Compare Electricity Rates and Shop For Electricity Plans
If you’ve shopped for an electricity plan in Texas recently, you’ve probably noticed that rates are rising. In fact, some of the energy rates for Texas plans have increased over 30% so far in 2018 and will continue to rise as the summer approaches.
What’s contributing to this rise? In short, it’s simple economics. Understanding the market forces at play in ERCOT will help you make an informed decision about your energy needs going into the summer and avoid a painful utility bill.
To promote energy choice in Ohio, the Ohio PUC requires that all utility bills include a Price To Compare disclosure. This is based on the Standard Service Offer (SSO) for your local electric utility. But the SSO and price to compare are not always the same!
Read on to learn more about what the Price To Compare number is (and also what it isn’t) so that you can accurately compare apples to apples electricity rates.
The holidays are coming and, for most people, that means your electricity usage will go up. This likely means that your holiday electric bills will go up as well.
Between late night festivities, holiday decorations, house guests, and lots of extra activity, utility bills go up almost every holiday season. That doesn’t have to happen, though, if you follow some helpful hints for cutting down on your power usage during these coming holiday weeks.
Read More about 7 Tips To Keep Your Electric Bill Off The Naughty List
You’re never stuck in a contract with your electricity provider. There are always options available. You can negotiate a lower rate, switch to a different provider and pay the early termination fee, use the provider’s satisfaction guarantee (if available) or use your right of rescission if you just made the switch.
The bottom line is that you can still shop for electricity rates and plans even if you are in a long-term contract.
Read More about Stuck In A Contract With Your Electricity Provider? Know Your Options
No matter where you live, there will always be fluctuations in the amount of power you use and pay for each month. This also means having months where the electric bill can be as much as twice the normal amount in extreme weather.
Electricity providers have created a system that attempts to solve this problem: average billing. Also known as budget billing, average monthly billing, or balanced billing, average billing aims to smooth out the bumps in your monthly electric bill. Ideally, this should result in a predictable electricity bill each month. But is average billing for electricity worth it? It depends.
Bill credit electricity plans are among the most popular in Texas. These are the electricity rates that look amazingly low at the advertised rate of 1000 or 2000 kWh. But dig into the details and you may find you’re paying a higher price per kilowatt hour than you expected. We call these plans a Texas teaser rate. And while they can be good for some consumers, they can be a big red flag for others.
Read More about Bill Credit Electricity Plans – Texas Teaser Rate or Good Deal?
As you’re shopping for electricity, you’ll come across plans that advertise phrases like “free nights and weekends” or “free nights and solar days” or even “free days electricity.” This may sound too good to be true, but they’re absolutely legitimate.
There are a lot of light companies with free nights and weekends plans. But, what you really want to know as an electricity consumer is, are free nights and weekends worth it? We explain how these plans work, their pros and cons and how to use them to save on your bill.
Read More about Do Free Nights and Weekends Electricity Plans Really Save Money?
If you are shopping for electricity based on the advertised rate or one of the three electricity rates shown on the Electricity Facts Label, stop. You might pick the electricity company advertising the lowest rate based on 500 kWh, 1000 kWh or 2000 kWh. But you could soon discover it’s not as straight forward as you’d hoped. Because unless you read the find print you may choose the wrong plan.
Before you blindly click on the plan with the lowest advertised rate, read this article.
Read More about Why Does Texas Have Three Electricity Rates?
Knowing how to read an Electricity Facts Label (EFL) is the key to finding the right electricity plan for your home. It’s easy get pulled in by the advertised rates, showing low prices at a certain usage level. But the EFL shows you the math behind that attractive rate, showing you exactly what to expect from your electricity plan.
Read More about How to Read an Electricity Facts Label (EFL)
Looking for ways to reduce your electricity costs? Electricity customers should always be on the lookout for cheap electricity plans, but there are more ways to save money than to simply buy your electricity for less.
For most, a combination of lower electricity prices and smarter electricity usage leads to the lowest electricity bills overall. We’ve come up with a list of updated tips to help you save money and conserve electricity so you can make the most of your electricity plan.
Read More about 12 Ways to Cut Electricity Costs (2026 Update)
