Ever looked at your Texas electricity bill and thought:
āWaitā¦ who is this āTDUā and why are they charging me $42.19 for delivering electricity I already paid for??ā
Yeah. Welcome to the wild world of electricity delivery charges, also known as TDU charges. Theyāre annoying, confusing, and 100% real.
But donāt worryāWatt Panda is here to explain it in plain Texan.
š TDU Charges = Electricity Delivery Fees
TDU stands for Transmission & Distribution Utility. These are the companies that:
- Own the power lines, poles, meters, and transformers
- Deliver electricity from your provider to your house
- Respond when your power goes out
- Send you those mysterious line items on your bill
You donāt get to choose your TDU.
Itās assigned based on where you liveālike:
- CenterPoint (Houston & surrounding areas)
- Oncor (Dallas/Fort Worth & North TX)
- TNMP (parts of Central TX)
- AEP (West & South TX)
š” Why Do I Have to Pay These Charges?
Great question.
Think of it this way:
- You buy electricity from your retail provider (like Gexa, TXU, or whoever Watt Panda matched you with)
- But someone has to deliver that power to your home through the infrastructure
- That āsomeoneā is your TDU
- And they charge a fee for that service, even if youāre off-grid levels of efficient
š Fixed + Variable Charges
TDU charges usually have two parts:
| Type | What It Is |
|---|---|
| Fixed Fee | A flat monthly charge (even if you use 0 kWh) |
| Variable Fee | A per-kWh fee based on how much electricity you use |
So if your bill seems oddly high for the amount of power you used, TDU fees might be the culprit.
š§¾ Why Some Plans Look Cheapā¦ But Arenāt
Those ads promising ā9.7Ā¢ per kWh!ā donāt usually include delivery charges.
And depending on your provider and utility zone, delivery charges can add 3ā5Ā¢ per kWh on top of your base rate. Suddenly that ācheapā plan becomes not-so-cheap.
ā ļø This is why Watt Panda always calculates your real rateāTDU fees included.
No surprises. No headaches. Just clarity.
š¼ Watt Panda Pro Tip
We donāt just match you to the lowest priceāwe match you to the smartest plan for your usage, your contract timing, and your utility zone.
We consider TDU rates, hidden clauses, minimum usage gimmicks, and moreāso you donāt accidentally sign up for a 9Ā¢ plan that costs you 17Ā¢ in real life.
š§ TL;DR ā Delivery Charges 101
| š§¾ What You See | What It Means |
|---|---|
| TDU Charges | What your utility company charges to deliver power |
| You Choose Them? | Nope. Assigned by zip code |
| Can You Avoid It? | Also nope. Even solar folks pay some |
| Are They Included in Ads? | Usually not. Big marketing trap. |
| Will Watt Panda Include Them? | Always. Transparency is the name of the game. |
š© Want us to decode your bill and tell you if youāre overpaying thanks to delivery charges?
Upload it at www.wattpanda.com. Weāll do the math. You do the saving.
Because electricity should be simpleāeven in Texas.
