Low-Income Light Companies in Texas: What's Available

If your light bill is a crisis right now, there are programs and light companies in Texas built specifically for your situation — and some of them can get the lights on today.

This is not a general overview. This is the specific list: which programs exist, who qualifies, what you need to apply, and which light companies will work with you when your credit is the problem.

The Two Tracks You Can Take

When income is the issue, you have two separate paths available. They work differently and they solve different problems.

Track 1: Bill assistance programs. These are government and nonprofit programs that pay part of your light bill directly. You stay with a traditional light company. The program covers a chunk of what you owe.

Track 2: No-deposit light companies. These are light companies that skip the credit check entirely. You pay as you go or you qualify for no deposit lights based on income, not credit history.

Most people in a real bind need both. You get immediate lights through a no-deposit or prepaid option, then you apply for assistance to lower the ongoing cost.

LITE-UP Texas: The Discount That No Longer Exists

You’ll see LITE-UP Texas mentioned all over the internet — a state program that discounted summer light bills for low-income households, from about 10-17% in its early years to much steeper discounts near the end. Here’s what those articles won’t tell you: the program ended August 31, 2016 when the Legislature let its funding run out. It never came back, and no statewide discount replaced it.

Don’t spend an afternoon chasing it. The programs below are the ones that still pay out.

LIHEAP: Federal Money for Your Light Bill

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) is federal money distributed through local Texas agencies. It pays a portion of your light bill directly to the light company. In a crisis, it can also cover reconnection after your lights got cut off.

Income limits are based on household size. A family of four generally qualifies if the household’s annual income is at or below about $49,500 a year (150% of the federal poverty guideline), with higher limits for larger households.

To find your local LIHEAP office, call 2-1-1. That number connects you to Texas Health and Human Services and routes you to the right agency for your ZIP code. Have these ready:

• Photo ID
• Proof of income for all adults (pay stubs, benefits letters, or a signed statement)
• Your current light bill with account number
• Proof of address

LIHEAP funds run out seasonally, especially in summer. Call 2-1-1 first thing in the morning for the best shot at funding.

Local Utility Help Programs

The big utility companies in Texas, Oncor, CenterPoint, AEP Texas, and others, each run their own low-income assistance programs separate from state and federal money.

Oncor’s Energy Assistance Program works through local nonprofits. Call 2-1-1 to get connected to an agency near you.

In CenterPoint territory (the Houston area), bill help comes through CEAP community action agencies. Dial 2-1-1 for your nearest location.

These programs often have faster turnaround than LIHEAP because they pull from separate funding. They can also help if your lights got cut off and you need same-day help getting them back on.

Light Companies That Don’t Require a Deposit

Assistance programs help with cost, but they don’t solve the deposit problem. If a light company quoted you $200 or $300 upfront because of your credit, that deposit is the wall.

The way around it is pay-as-you-go lights or a light company that offers no deposit lights to low-income customers.

Prepaid light companies like Payless Power, Acacia Energy, and Now Power let you load money onto your account and use lights without a deposit or credit check. You can get the lights on the same day in most Texas ZIP codes. The tradeoff is that you’re paying a slightly higher rate per kilowatt hour, and if your balance hits zero, the lights go off automatically.

Some postpaid light companies offer no deposit lights if you show proof of income-based assistance enrollment. If you’re on SNAP or Medicaid, ask specifically whether your enrollment waives the deposit. Several light companies will say yes.

The Honest Tradeoff

Prepaid and same-day lights solve the urgent problem fast. You can have lights on within a few hours with no credit check and no deposit, often for as little as $20 to start. But the rate is higher month to month.

A postpaid no deposit lights plan through a low-income program gets you a lower rate and more predictable billing, but there’s an application process and it takes a few days.

If the lights are off right now, go prepaid today and start your LIHEAP application tomorrow. That’s the sequence that makes sense.

What to Do in the Next 30 Minutes

If your lights are off or about to go off, here’s the order:

1. Call 2-1-1 and ask specifically about emergency LIHEAP and same-day reconnect help.
2. If there’s no emergency funding available, call a prepaid light company to get the lights on today. Have your address, move-in date, and a debit card ready.
3. Apply for regular LIHEAP through your local agency so your ongoing bills get help going forward.

The system is not set up to make this easy. But these programs exist, the light companies that work with low-income customers exist, and you can move through all of this today.