Texas Tariff Watch · Alert #001
AEP Texas: final delivery riders effective September 29, 2026
Rider DCRF down 14.4% across every rate class; Rider TCRF essentially flat (−0.2%). These are the final rates from PUC Docket 58315, replacing the interim/temporary rates in effect since March 20, 2026.
Published September 30, 2026 — the day after effectiveness.
What changed
AEP Texas republished its full Tariff for Electric Delivery Service with two revised sheets, both effective September 29, 2026:
- Rider TCRF (6.1.1.4.1.1, Transmission Cost Recovery Factor): Twelfth → Thirteenth revision
- Rider DCRF (6.1.1.4.4.1, Distribution Cost Recovery Factor): Eighth → Ninth revision
All other 371 pages of the 373-page tariff book are unchanged — only these two sheets carry a September 29, 2026 effective date.
Before / after
Rider DCRF — every class down ~14.4%
| Rate class | Before (8th rev) | After (9th rev) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residential | $0.004277/kWh | $0.003660/kWh | −14.4% |
| Secondary ≤ 10 kW | $0.006536/kWh | $0.005594/kWh | −14.4% |
| Secondary > 10 kW | $0.859422/kW | $0.735577/kW | −14.4% |
| Primary Voltage Dist. Line | $0.589633/kW | $0.504665/kW | −14.4% |
| Primary Voltage Substation | $0.128617/kW | $0.110083/kW | −14.4% |
| Transmission Service | $0.002681/kW | $0.002295/kW | −14.4% |
| Lighting | $0.006536/kWh | $0.005594/kWh | −14.4% |
| WDS-DESR | $0.284640/kW | $0.243623/kW | −14.4% |
Rider TCRF — essentially flat (−0.2%)
| Rate class | Before (12th rev) | After (13th rev) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residential | $0.017233/kWh | $0.017194/kWh | −0.2% |
| Secondary ≤ 10 kW | $0.009319/kWh | $0.009298/kWh | −0.2% |
| Secondary > 10 kW (4CP / NCP) | $6.246357 / $4.148935 | $6.232736 / $4.139791 | −0.2% |
| Primary Dist. Line (4CP / NCP) | $6.456050 / $3.000088 | $6.441555 / $2.992956 | −0.2% |
| Primary Substation (4CP / NCP) | $6.388208 / $1.306294 | $6.374133 / $1.301025 | −0.2% / −0.4% |
| Transmission Service | $5.969996 / Avg.4CP kW | $5.956038 / Avg.4CP kW | −0.2% |
Dollar impact (illustrative)
- Residential, 1,000 kWh/month: DCRF −$0.62 + TCRF −$0.04 ≈ −$0.66/month on the delivery portion of the bill.
- Small commercial (Secondary > 10 kW), 100 kW billing demand: DCRF −$12.38 + TCRF (NCP) −$0.91 ≈ −$13.30/month, before 4CP demand effects.
Why it matters beyond the pennies
The March 2026 interim sheets were approved as temporary rates subject to refund (SOAH Order No. 8, March 6, 2026). The final rates came in lower — most notably DCRF, 14.4% below the interim level. That implies a refund or true-up for the March 20 – September 28 interim period, when customers paid the higher temporary rates. The refund mechanism was not in the tariff sheets we reviewed; we are watching the docket for the compliance filing and will flag it.
Timeline (all primary-sourced)
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 2026-03-06 | SOAH Order No. 8 grants temporary rates (subject to refund) for Rider DCRF, Rider TCRF, Attachment K |
| 2026-03-20 | Interim sheets effective (Twelfth-rev TCRF, Eighth-rev DCRF) after 45-day REP notice |
| 2026-05-06 | PUC Central Records stamps the interim tariff (Docket 58315, Item 146) |
| 2026-07-30 | Final order issued in Docket 58315 |
| 2026-08-05 | AEP Texas files FINAL CLEAN TARIFF with the final sheets, eff 9/29/2026 (Docket 58315, Item 161) |
| 2026-09-29 | AEP Texas republishes the full 373-page tariff book with the two new sheets (pp. 166, 171) |
| 2026-09-30 | Captured by Texas Tariff Watch (day 2 after effectiveness) |
Note: the final rates were knowable from the docket filing on August 5; the tariff-book reissue on September 29 is when they became the published book. We catch both layers.
Sources
- AEP Texas tariff book, effective Sept 29, 2026 (official): AEP_TEXAS_TARIFF_Eff_Sept_29_2026.pdf ↗
- Internet Archive copy, captured Sept 30, 2026: web.archive.org ↗
- PUC Interchange, Docket 58315, Item 161 — FINAL CLEAN TARIFF (filed 8/5/2026): Item 161 documents ↗
- PUC Interchange, Docket 58315, Item 146 — STAMPED APPROVED INTERIM TARIFF (filed 5/6/2026): Item 146 documents ↗
- Docket filing index: Docket 58315 filings ↗
Evidence boundary
- Every rate above was read directly from the tariff sheets (PDF), not from summaries. The two new sheets were additionally verified by rendering pages 166 and 171 as images.
- The refund/true-up implication follows from the "subject to refund" terms of the interim approval; the mechanism itself is not yet verified in a filing — flagged as follow-up, not fact.
- Cosmetic note: the final TCRF sheet relabels "Primary Distribution Line Service" → "Primary Voltage Distribution Line Service" (and Substation likewise). No rate significance.
- No standalone 2026 TCRF/DCRF petitions exist in Interchange — both riders moved inside the Docket 58315 unified proceeding. If you were watching only the old standalone dockets (58157/57858), you saw nothing in 2026. That is exactly the coverage gap this briefing exists to close.
This is an information briefing assembled from public sources; it is not legal advice and not a procurement recommendation.