Picking The Right Houston Electricity Company, Rate and Plan

What to Know Before Signing up With Just Anyone

We have compiled a list of some of the more popular residential Texas electricity companies and rate plans. If there is a known issue with one of the residential electricity companies we list that concern next to the provider. There are some providers that have blatantly obvious tricks we know of that shows one rate on their website but when receiving your first electricity bill the rate is much higher due to the TDSP charges not being clearly apparent. A note should be made that these Texas electricity providers are usually involved in leaving off the TDSP charge on their advertised rate. We are not sure exactly how many energy companies participate in this practice as well as they change their practices depending on how much heat they are receiving from PUCT complaints. You can read Consumer Energy complaints from some of these providers customers who can explain what exactly can occur when switching to a gimmicky energy company better than we can.

August 7 2009 Residential Houston Electricity Company Comparison, Cheapest to Most Expensive

Understanding Your Houston Residential Electricity Rate

Most electric providers in Texas will bundle the TDSP charges into the energy only rate giving you an all-in rate that can be compared against other Texas electricity companies like TXU Energy and Reliant Energy. We have listed both TXU and Reliant in our comparison chart in order to compare their electricity prices with other Texas electric providers. You will notice that the two largest energy providers in Texas have much higher electricity prices than some of the smaller but good electric companies. Right now Champion Energy and Startex Power are two reputable electricity providers in Texas offering very cheap fixed electricity rate offers. All fees and charges are disclosed with these two companies. With Startex if a customer uses less then 500 kWh hours a month there will be a $4.95 monthly service fee although most Texas electricity consumers use more then this so it shouldn’t be an issue for most customers. A monthly service fee is simply an additional charge many electricity providers have in addition to their electricity price. It is important that a provider disclose this fee upfront rather than hide it in the contract details. We have made these fees obvious in our rate chart so you can make a clear apples to apples comparison of electricity prices in Texas.

Historical Houston Electricity Rate Snapshot for August 7 2009

Since this Houston electricity comparison chart is an update for August 7 2009 it only represents a historical snapshot of what Texas electricity providers were charging on this date. An updated and daily refreshed electricity rate chart is also provided below with some of the cheapest Houston electricity companies. We hope this historical list of Houston energy providers in prices above will keep you informed of how prices move over the course of several months. If you have any questions or comments about one of these Houston electricity companies please feel free to leave a comment below. If you are interested in a no deposit Houston electricity choice please visit our no deposit electricity page.

Current Houston Electricity Rates, Companies, and Plans

If you are confused about electric rates in Dallas and surrounding Oncor utility area we have a great comparison chart below comparing mostly fixed rates with several different electric providers. These electric rates are residential rates. There are a few variable rates in the mix because those companies only offered a variable electric rate so we listed their only option. The rates are designated as to whether they are a fixed electric rate or a variable rate. I recommend to avoid signing up on a variable rate because the month after you sign up on that rate plan the electric rate could do just about anything. A variable electric rate has taken many residential customers by surprise this summer when rates trippled in price. A fixed electric rate is a much safer way to lock into an energy rate because you know exactly what price you will pay the entire term of your contract.

Current October 2008 Residential Electric Rate Comparison

These rates are updated as of October 2 2008. Because residential electric rates change every few weeks these rates will be a little higher or lower as the month continues. This comparison chart will serve as a good indicative comparison of where residential electric rates are at for the month of October 2008. You may click on the links on this comparison chart and sign up online to receive a slightly lower electric rate then calling these providers on the phone. By signing up for electric service online you keep the electric companies costs low for aquiring a new customer and they reward you by giving you a slight discount then if you were to call and speak to a customer service rep over the phone. Signing up online also allows you to take advantage of online discounts that are not promoted when calling the providers on the phone. When you call an electric provider on the phone they expect to close about 70 % of those customers who call in. Because of this most providers will try to sell you a higher electric rate then is available via online discount offers.

The companies offering the cheapest rates for the month of October are Startex Power – Sign up Now

Natural gas spot prices went up a small fraction due to tropical storm activity and the summer heat

Small increase in Natural Gas prices this week

Natural Gas Spot Prices increased this week in large markets in the Eastern United States due to tropical storm weather patterns and the summer heat. If you look at the summer overall the Natural Gas Prices have come down quite a bit compared to their typical movements in the summer time.

Electricity Rates rose a fraction higher today

Electricity prices have come up today from their lows the last two days. Electric prices are still quite low but this could be forshadowing of the beginning of a continuous rise upward. We will of course have to wait to find out because no one can accurately predict what will happen.

Small commercial facility in Texas locks in for 12 months at .083 cents a kwh

A small commercial facility called today asking what they should do as electric rates were lower the last two days and came up a fraction today. We explained that trying to follow the electricity and natural gas market is like trying to predict what a stock will do such as ebay or google. No one can tell you if rates will come back down in the short term. There is just no way to know. If you wait until they do you will hurt yourself as the no term electric rates are much higher then a contracted rate. You will eat up your electricity savings by holding out on a premium rate.

Summer heat has no effect on electricity prices

Electricity prices in Texas continue to come down as natural gas prices steadily drop.

Today Natural gas is trading at $6.20 MMBtu and could go lower by the end of the day. We quoted a large industrial complex an electricity rate at .075 cents a kwh. Electricity prices are so low right now a business would be crazy to not sign on the dotted line for the 12 month contracts out there. The 12 month contract however is not as good as the 6 month electric contract.

Which electric term contract should I go with?

The electric rate for a 6 month electricity contract is at .0695 cents a kwh for large industrial facilities. For small commercial facilities the rate looks more like .0755 cents a kwh for 6 months. These rates are better then where they have been at in over 2 years. Right now is a perfect time to extend or renew an electricity agreement. I would recommend the 12 month contract and try again next year. The terms rates go up significantly from the 12 month term. 24 month, 36 month and 48 month contracts are all much higher then the 12 month contract.