Buying a home in Preston Hollow means factoring in the monthly costs to keep it running. Because the neighborhood sits entirely within Dallas city limits, the core utility providers are largely determined for you.
Your monthly outlay depends on the type and size of the property you choose. An estate with mature trees and a pool will draw far more water and power than a high-rise condo, even though both addresses use the exact same city infrastructure.
Key Takeaway
In Preston Hollow, water, sewer, and trash come from the City of Dallas, gas comes from Atmos Energy, and power runs over Oncor’s lines, so the only provider you choose is your retail electricity plan. Your bills depend far more on the property itself. A single-family home whose median sale works out to roughly 4,400 square feet, often with irrigation, a pool, or a guest house, costs more to run than a condo, where HOA dues may cover some utilities. You should ask for 12 months of bills before you make an offer.
Who This Guide Is For
You are buying in Preston Hollow, or choosing between a house and a condo there, and need to know who will bill you for each utility and what a specific property will cost to run before you commit.
What Sets Utility Costs in Preston Hollow
Every Preston Hollow address draws from the same City of Dallas water and trash service, the same Oncor wires, and the same Atmos gas lines. What you’ll pay is set by the property you buy. The median single-family sale runs $544 per square foot, against $253 per square foot for condos (based on 18 condo sales).
When applied to the median sale prices, this implies roughly 4,400 square feet for a house versus roughly 1,250 square feet for a condo. That’s a ratio of medians, not a measured size, but the consequence is straightforward: three times the floor area means more air conditioning, more lighting, and often a large irrigated lawn. The utility provider isn’t the variable; the house is.
Choosing between a single-family home and a condo? Start with the section on utility costs in a house versus a condo, then read the water and electricity profiles. If the property has an irrigation system, pool, guest house, or more than one HVAC system, go to the section on what runs up bills on a large lot, then review the water and sewer details.
Closing in summer or moving in within a few weeks? Read the electricity profile first, since it’s the only service where you choose a provider and a plan needs to be in place before move-in day. Already have a property under consideration? Skip to how to check a home’s utility costs before you offer for the documents to request while sellers are taking a median 51 days to close a sale.
Who Provides Utilities in Preston Hollow
Preston Hollow sits inside the City of Dallas boundaries, which is why the city handles your water and trash. You can check where Preston Hollow is located for exact boundaries.
Water, Sewer and Stormwater
Dallas Water Utilities (DWU) bills water, wastewater, and the city stormwater fee on a single monthly statement. Residential water is priced in tiers, meaning the next thousand gallons cost more than the last. The stormwater fee depends on the property’s impervious area rather than on your water use.
To start service, you contact the city to set up an account for your new address. According to the City of Dallas Water Quality Report 2025, the city uses surface water from seven sources, including the Elm Fork of the Trinity River.
Tiered pricing hits big irrigated lots hardest in the summer. The stormwater fee is tied to the property itself, so a large footprint means a higher fixed charge every month whether or not you run the tap. Confirm the property’s stormwater tier on a recent bill before you close.
Electricity
Texas operates on a split electricity system. Oncor owns the poles, wires, and meters and handles all power outages. You buy your actual power from a retail electric provider you pick, using the state’s Power to Choose comparison site.
You can’t choose who fixes your power lines, but you can choose who sells you the electricity. The seller’s plan doesn’t transfer to you, so you need your own contract in place for move-in day. Read each plan’s Electricity Facts Label at your own expected usage level, not just the headline price.
Advertised plan prices are often quoted at a set monthly usage, and some plans include bill credits only within a specific usage band. A large home that uses well beyond that band can pay far more per kilowatt-hour than the headline suggests. A promotional or variable rate that resets in July does the most damage.
Natural Gas
Atmos Energy supplies natural gas to the neighborhood, and you’ll need to contact them directly to set up service in your name. In a typical Preston Hollow home, gas runs the furnaces, water heaters, cooktops, and often outdoor fireplaces or pool heaters.
There’s a monthly customer charge you pay even in months you barely use any gas. Pool heaters, outdoor fireplaces, and backup generators can add winter use that a seller’s summer summary won’t show. If you’re planning a kitchen remodel or a whole-home generator, ask whether the existing gas line and meter can handle the added load.
Trash, Recycling and Brush Pickup
City of Dallas Sanitation collects household trash and recycling, and also picks up brush and bulky trash on a set schedule separate from weekly garbage collection. You can look up your specific collection days by entering your address on the city’s sanitation website. Residents who pay for garbage and recycling on their water bill are automatically eligible for the monthly brush and bulky service.
The city’s brush program has specific size and placement rules. On a planted estate lot, regular trimming can produce more debris than one scheduled pickup handles, so budget for a garden contractor who hauls away clippings.
Internet and Cable
Unlike the other services, internet isn’t assigned by the city. Which wired providers and speeds are available can vary from one address to the next. The only reliable answer comes from checking the specific address on the FCC National Broadband Map.
Fiber may serve one street and not the next. If you work from home, check the exact address before you offer rather than after closing.
Utility Costs in a House vs a Condo
Condos currently show 10 months of supply (based on 18 condo sales), compared to 5.4 months for single-family homes. That spread gives condo buyers room to ask detailed questions about what the dues cover before signing a contract.
Some condo associations fold water, sewer, trash, or even gas into the monthly dues. You can only compare a condo with a house once you know exactly what the dues include, which you can verify by reviewing the property’s HOA fees and rules. In a single-family home, every bill is yours, and outdoor water and pool equipment sit on top of your indoor use.
