Have your county name, household size and the amount owed ready before you call.
Protections you already have
You have more rights here than most people realise.
- A disconnection notice has a timeline. Under PUCT Rule 25.483, the notice must specify a disconnection date at least ten days after the notice is issued, and the date cannot fall on a weekend, a holiday, or a day the provider is not accepting payments.
- Extreme weather stops a disconnection. During an extreme weather emergency, defined by National Weather Service advisory criteria and applied county by county, a provider must not authorise disconnection for non-payment in that county.
- Illness protections exist. Additional protections apply where a household member is seriously ill or disabled and a disconnection would worsen the condition. This requires documentation, so ask your provider what they need.
None of this clears the balance. All of it buys time to use the three routes above.
What not to do
| Avoid | Why |
|---|---|
| Ignoring the notice | The clock runs whether you open the letter or not |
| Switching to escape a balance | A switch-hold usually prevents it, and the balance follows you |
| Waiting for the last day | Assistance agencies have appointment queues, often a week or more |
| Taking a payment plan without reading it | The switch-hold and finance charge matter |
After the crisis passes
Once you are stable, the thing that stops a repeat is plan structure, not willpower. A rate that spikes seasonally, or a contract that expired into a month-to-month rate, turns one bad month into a cycle.
Aggregate Energy groups households into a buying pool and handles renewal timing on their behalf, which removes one of the common causes of a sudden bill jump. That is a next-step conversation, not a crisis one. When you are ready, checking your ZIP code takes a few seconds.
Frequently asked questions
Can my power be shut off in extreme heat?
Not for non-payment during an extreme weather emergency in your county, as defined by National Weather Service advisory criteria in PUCT Rule 25.483.
How much notice do I get before disconnection?
The notice must give a disconnection date at least ten days out, and not on a weekend or holiday.
Who qualifies for CEAP?
Low-income households meeting the current programme year’s income guidelines. Your local community action agency decides.
Will a payment plan stop me switching providers?
Usually yes. A switch-hold is normally placed while the plan runs.
Where do I start if I do not know what I qualify for?
Call 2-1-1. They match your county, household and situation to whatever is currently funded.