Today is August 14 2009 and we have gone out to the power to choose website to check on electricity rates from companies like Champion, Startex, Green Mountain Energy, Spark Energy, TXU, Ambit, Stream, Bounce, Texas Power and Reliant Energy.  We checked on some other Texas electricity providers but these energy companies provide a good overall comparison of rates. We have sorted the electricity rates  in order from cheapest to most expensive using the pricing available on the Power to Choose website.

Startex Power, Champion, and Green Mountain Energy, are some of the more popular electricity companies we recommend and Startex and Champion are currently offering some of the cheapest available electricity plans in the Dallas Texas area. There are no hidden fees or charges with Startex or Champion. If you use below 500 kWh per month than a $4.95 monthly service fee will kick in with Startex Power but other than that you are going to be good with the top two cheapest Dallas electricity plans in the chart.

This chart above is a historical snapshot of what Dallas residential electricity rates looked like for the month and day of August 14 2009. These charts sometimes help in determining the track record of a Texas electricity companies overall consistent performance in delivering a low cost electricity price to Texas energy consumers. To see a current comparison of our recommended electricity companies in Dallas Texas please click on our Dallas electricity comparison link by clicking here.

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

To see a list of the most expensive Texas electric service providers selling residential energy please click on the below link.

Click Here to See the Highest Priced Texas Electric Providers

If you need to see the cheapest residential electric companies you can use the chart below.

These are Some of the Cheapest Dallas and North Texas Area Residential Electric Providers

All fees and charges are included in the below chart and all the electric companies in the chart are reputable stable residential energy companies in Texas. There are no hidden fees or fuel surcharges in these electric rates.

Electric Rates in all deregulated cities in Texas have come down quite a bit since last summer. Last summer a typical low cost electric rate at this time was around 16 cents a kWh for residential home owners and apartments. Now electric rates in the North Texas and East Texas area are priced at 10 – 11 cents per kWh for a 1 year fixed rate term. This is a very low price cosidering when last summer a residential electric rate in Dallas or Houston would cost anywhere from 16 – 31 cents per kWh. First Choice Power had a rate of 31 cents per kWh with some customers. We saw only a few months ago where Nueces Electric Coop was charging one of their customers 34 cents per kWh. We want to encourage residential Texas electric customers to not fall for a too good to be true rate offer but also to sign up for an exbortantly inflated electricity rate. Right now the name brand electric companies most Texas energy consumers are familiar with like TXU or Reliant are charging some of the highest prices in Texas. First Choice Power has come down from their high at 31 cents per kWh but they are still charging a lot when comparing their electric rate with several reputable discount electric companies.

A Quick Warning About Unbundled Too Good to be True Electric Rate Offers

Something to pay close attention to when deciding on a Texas electric rate is if the provider is hiding additional charges they do not make you aware of when quoting you a rate. For instance, Liberty Power advertises on the internet a residential Texas electricity rate that does not have the TDSP charges included in the energy price. We called Liberty Power to confirm what their energy price was on the phone and they did not disclose to us that there would be an additional 4 cents per kWh that would be added to the rate in the form of TDSP charges. We had to specifically ask them after the sales call if there would be an additional TDSP charges tagged on to the rate. Liberty Power also did not make us aware of a monthly service fee when quoting their residential electric rate to us. Their rate at the time that they were quoting was in the 7 cents per kWh range. Imagine thinking you were locking in at 7 cents per kWh to than get your first months bill that also contained 4 cents on top of that rate making the rate 11 cents per kWh and then add the monthly fee of $8.99 to that you have a rate in the 11.5 cents per kWh range.

It would be better for Liberty Power to just disclose to people what their rate is as well as what the customer can expect to pay in TDSP charges since most residential electric customers will pay about the same TDSP charge. Most residential electric companies in Texas will fix the TDSP charges and bundle them into their advertised electric rate. This means that most residential electric providers in Texas make their customers aware of all charges in an “all-in” quoted rate instead of just quoting the “energy only” portion of the rate. We hope this explanation can help you avoid signing up with an electric company that does not disclose all charges in their advertised price.