Ask the condo association in writing which utilities the dues cover and whether units are separately metered. When dues include utilities, a building-wide rate increase or a sudden dues hike can raise your effective utility cost without your personal usage changing at all.
What Runs Up Bills on a Large Preston Hollow Lot
The biggest driver of a high utility bill on a large lot is lawn irrigation under tiered water rates. The city enforces a watering schedule, and heavy outdoor watering pushes your usage into the most expensive tiers. The backflow-prevention testing required on irrigation systems adds another occasional maintenance cost.
Pools and pool equipment also draw significant power and water. Guest houses or pool houses may have their own meters or water heaters, adding base charges and usage on top of everything else. Inside the main house, multiple HVAC zones running simultaneously during a Texas summer will dominate the electric bill. Older, original houses often lack the insulation and efficient windows found in newer rebuilds.
For illustration only: under current Dallas Water Utilities rates, usage up to 4,000 gallons costs $2.17 per 1,000 gallons, but usage between 10,001 and 20,000 gallons jumps to $7.98 per 1,000 gallons. The city offers a free automatic irrigation system check-up performed by a licensed specialist to help identify leaks or programming errors. On a large irrigated lot, outdoor water can become the most variable line in your monthly budget.
How to Check a Home’s Utility Costs Before You Offer
Sellers aren’t getting multiple same-day offers right now. With single-family homes taking a median 51 days to sell at 96.3% of list price, and condos taking a median 80 days on market (based on 18 condo sales), asking for 12 months of water, electric, and gas bills is a reasonable request. Ask the seller for this history, and make sure it includes a July or August statement.
Read the utility-provider section of the seller’s disclosure notice and confirm each provider named. Check whether the property has a private well for irrigation and whether it’s registered with the city. Ask for the date and result of the irrigation system’s most recent backflow test, and count the meters to confirm whether a guest house or pool house has separate utility accounts.
Check the stormwater fee tier shown on a recent Dallas Water Utilities bill, and enter the exact address on the FCC National Broadband Map before offering if you depend on home internet. A prior owner’s bills reflect their household’s habits, thermostat settings, and watering routines, so treat them as a range, not a promise.
Preston Hollow Housing Numbers at a Glance
You can review the broader Preston Hollow housing market for more context on these figures.
- Single-family median sale price: $2,399,601 (90 days ending 2026-09-30, 47 sales)
- Single-family median price per sq ft: $544 (90 days ending 2026-09-30)
- Single-family median days on market: 51 (90 days ending 2026-09-30)
- Single-family sale-to-list ratio: 96.3% (90 days ending 2026-09-30)
- Single-family months of supply: 5.4 (90 days ending 2026-09-30)
- Single-family median sale price change: -1.9% year over year (90 days ending 2026-09-30)
- Condo median sale price: $316,500 (90 days ending 2026-09-30, based on 18 condo sales; treat with caution)
- Condo median price per sq ft: $253 (90 days ending 2026-09-30, based on 18 condo sales)
- Condo median days on market: 80 (90 days ending 2026-09-30, based on 18 condo sales)
- Condo months of supply: 10 (90 days ending 2026-09-30, based on 18 condo sales)
- Condo median sale price change: +11.1% year over year (90 days ending 2026-09-30, based on 18 condo sales; a small sample can swing sharply)
Preston Hollow Utilities FAQs
Is Preston Hollow a City, or Does Dallas Provide Its Utilities?
Preston Hollow is a neighborhood within the City of Dallas, not a separate municipality, which is why Dallas Water Utilities and Dallas Sanitation serve it. You can confirm a specific address is inside city limits by checking the taxing jurisdictions on its Dallas Central Appraisal District record when reviewing property taxes.
Do Preston Hollow Homes Have Well Water or City Water?
Homes are served by Dallas Water Utilities, which uses surface water from seven sources. Some properties may also have private wells, typically for irrigation. Texas requires a license to drill a water well and install a pump, regulated by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, but Dallas County does not have a separate county-level well-registration permit. Ask the seller and read the disclosure to confirm if a well exists.
When Can You Water Your Lawn in Dallas?
Dallas restricts lawn and outdoor watering to a maximum of twice per week on a schedule based on the last digit of your street address. Even-numbered addresses water Sundays and Thursdays, while odd-numbered addresses water Saturdays and Wednesdays. From April 1 through October 31, watering is prohibited between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. on all days of the week, though hand watering, drip irrigation, and soaker hoses are permitted at any time.
Do You Need a Deposit to Start Dallas Water Service?
Check with Dallas Water Utilities for current deposit requirements and waivers when starting service. Contact them directly to confirm how far ahead to request service at a new address.
How Much Is the Trash Fee in Dallas?
The City of Dallas Sanitation Department’s current residential solid waste collection fee is $40.09 per month for curb-and-alley service. This fee appears on your monthly water bill. Beginning February 1, 2027, the city will split this into tiered rates of $37.76 per month for curb-only locations and $45.22 per month for alley locations.
Who Do You Call About a Power Outage in Preston Hollow?
You call Oncor to report power outages and downed lines, not your retail electric provider. Because Oncor owns the poles and wires in this deregulated market, they handle all delivery and infrastructure repairs.
Is There Help Paying Utility Bills in Dallas County?
Yes, Dallas County Health and Human Services administers the Comprehensive Energy Assistance Program (CEAP). This program helps income-eligible residents pay electric and gas utility bills and provides repairs to home heating and cooling units. Eligible households must have an income at or below 150% of the federal poverty guideline limit, and residents can call 214-819-1848 to apply.
