Utility Setup Guide for South Texas Renters

This guide is written specifically for tenants moving into one of EWG Properties' rentals, but most of it applies to any new renter in the area. If you're moving here from San Antonio, pay extra attention — the provider mix is different from what you're used to.

Step One: Check Your Lease Before You Start Calling Anyone

The single most important rule of utility setup: read your lease first. Different EWG properties cover different things, and you don't want to spend an hour on the phone setting up an account for a service that's already included in your rent.

Here's the general lay of the land for EWG properties — but always confirm against your specific lease:

Country View Apartments (Lytle): EWG covers water, sewer, and trash. Your only utility responsibility is electricity (CPS Energy — see below).

All EWG properties in Pleasanton — Deer Park Apartments and the single-family homes in our portfolio — follow the same setup rules. You're typically responsible for electricity (via a retail electric provider in the AEP Texas territory) and water and trash (via the City of Pleasanton). It does not matter whether you're renting an apartment or a house — the providers and the process are identical. Your lease will spell out the specifics.

If you're not sure what your lease says, call us at (210) 698-6900 before move-in day. We'd rather answer that question once than have you scrambling on day two.

The 5-Day Rule: Don't Sleep on This

Per your EWG lease, you have 5 business days from move-in to transfer any tenant-responsible utilities into your name. That's not a soft deadline. Power left in EWG's name past that window is on you to reimburse, and the lease spells it out.

The fix is simple: handle it on day one or day two. Most providers can set up service same-day if you call before noon and have a smart meter on the property — which is the norm in both Lytle and Pleasanton.

Country View Apartments (Lytle): CPS Energy

Country View Apartments at 19470 McDonald St in Lytle sits in a corner of town that's served by CPS Energy, the same municipal utility that powers most of San Antonio. That's good news for two reasons:

First, CPS Energy is a regulated municipal utility, which means there's no shopping process — you call them, they set up your account, you pay one bill. None of the deregulated-market plan-comparison hassle.

Second, if you're moving from San Antonio, your existing CPS Energy account history may help with deposit waivers or qualification.

How to set it up:

• Call CPS Energy at (210) 353-2222
• Have your unit address, government-issued ID, and Social Security number ready
• You may need to pay a deposit (varies by credit) and a service fee
• Same-day or next-day service is usually available

You can also start service online at cpsenergy.com.

And to repeat the most important part: at Country View, water, sewer, and trash are covered by EWG — you do not need to call the City of Lytle for those. One bill, one provider, done.

All Pleasanton Properties: Electricity Through PowerToChoose

This section applies to every EWG rental in Pleasanton — Deer Park Apartments and our single-family homes alike. The electricity setup process is the same for both: same delivery utility, same retail-provider shopping site, same playbook. The only practical difference is that a single-family home with central AC will use more kWh per month than a one-bedroom apartment, so the plan that's cheapest for one isn't necessarily cheapest for the other. We'll cover that below.

Pleasanton sits in the AEP Texas Central delivery territory, which is part of Texas's deregulated electricity market. That means AEP doesn't sell you electricity directly — they own and maintain the wires and meters, but you choose a Retail Electric Provider (REP) from a long list of competing companies.

If you've never done this before, it's less complicated than it sounds, but it's also where new renters most often overpay or get tricked into bad plans. Here's the playbook:

• 1. Go to PowerToChoose.org — this is the official Texas state-run comparison site. Avoid lookalike sites that show up first on Google ads; they're often biased toward whoever pays them the most.
• 2. Enter your Pleasanton ZIP code (78064) to see plans available in your area.
• 3. Sort by the "Average Price" column at the usage level closest to what you actually expect to use. For most one-bedroom apartments, that's around 1,000 kWh/month. For a single-family home with central AC, it's closer to 2,000 kWh/month.
• 4. Read the EFL (Electricity Facts Label) for any plan you're considering. Pay attention to: contract length, early termination fee, whether the price includes all delivery and base charges, and whether there are usage-tier "gotchas" where the price spikes if you go above or below a certain monthly kWh.
• 5. Avoid month-to-month variable plans unless you genuinely need flexibility — the rates are usually higher and can change without warning.
• 6. Sign up online or by phone, give them your move-in date, and confirm that AEP will swap the meter into your name on that day.

