Are you over 10 kVA or 10 kW? Where to look on your bill
Look for a line labeled demand, kW or kVA, then confirm your delivery rate class with your provider. Your monthly kWh total can't tell you whether you've crossed a demand threshold.
CenterPoint's line is 10 kVA. Oncor's is 10 kW — but Oncor's current rule doesn't move you after a single crossing. History matters.
Start with the right bill and the right utility
Open the whole bill, including any usage or delivery detail pages. Find the service address, the billing dates and the delivery utility. The utility is the company that owns the wires, not the company selling you electricity.
Keep earlier bills nearby. This month's peak can be modest while the account stays in the higher class because of what happened earlier.
If CenterPoint delivers your power (Houston area)
Look for demand, kW or kVA. For CenterPoint's threshold you need the peak in kVA. A kW number alone won't confirm your class.
CenterPoint measures your highest 15-minute period. Its lower class requires this month's peak at or below 10 kVA and no month above 10 kVA in the previous eleven.
If you see a delivery subtotal with no demand detail, ask your provider for the measured monthly peak kVA, the billing kVA and the utility rate schedule. Those are tariff terms, not guaranteed labels on your provider's bill.
One month above 10 kVA moves you to the higher schedule for at least twelve months. CenterPoint does not use Oncor's three-crossing allowance.
If Oncor delivers your power (Dallas–Fort Worth area)
Look for demand, kW or kVA, and find the measured peak in kW. Oncor records the highest 15-minute demand in the billing month.
Oncor's current rule, effective June 1, 2026: three readings above 10 kW in a rolling twelve months move you to the over-10 kW schedule the billing month after the third. Any single reading above 12 kW moves you the following billing month.
So a first crossing of 10 kW doesn't automatically move you. Check your history, and check whether that crossing also went above 12 kW.
Measured demand vs billing demand
Ask your provider to explain these together:
| What to confirm | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Monthly energy, in kWh | Total electricity used in the billing period |
| Measured peak, in kW or kVA | The demand recorded in your highest 15-minute period |
| Billing demand and its unit | The number the utility used to calculate a particular delivery charge |
| Delivery rate class | The utility schedule your premises is assigned to |
Billing demand can differ from this month's measured peak. Oncor's tariff has history-based rules for some charges. CenterPoint's secondary distribution charge uses the current month's peak kVA. Don't apply a rule from a different service class to your account.
How to get back to the lower class
Oncor: twelve consecutive billing months with no reading above 10 kW. The lower class starts the month after.
CenterPoint: the current month plus the previous eleven at or below 10 kVA, and at least twelve months served on the higher schedule after crossing. Ask your provider to confirm when your history satisfies both, and when the change will show up.
Cutting one month's kWh is not the same as keeping demand under the line. Look at when equipment runs together, and whether changing the schedule can lower the peak without disrupting the business.
Use Smart Meter Texas as a check
Oncor says customers with standard smart meters can pull interval data through Smart Meter Texas. Larger accounts with interval-data-recorder meters use a separate portal.
The Smart Meter Texas guide lists a 15-minute interval energy report. Use it to find your high-use periods, checking the units and dates. But a kWh interval is not a kVA reading, and a usage chart is not the official billing-demand calculation. Confirm the tariff demand number with your provider.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Can I tell whether I crossed the threshold from my monthly kWh?
A: No. kWh measures total energy. The threshold uses demand — kVA for CenterPoint's secondary class, kW for Oncor's.
Q: What if my bill doesn't show demand?
A: Ask your provider for the measured peak, the billing demand and the delivery rate class. A bundled delivery amount is not proof there's no demand charge.
Q: Does Oncor move me after the first month above 10 kW?
A: Not always. The current rule is three readings above 10 kW in a rolling twelve months, or one above 12 kW, with the move the following billing month.
Q: Does one low month get me out of the higher class?
A: No. Oncor needs twelve consecutive qualifying months. CenterPoint needs the current month plus the previous eleven, and at least twelve months served after crossing.
Q: Can Smart Meter Texas confirm my CenterPoint kVA?
A: Don't assume an energy report shows peak kVA. Use it to study your usage pattern, then ask your provider for the utility's measured kVA and assigned class.
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