The Direct Energy Twelve Hour Power plan gives you 12 hours of free electricity every day. That’s the most free electricity hours of any plan in Texas.
You’ll see it advertised all over the radio, online and on billboards. The question is, is it the plan for you?
Below, you will find a Direct Energy Twelve Hour Power review. We’ll also review Direct Energy’s other electricity plans. And we’ll tell you how to compare Direct Energy Twelve Hour Power against other Direct Energy plans, and plans from other companies.
Direct Energy is currently not offering free electricity plans through digital partners. If you are interested in the Direct Energy Twelve Hour Power free time plan, call Direct Energy customer service at 844-879-7711.
As an alternative, we recommend shopping and comparing the best selection of free time electricity plans in Texas.
About the Direct Energy Twelve Hour Power Plan
Direct Energy has offered free electricity plans for many years. Last summer’s heavily promoted plan offered 100+ days of free electricity with free weekends.
The Twelve Hour Power Plan is their best free electricity plan yet, with 12 hours of free electricity every day, from 9pm to 8:59am. That means you can crank up the air conditioning every night and sleep cool and calm all night long, even during the scorching days of summer.
Twelve Hour Power Plan offers the most free electricity hours of any free electricity plan in Texas. That’s 84 free power hours a week, 360 hours per month and 4,380 free power hours a year!
Plus, not only is the electricity free, but you also won’t pay for delivery during that time period. What! Yes, that’s what we said!
Now, nothing in this world is free. We can tell you that your local TDU isn’t cutting Direct Energy any deal on those delivery fees! So the delivery fees are baked somewhere into the price.
Is the Twelve Hour Power Plan Right for Me?
We always emphasize how important it is to (1) understand your usage, and (2) read the Electricity Facts Label. The Direct Energy Twelve Hour Power Plan is no different.
The Twelve Hour Power Plan is best for consumers using over 2000 kWh. That’s because there is a $9.95 monthly base charge. But, as we stated above, this assumes you use electricity like everyone else. If you change how and when you use electricity, you could make better use of the free power than the average consumer.
Check what your rate is with Direct Energy Twelve Hour Power, based on your electricity usage. See below and enter your usage.
All of the Direct Energy plans above are available in Centerpoint, Oncor, AEP-North, AEP-Central and TNMP. To shop the best Direct Energy plans in your area, just enter your zip code below.
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How Does Twelve Hour Power Compare to Other Direct Energy Plans?
If you are interested in free electricity, you should also consider Free Power Weekends, Direct Energy’s free weekends plan. With this plan you will receive free electricity from 6pm Friday evening, through Midnight on Sunday night. Pricing for this plan assumes that 31% of your power will be free, i.e. on the weekend.
Free Power Weekends has a $4.95 monthly base charge, compared to the $9.95 monthly base charge with Twelve Hour Power. And that’s where the difference lies when you compare the two plans.
But take a look at Direct Energy’s fixed price plan, Live Brighter 12, while you are shopping. You’ll pay a $4.95 monthly base charge, but you’ll pay the same price for electricity regardless of time of day or day of week. You won’t have to worry about shifting your electricity usage to the weekends or to the night time. Just use power the same way you always do, and you’ll have a great rate…a rate that’s lower than Twelve Hour Power.
Typically, the electricity plans that have the fancy advertising campaign are the more expensive plans. And that’s the case with Direct Energy Twelve Hour Power as well.
ElectricityPlans will always show a variety of Direct Energy plans, and the plans noted above may not always be available. We select plans to show based on the price offerings, product mix, and what other retailers are offering. We work to post the best electricity plans for your area.
Ready to sign up for your Direct Energy plan? Call them toll-free at 1-844-879-7711. Or enter your zip code to view all Direct Energy plans.
What Time is Direct Energy Free Nights?
Direct Energy Twelve Hour Power gives you free electricity from 9 pm to 9 am every day.
How to Compare Direct Energy Twelve Hour Power Plan vs. Plans from Other REPs
Like we said above, the two most important things to know when shopping for electricity are:
- Know your usage
- Use the Electricity Bill Calculator to see your rate
Here’s why that’s important.
Know Your Usage. It’s important to know your usage because it impacts your effective rate. Your usage will be different month to month. And when folks guess their usage, they usually under or over estimate it. We recommend that you go online to your current account and download your usage history.
Use the Electricity Bill Calculator. We used to say that the two most important things were to know your usage and read the Electricity Facts Label. But now we say, just enter your usage in the Electricity Bill Calculator. We will calculate your electricity price for you, and your estimated bill, based on your usage.
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How to Make the Most of Free Electricity
Free electricity plans depend on consumer behavior to make it work. In this case, they are assuming that 45% of usage will be at night (see highlight above). And the daytime price is higher than with other plans. That ensures that Direct Energy will cover their costs on the night time electricity and the delivery fees.
You can bet that the “typical” customer in Texas uses power exactly like this — 45% of power used at night. If you don’t make any changes in how you use energy, your average price per kilowatt hour will be around what they show on the Electricity Facts Label.
So in order for you to get the best deal with free electricity, you want to shift your electricity usage to the free time period.
You can do that by running the dishwasher and washing machine after 9pm, and by vacuuming the house before you leave in the morning. Also, put electronics and chargers on a power strip, and turn them off when not in use. We would also recommend that you get a WiFi smart thermostat for your home, so you can manage your thermostat remotely. This can help you conserve energy.
Can You Shop for Me? Of Course!
Confused? Want help? We’ve got your back. With our free PlanScan service, we take the work out of shopping.
Unlike other shopping services that charge $10 a month to shop for your electricity ($120 a year! Yikes!), we will shop for you for free.
Just submit a copy of your most recent bill and tell us a little bit about what you are looking for. Within 24 business hours, we’ll send back recommendations of plans that fit your usage. Easy!
Direct Energy’s PUCT # is 10040.