Competition In The Electricity Market
After deregulation, numerous electricity companies have formed, each offering different services and products. As a result, consumers now have an extensive selection of competitive electricity providers to choose from.
What is Texas Electric Rates?
TexasElectricRates.com is a free simple tool allowing home or office customers to quickly find, compare and order energy services. Choosing an electric company among a select group of pre-qualified energy providers becomes a simple process with cost-saving results up to 25 percent.
General Questions about Texas Electric Rates and Texas Electric Choice
What has stayed the same in Texas electric service?
Your current Transmission and Distribution Utility, or "local wires company," continues to deliver Texas electricity to your home of office. Your local wires company still responds to service interruptions and continues to maintain the poles and wires. You will continue to receive the same reliable service you are used to with your local wires company, regardless of which Retail Electric Provider you receive service from thru Texas Electric Rates.com.
READ MORE »What has changed in electric service?
You can now choose to buy your Texas electricity from a different electric supplier than the original energy provider for your area. These energy companies are called Retail Electric Providers. Additionally, your bill now looks different than bills you have received in the past, but each Retail Electric Provider provides the same standard information. Texas Electric Rates.com makes the top Retail Electric Providers in Texas compete for your business for residential Texas Electric Rates and for commercial Texas Electric Rates.
Do all Texans have the power to choose their Texas electric company?
No. City-owned utilities and member-owned Texas electric cooperatives have the option of giving their customers a choice of providers, or keeping things the way they are today. To see if competition is active in your area, visit the Public Utility Commission of Texas.
What are the benefits of Texas Electric Choice?
Texas' electric rates are very competitive compared to rates across the rest of the country, but our usage is among the highest in the nation due to demand for air conditioning during the long, hot Texas summer season. Competition in other industries has often brought lower prices and innovative, new products and services. Having more control over your Texas electric buying decision should make it easier to determine what matters most to you, whether it is electric prices, renewable or green energy sources, energy customer service or simply a name of an energy company you know.
Texas electric competition also helps the environment because Texas Retail Electric Providers may offer electricity from environmentally-clean energy sources. Generating electricity from renewable sources such as wind produces less air pollution than generation that relies on burning coal or natural gas. Natural gas is considered a "clean" fuel source in Texas, since it produces fewer emissions than coal.
With Texas Electric competition, will the reliability of my Texas electric service change?
No. No matter which Texas Retail Electric Provider you choose, your Texas power will continue to be delivered safely and reliably by the local wires company, an energy company still regulated by the PUCT.
How does the Texas electric competition law protect the environment?
The Texas electric competition law encourages an upgrade or retirement of older power plants to meet emissions standards by allowing Texas utilities to recoup the costs of retrofitting or retiring certain older power plants.
It also requires Texas retail electric providers to buy an additional combined 2,000 megawatts of Texas renewable electric generation capacity statewide by January 2009, from sources that include wind, solar, hydroelectric, biomass or geothermal.
Texas has routinely exceeded its renewable generation targets and is the largest wind power generator in the U.S.
Do I have to switch from my current Texas electric utility?
No. If you decide not to exercise your power to choose a new Texas Retail Electric Provider, your service will be provided by the Affiliate Retail Electric Provider. The Affiliate Retail Electric Provider is the electric provider that was part of the original Retail Electric Provider that generated and sold Texas electricity in your area, that now only sells Texas electric rates and provides customer service.
Billing
Will my electric bill look different with Texas Electric Rates?
Yes. Your Texas Retail Electric Provider is responsible for customer service functions such as billing. The Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC) has established rules requiring Texas Retail Electric Providers to provide you with a bill that is easy to read. For example, your bill will be issued monthly, you will receive a paper bill via U.S. Mail, and you have the choice of receiving your Texas electric bill electronically, if both you and your Retail Electric Provider agree. It is up to the Texas Retail Electric Provider’s to design their bills; however, there are many bill components they are required to include. Please refer to their fact sheet or terms of service for more information on your Texas electric bill.
Whom do I call with an electric billing question?
You should contact your Texas Retail Electric Provider directly.
How are billing disputes resolved?
Billing disputes should be directed to your Texas Retail Electric Provider. If disputes cannot be resolved, please contact the Public Utility Commission of Texas customer hotline toll-free at 1-888-PUC-TIPS (1-888-782-8477).
What portion of my Texas electric bill am I shopping for?
The portion you are shopping for is the total price per kilowatt-hour (kWh), which will help you compare offers from Texas Retail Electric Providers at Texas Electric Rates.com. Each Texas Retail Electric Provider must provide an "Electricity Fact Label," which is designed to show the energy cost of Texas electricity at various levels of energy consumption, taking into account all of the energy costs of producing and delivering Texas electricity. It will probably be easier for you to compare offers from different Texas Retail Electric Providers by looking at the total energy charges in the Electricity Facts Label.
Changing Providers at Texas Electric Rates.com is simple and easy. Simply put in your zip code to get started.
Is there a penalty for changing Texas energy providers?
No. There is no switching fee unless you request a special meter reading at a time other than your regularly scheduled meter reading. There may also be penalties if you break an existing contract with your current Texas Retail Electric Provider. Review your Terms of Service agreement for details.
If I sign up with a new Texas Electric Rate and new Texas Retail Electric Provider, when will the switch to that Texas electric company happen?
Customers can choose a Texas Retail Electric Power Company at any time; after switching to a new Texas Electric provider, you will begin to receive service within seven business days. Before you are switched, you will receive written confirmation in the mail. You will receive your first electric bill from your new Texas Retail Electric Provider on the following billing cycle.
Do I have a right to cancel my new Texas Electric Company?
Yes. You may cancel within three days from when you receive your Terms of Service agreement by contacting the Texas Retail Electric Provider. If you are hand-delivered a terms of service agreement or you sign up for service using the Internet, there is a three-day cancellation period. The confirmation that will be mailed to you will also provide a way to cancel your switch.
What happens if my Texas Retail Electric Provider stops serving Texas Electric customers?
You will not be without Texas electricity. In most cases, your Texas Retail Electric Provider will give you 30 days' advance notice to give you time to select a new Texas energy provider. If your Texas energy provider goes out of business suddenly, your Texas electric service will be switched automatically to the "Provider of Last Resort" (POLR). POLR service is meant to be a temporary fix until you switch to another electric provider, and POLR service typically has very high rates compared to standard market offers. Use this Web site (www.TexasElectricRates.com) to shop for a new provider and you can begin to receive service from your new provider within seven business days. If you do not switch to a new Texas energy provider, you will remain with the POLR and have to pay its higher rates, so it's important to shop and switch Texas energy providers as soon as possible.
How can I compare offers from Texas Retail Electric Providers?
Visit www.TexasElectricRates.com to compare the most competitive Texas Electric Rates from the most reputable Texas Electric Companies.
Your Rights: What are my rights as a Texas electric customer?
You have the right to choose a Texas electric provider, which includes the right to be served by the Affiliate Retail Electric Provider (the electric provider that was part of the original Retail Electric Provider that generated and sold electricity in your area, that now only sells electricity). No matter which electric provider you choose, the Public Utility Commission (PUC) will continue to protect your rights.
If you feel that your rights have been violated, call the PUC's toll-free Customer Hotline at 1-888-PUC-TIPS (1-888-782-8477).
Source: TexasElectricRates.com and the Texas Public Utility Commission