about $173/mo
Payless Power
See plan →No Deposit Electricity in Houston
Yes, you can get electricity with no deposit in Houston. Houston is in the CenterPoint Energy delivery area, where you choose your own retail provider. Pick a prepaid plan, which cannot charge a security deposit and has a starting balance capped at $75 plus utility fees, or a postpaid plan that waives the deposit if you qualify.
Today's top picks
Monthly estimate = the plan's average price at 1,000 kWh × 1,000 kWh, a typical month for a Texas home. Your bill depends on your usage. All picks are plans with a 12-month or longer term, without usage bill credits or time-of-use pricing; shorter plans are in the full tables.
No deposit electricity plans in Houston
Disclosure: Texas Power Picks may earn a commission if you sign up through some links on this site, at no extra cost to you. It does not change how plans are listed: tables are sorted by price from the Power to Choose data. How we make money.
How to read this table:
- ¢/kWh
- average price per kilowatt-hour, including delivery charges, at 500, 1,000 or 2,000 kWh of monthly use.
- Term
- contract length.
- EFL
- Electricity Facts Label, the official price sheet.
- PDS
- Prepaid Disclosure Statement (prepaid plans only).
| Provider / Plan | Utility area | ¢/kWh @500 | ¢/kWh @1000 | ¢/kWh @2000 | Term | Type | No deposit basis | Facts label | Enroll | Last updated | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Payless Power PTC 3 Month - Postpaid | CenterPoint (Houston area) | 11.6 | 11.1 | 10.9 | 3 mo | Postpaid, Fixed | Provider terms: no deposit (may require approved credit) | EFL | Provider site | Power to Choose export, fetched 2026-10-15 | |
| Payless Power PTC 6 Month - Postpaid | CenterPoint (Houston area) | 14.8 | 14.3 | 14.1 | 6 mo | Postpaid, Fixed | Provider terms: no deposit (may require approved credit) | EFL | Provider site | Power to Choose export, fetched 2026-10-15 | |
| Payless Power PTC 12 Month - Postpaid | CenterPoint (Houston area) | 15.2 | 14.7 | 14.5 | 12 mo | Postpaid, Fixed | Provider terms: no deposit (may require approved credit) | EFL | Provider site | Power to Choose export, fetched 2026-10-15 | |
| Pronto Power Power To Choose | CenterPoint (Houston area) | 17.6 | 15.9 | 15.1 | Month-to-month | Prepaid, Variable | Prepaid (no deposit by rule) | EFL · PDS | Provider site | Power to Choose export, fetched 2026-10-15 | |
| Payless Power PTC 6 Month - Prepaid | CenterPoint (Houston area) | 17.4 | 16.9 | 16.7 | 6 mo | Prepaid, Fixed | Prepaid (no deposit by rule) | EFL · PDS | Provider site | Power to Choose export, fetched 2026-10-15 | |
| Payless Power PTC 12 Month - Prepaid | CenterPoint (Houston area) | 17.8 | 17.3 | 17.1 | 12 mo | Prepaid, Fixed | Prepaid (no deposit by rule) | EFL · PDS | Provider site | Power to Choose export, fetched 2026-10-15 | |
| Pronto Power Pronto Saver One | CenterPoint (Houston area) | 19.9 | 18.7 | 18.1 | Month-to-month | Prepaid, Variable | Prepaid (no deposit by rule) | EFL · PDS | Provider site | Power to Choose export, fetched 2026-10-15 | |
| Pronto Power Pronto Flex 30 | CenterPoint (Houston area) | 19.2 | 18.9 | 18.7 | Month-to-month | Prepaid, Variable | Prepaid (no deposit by rule) | EFL · PDS | Provider site | Power to Choose export, fetched 2026-10-15 |
Who delivers power in Houston: CenterPoint Energy
CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric owns the poles and wires across an area of about 5,000 square miles covering Houston and surrounding communities. CNP You buy electricity from the retail provider you choose. CenterPoint still delivers it, reads your meter and handles outages, and its delivery charges are the same whichever provider you pick.
Check your exact address. Some nearby towns get only natural gas from CenterPoint, or have only a minority of homes on CenterPoint electric service, according to CenterPoint's own community list. Examples include Conroe, Pearland, Shenandoah and Willis (gas only), and Alvin, Friendswood, League City and Texas City (mostly another electric utility). CNP-C Homes there may be served by an electric cooperative or another utility, and many of those areas don't offer retail choice. BAR Our ZIP lookup shows which utility serves your ZIP.
How to get no-deposit electricity in Houston
- Enter your ZIP code above and confirm CenterPoint is your utility.
- Choose a prepaid plan or a postpaid plan with no deposit, and read its EFL (and PDS for prepaid).
- Enroll and fund the connection balance (up to $75) plus any CenterPoint fees. R498
- With an existing smart meter, some providers connect the same day, Monday through Saturday, if you enroll and pay before their evening cutoff. DEPP
Prepaid or postpaid without a deposit?
Prepaid plans cannot charge a deposit, and you get balance alerts instead of a bill. R498 On a postpaid plan, you can skip the deposit if, for example, you are 65 or older and not behind on any electric account. R478 Full rules: No deposit electricity in Texas.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get no deposit electricity in Houston?
Yes. Prepaid plans can't charge a security deposit under PUCT rules; you fund a starting balance of up to $75 plus utility fees. Some postpaid plans also waive the deposit if you meet the PUCT credit criteria.
Which utility delivers electricity in Houston?
CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric delivers electricity in Houston and surrounding communities. You choose your retail electric provider separately, and CenterPoint still handles outages and meter reading.
Is every Houston-area address in the CenterPoint area?
No. Some nearby towns are served mainly by other electric utilities or cooperatives, and some of those areas don't offer retail choice. Enter your ZIP code to check which utility serves you.
Can I get power turned on the same day in Houston?
Often, yes. Several providers offer same-day connection Monday through Saturday when a smart meter is already in place and you enroll and pay before their evening cutoff.
Sources (accessed )
- [R498] 16 TAC §25.498 Prepaid Service (PUCT), Cornell LII, last amended eff. 1/6/2022: https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/texas/16-Tex-Admin-Code-SS-25-498
- [R478] 16 TAC §25.478 Credit Requirements and Deposits (PUCT), Cornell LII, last amended eff. 5/13/2018: https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/texas/16-Tex-Admin-Code-SS-25-478
- [BAR] PUCT 2025 Biennial Agency Report (January 2025), PDF pp. 12 & 18: https://ftp.puc.texas.gov/public/puct-info/agency/resources/reports/leg/2025_Biennial_Agency_Report.pdf
- [CNP] CenterPoint Energy news release, Apr 29, 2024 (≈5,000 sq mi service territory, Houston and surrounding communities): https://www.centerpointenergy.com/en-us/about-us/news/2024/april/centerpoint-energy-continues-transformative-invest
- [CNP-C] CenterPoint "Communities We Serve – Houston" (electric vs gas-only towns): https://www.centerpointenergy.com/en-us/corporate/about-us/company-overview/where-we-serve/houston
- [DE] Direct Energy TX prepaid page (same-day Mon–Sat with smart meter; 6 p.m. CT move-in cutoff): https://www.directenergy.com/en/residential/energy/electricity-plans/prepaid
- [PP] Payless Power (same-day Mon–Sat if funded before 6 p.m.): https://paylesspower.com/es/como-obtener-electricidad-sin-numero-de-seguro-social-en-texas/