We visited Liberty Power’s site and they had no hard evidence of what their advertised residential electric rate is although you can sometimes find it on a Google or Yahoo ad that is just the “energy only” price. They had a quote form to fill out but no prices displayed anywhere on their site. We are very curious why they do not provide this pricing evidence on their website? A quick glance on another too good to be true offers shows that “Trickster Energy” (name hidden because of legal) is advertising a “fixed rate” at 7.5 cents per kWh with a $4.95 monthly service fee in their facts label and displays what appears to be a total bundled rate at 10.1 cents per kWh for the Oncor Utility area which is Dallas, Fort Worth, North Texas, and parts of East Texas. When reading their facts label which most customers pass on reading we find that their total bundled rate is really not the 10.1 cents per kWh that it shows. I called Trickster Energy and asked them what their rate was including TDSP charges and they said that the Oncor area rate is 10.1 cents per kWh but does not include the TDSP charges. She also went on to say she has “no idea what those charges are”. The issue is that providers know aproximately what those TDSP charges are for residential energy consumers and can easily give a close aproximate by saying 3 – 4 cents per kWh. Based on this conversation with this Trickster Energy sales lady the rate would be 10.1 + 4 cents in TDSP charges = 14.1 cents per kWh. It doesn’t matter that these additional charges are coming from the TDSP company. The issue is full price disclosure on the main advertised splash page for the residential electric price. The customer should have a clear front page example of the total “bundled rate” that includes all fees and charges including the TDSP charges.

Take a look at a Tricksters facts label as of June 8 2009. You will see that they have a charge showing 7.5 cents per kWh for the Oncor Electric Utility area but then at the top for Oncor they show 10.1 cents per kWh. Now you would assume that the total bundled electric rate is 10.1 since you have a low fee of 7.5 cents per kWh in the document at the bottom but a few cents higher at the top where it says 10.1 cents per kWh. This would be a great all in bundled residential electric rate right now. Now we call Trickster Energy and ask them if the 10.1 cent per kWh rate includes all charges. The lady on the phone says that the rate will be 10.1 cents per kWh but does not include the TDSP charges. She goes on to say that she has no idea what the TDSP charges will be? Even though it is an easy average to tell the customer she claims to not know. If you are a Trickster Energy customer let me finish the sales call correctly. Customer: “So what is the total bundled rate including TDSP Charges?” Sales Agent: “The total charges if when adding an aproximate TDSP charge of 4 cents per kWh will be 14.1 cents per kWh.” Customer: “Why is it that almost all Texas electric providers that sell residential electric service offer a total bundled residential rate in their advertisement that includes TDSP charges but your company does not?” Sales Agent: “Well we know our bosses know what the average cost of these TDSP charges will be but we have been told to state that we have no idea what these charges are.” Customer: “Doesn’t this allow the customer to assume that the rate will be somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 – 11 cents per kWh when in reality it will raise the electric rate several cents higher?” Sales agent: “No comment!”

Highest Priced Texas Electric Companies

These are the highest priced residential electric providers in the Dallas, Fort Worth, North Texas and parts of East Texas area. This comparison will also serve for showing who is pricing the highest in the Houston area as well although prices will typically be a little higher in Houston than in the Dallas Fort Worth area. The electric companies in the below list are reputable stable energy companies but happen to be offering electric rates at much higher prices than several other residential electric companies. There are also some electric providers in Texas that are advertising much lower rates than these providers but have hidden fees and charges they do not readily disclose on their websites or over the phone. We need to hear from consumers who have been tricked into what appeared to be a low rate but is really much higher.

Click here to see the Cheapest Available Residential Texas Electric Rates

Have You Been Surprised By Undisclosed Fees and Charges on Your Electric Bill?