If you call before noon on a business day and your unit has a smart meter (most do), you can usually get same-day service. If you wait until the afternoon, you're looking at next-day at best.

For renters who feel overwhelmed by the choice, look for a 12-month fixed-rate plan from a well-known provider (Reliant, TXU, Direct Energy, Gexa, Constellation, Just Energy, and similar are all reasonable starting points). It won't be the absolute cheapest plan, but it'll be predictable and won't surprise you with a $400 bill in August.

Pleasanton Water and Trash: City of Pleasanton

Water, sewer, and trash service for every EWG rental in Pleasanton — apartments and single-family homes — are all handled by the City of Pleasanton Utility Billing Department. One office, one bill, three services bundled together. The setup process is the same regardless of which type of property you're renting.

How to set it up:

• Visit City Hall at 108 Second St, Pleasanton, TX 78064, or email utilitybilling@pleasantontx.gov
• Call (830) 369-3121 if you have questions before going in
• Bring a copy of your lease, a government-issued ID, and a payment method for the deposit
• All paperwork must be submitted before 4:30 PM for same-day service scheduling

Trash schedule: Pickup runs Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Recycling is collected every other Wednesday. The only holidays that bump the schedule are Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's — every other holiday, the trucks run as normal.

What About SAWS? CPS Energy in Pleasanton? AEP in Lytle?

If you're moving from San Antonio, here's what doesn't apply outside the city:

SAWS (San Antonio Water System) only serves Bexar County and parts of San Antonio's immediate suburbs. It does not serve Lytle or Pleasanton. Water comes from the City of Pleasanton or (at Country View) is included in your EWG rent.

CPS Energy does serve a corner of Lytle — including Country View Apartments — because CPS's service territory extends slightly outside Bexar County. But it does not serve Pleasanton.

AEP Texas Central serves most of Lytle and all of Pleasanton, but does not serve the Country View Apartments area specifically. So which territory you're in depends on your exact address.

If you're not sure which utility serves your specific unit, call us — we'll tell you in 30 seconds.

Common Pitfalls New Renters Hit

Patterns we see over and over from people moving in for the first time:

Forgetting the 5-day deadline. Don't wait until "next week" — by then you're already in lease-violation territory. Set up power on day one if you can.

Signing up for a teaser-rate plan. On PowerToChoose, the lowest advertised rate is often a usage-tier trap — it only applies if you use exactly 1,000 kWh/month, and goes up sharply outside that range. Read the EFL.

Assuming everything will transfer. If you had a CPS Energy account in San Antonio, that account does not automatically follow you to Lytle. You still have to call and set up service at the new address.

Skipping renters insurance. Not strictly a utility, but it belongs on the same checklist. EWG's property insurance covers the building — your stuff is your responsibility. A basic policy runs $10–$20/month and can be set up online in five minutes. We have a full guide here: Renters Insurance in Texas.

Losing track of who provides what. Once everything is set up, take 30 seconds to write down (or screenshot) the four key things: your electricity provider and account number, your water/trash account number (if applicable), your monthly billing dates, and your renters insurance policy info. Future-you will thank present-you.

Quick Reference: What to Set Up Where

Country View Apartments — Lytle:

• Electricity: CPS Energy — (210) 353-2222 or cpsenergy.com
• Water, sewer, trash: Included with EWG — no setup needed
• Internet: Tenant responsibility — Spectrum and AT&T are both available

All Pleasanton EWG properties — Deer Park Apartments & single-family homes:

• Electricity: Choose a REP at PowerToChoose.org — AEP Texas delivers
• Water, sewer, trash: City of Pleasanton — (830) 369-3121 or utilitybilling@pleasantontx.gov
• Internet: Tenant responsibility — Spectrum, AT&T, and a few fixed wireless options are available