As with any city, county, or state, there are specifics about utility providers and regulations that are unique to that region. Houston is no different in this regard. Here’s a Houston homebuying tip for those needing to set-up their Utilities.

Electricity

Houston (and Texas for that matter) is unique in the fact that we have a deregulated electricity industry.  In most regions around the country, there is one electric utility that both owns and operates the infrastructure that delivers electricity to your home and directly sells you the electricity that is delivered.  In Houston, one company (namely Centerpoint Energy) owns the infrastructure, but there are a multitude of companies that you can purchase the actual electricity from.   This framework allows consumers to shop for electricity in an open market to find the lowest rate or find an electricity provider that delivers electricity from sources you prefer, like from green technologies.  The city of Houston and the state of Texas have created some excellent resource for shopping rates and providers. Visit http://www.powertochoose.com/ or http://www.houstonconsumerchoice.com/ to get started.

Gas 

Gas is a little bit different than Electricity.  Unlike Electricity, Gas is a monopoly system.  Centerpoint Energy is the provider in Houston for most households.  You can set up your Gas via their website at centerpointenergy.com or call them at 713-659-2111.

Water Service

For most Houstonians, Water Service is going to be managed through the City of Houston.  However, if you live in one of the smaller towns or cities (such as Bellaire, or the City of West University) in the Houston Metro area, it may be offered by those localities.  To contact the City of Houston and set-up your Water Service, visit http://www.publicworks.houstontx.gov or call 713-371-1400.

Garbage Pick-up

Check with your Realtor, Landlord, or Property manager regarding garbage pick-up.  Many neighborhoods and Homeowners associations contract with private garbage pick-up to serve the homes under their jurisdiction.  However, many cities and towns within the Houston Metro area contract garbage pick-up through their local city or town.  If your garbage pick-up is serviced by the city of Houston, you can set-up your garbage pick-up when you set up your Water and Sewer account.

Phone

Obviously, phone service is an industry  that is constantly changing with the rise of VOIP phone technology.  However, if you’re looking for a local phone service over traditional phone lines, AT&T is the primary provider to most Houston area homes.  You can sign up for that service at ATT.com or call them at 1-800-288-2020.

As for voice over IP (VOIP) service, Houston has a multitude of options to choose from.

Cable/Satellite TV

Comis the dominant monopoly in Houston for cable TV service.  They can be reached at Comcastoffers.com or by contacting 1-888-739-6076.  Houston also has Uverse servicefrom AT&T and satellite service from Dish Network and DirectTV.

If you’d like to  bundle some of these services and receive a discount, try services likeWhiteFence.com.  They provide a one-stop shop for searching for utility services in Houston.

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