Commercial Electricity for Funeral Homes in Texas
What a Texas funeral home pays for power - heating and cooling large chapels and visitation rooms, plus preparation refrigeration - and how to lower the bill.
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Texas has over 600 funeral homes, and their electric bill is shaped by space: large chapels, visitation rooms, and offices that must stay comfortable even when lightly occupied, plus preparation-room refrigeration. Below is what funeral homes use and pay. See related guides for pet grooming & boarding and the broader commercial electricity guides by business type.
Key Takeaways
- A typical Texas funeral home uses about 5,000–10,000 kWh a month (roughly $420–$830 at ~8.3¢/kWh).
- HVAC dominates - heating and cooling large, often lightly occupied rooms.
- Refrigeration for preparation and holding adds a steady load.
- Large homes with multiple chapels use several times more.
- Zoned HVAC, LED, and a competitive fixed rate are the biggest levers.
Funeral Home Electricity, Quick Facts
Figures are estimates for a typical funeral home. See methodology and sources below.
What a Funeral Home Pays for Power
A funeral home's electricity is a large-building HVAC story: chapels and visitation rooms are sized for gatherings but are often lightly occupied, so climate control runs across a lot of square footage. Preparation refrigeration, lighting, and water heating round out the bill.
Estimated usage & bill by facility size
| Facility size | Approx. sq ft | Monthly usage | Est. monthly bill* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small funeral home | ~4,000 | 3,500–6,000 kWh | $290–$500 |
| Typical funeral home | ~6,500 | 5,000–10,000 kWh | $420–$830 |
| Large / multiple chapels | 10,000+ | 12,000–20,000+ kWh | $1,000–$1,650+ |
*Electricity portion at Texas's ~8.3¢/kWh average commercial rate. Some heating and preparation equipment may use natural gas, billed separately.
How does the Texas commercial rate compare?
Texas businesses pay an average of about 8.3¢ per kWh - roughly 38% below the U.S. commercial average of ~13.5¢. Because Texas is deregulated, you can shop the supply portion of your bill across 30+ retail providers and lock in a fixed rate - compare current commercial electricity rates.
Big Rooms, Steady HVAC
Climate control across large rooms is the defining load. Lighting, preparation refrigeration, and water heating make up the rest.
| System | Why it draws power | Approx. share | Est. cost / month* |
|---|---|---|---|
| HVAC | Conditioning chapels, visitation rooms, and offices | 45–55% | $280–$345 |
| Lighting | Chapels, visitation, hallways, and exterior | 15–20% | $95–$125 |
| Refrigeration | Preparation and holding | 10–15% | $65–$95 |
| Water heating & prep equipment | Preparation-room needs | 8–12% | $50–$75 |
| Office, AV & other | Computers, sound, and streaming AV | 6–10% | $40–$65 |
*Illustrative split of a ~$625/month typical bill. Homes that heat with electricity rather than gas shift more of the bill to HVAC.
How Large-Space HVAC Sets the Peak
Most of your bill is energy — the total kilowatt-hours (kWh) you use over the month. But many commercial accounts also carry a demand charge, billed on your single highest peak of power draw, measured in kilowatts (kW), usually over a 15-minute interval. It doesn't matter only how much electricity you use, but how fast you use it at your busiest moment.
How to keep demand charges down
- Zone and schedule HVAC so you only condition rooms that are in use.
- Pre-cool before services to soften the surge when rooms fill.
- Stage rooftop units so they don't all start together.
- Watch your interval data to find the monthly peak.
Demand Response for Funeral Homes
Demand response is a program where businesses agree to reduce their electricity use for short windows when the Texas grid (ERCOT) is under strain — typically late afternoons on the hottest summer days. In exchange, participating businesses earn payments or bill credits.
Where Funeral Homes Lower Energy Costs
- Lock in a fixed commercial rate. Comparing 30+ Texas providers at the right time is usually the biggest single lever.
- Zone and schedule HVAC. Only conditioning rooms in use is the single biggest lever in a large building.
- Switch to LED. LED chapel, hallway, and exterior lighting cuts a steady load.
- Maintain refrigeration. Clean coils and tight seals keep preparation cooling efficient.
- Improve the envelope. Sealing, shading, and insulation reduce the cooling load on big rooms.
- Review demand and interval data. Knowing your peak kW shows whether a different rate structure would save money.
Related Commercial Electricity Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
How much electricity does a funeral home use in Texas?
A typical Texas funeral home uses about 5,000 to 10,000 kWh per month, or roughly $420 to $830 at the state's average commercial rate of about 8.3¢ per kWh. Large homes with multiple chapels use several times more.
What uses the most electricity in a funeral home?
HVAC dominates - heating and cooling large chapels and visitation rooms that are often lightly occupied - followed by lighting, preparation refrigeration, and water heating.
What is the average commercial electricity rate in Texas?
Texas businesses pay an average of about 8.3¢ per kWh as of 2026, roughly 38% below the U.S. commercial average of about 13.5¢. Your actual rate depends on your ZIP code, utility (TDU), usage, and when you sign your contract.
How can a funeral home lower its electricity bill?
Zone and schedule HVAC so you only condition rooms in use, switch to LED, maintain refrigeration, improve the building envelope, and lock in a competitive fixed commercial rate.
Do funeral homes pay demand charges?
Often yes. When multiple HVAC zones run to cool chapels and visitation rooms for a service, the combined peak in kilowatts is billed by a demand charge across the whole month, so zoning and scheduling help.
What is demand response and can a funeral home earn from it?
Demand response pays businesses to reduce use during short grid-peak windows. Around scheduled services, a home can pre-cool and ease setpoints in unused rooms during a peak window in exchange for bill credits.
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Get a Free Quote Call 866-284-9272Methodology & Sources
Business count: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023 - 982 funeral homes and funeral services (NAICS 812210) in Texas. Average commercial rate: EIA / state commercial averages (Texas ~8.3¢/kWh; U.S. ~13.5¢/kWh, 2026). Usage and the energy-user split are estimates that vary by building size, number of chapels, and gas-vs-electric heating. Bills are electricity-only and exclude natural gas, taxes, fees, and account-specific demand charges.