If you have signed up at a higher electric rate than you were advertised by a Texas electric company than please fill out this form and let us know. There have been several complaints by Liberty Power and Trickster Energy customers that they were locked into an electric service rate much higher than what they were initially told. You may have been misled into an electric rate by one of these electric companies or possibly a different one we do not know about. Please feel free to let us know by filling out this quick form with your information.

Last Summer (2008) Some People Signed up at 15 Cents per kWh

Last summer a company by the name of Just Energy which also goes by the name of US Energy Savings Corp signed up many electric service customers to 5 year fixed residential electricity agreements. The reason so many Texas electricity customers signed up with Just Energy at 15 cents per kWh was because this was the cheapest rate when comparing 1, 2, and 3, and 5 year fixed electric rates.

Many did not realize that the summer of 2008 were some of the highest electricity prices in the Texas electric service markets history. By signing up for 5 years many Just Energy customers had locked themselves in at the highest time in the Texas energy market. Just Energy was not to blame for offering a 5 year fixed electricity agreement but consumers who decided to sign up for this long were strongly recommended by Electricity Bid to sign up for 6 months to 1 year even though the rate would be higher because it was our companies opinion that electricity rates would be coming back down. The summer of 2009 Texas saw some of the cheapest electricity rates we have seen but as of June it looks like the markets are heading back up again. We recommend 1, 2 and 3 year fixed rates at this time while prices are still low.

If anyone was around in Texas last year during this time you probably remember having to pay one of the highest electricity bills you have ever had to pay in history. If you were already locked into a rate with a provider you were one of the smart ones who were protected during this volatile time. I saw a First Choice Power bill over 30 cents per kWh. I saw a few other Texas electric provider bills in the 24 cent per kWh range. Most Texas electricity companies were advertising fixed rates in the 16 cents per kWh range as can be seen in this historical chart: http://www.electricitybid.com/electricity/index.php/2008/05/05/may-2008-houston-residential-electric-rate-comparison

The summer is the hottest time of the year and people begin cranking on that AC unit around May. Many people use double or triple their electric usage during this time. If you were using 2,500 kWh a month at this time and were paying 24 cents a kWh then you might have had a bill that totaled $600. First Choice Power customers may have had an electricity bill that was quite a bit higher. Several energy providers had sold unhedged power to their customers but were selling it as a fixed electric rate. National Power and Riverway Power were a couple of energy companies that did this and attempted to raise their fixed price on their customers when fuel prices went up. These providers no longer operate in Texas.  Some electric companies that were selling fixed energy prices without hedging eventually sold out to companies that had enough capital to take on the weak providers customers, honor the rate they charged and then hedged the energy they sold at a better time in the market.

Oil Prices from May 2008 to May 2009

Texas electricity rates have been coming down the last few months but have been toying with going back up for the past two weeks. These electric rates are down as of today but if you have read the news lately, a barrel of oil is considering going above $60 a barrel. Last year oil was hitting $100 a barrel and went as high as $140 before it tanked back down close to where it is today. We could be in for another disaster scenario this year considering how volatile energy prices can be. No one can accurately predict what energy prices will do but one thing we can say, electricity rates look pretty cheap right now when you compare them to last years prices at this time. You may wonder why we bring up the price of oil when talking about electricity. Oil and natural gas has a pretty strong correlation with electricity prices in Texas which is why we use the oil chart to compare. For instance last year a 1 year electric rate at this time was around 16 cents a kWh. This year you can lock in a 1 year rate around 10 cents a kWh. Now look at the oil chart to the left to see how oil prices were much higher last year then what prices look like today.

Right now a 1 year fixed electricity rate looks like the best rate. When you go out on a longer term fixed contract you will pay about 10% more but for the risk averse this could be worth it. By locking in for 2 or even 3 years you get in at a decent rate and avoid the volatile swings in electricity and fuel prices. When oil and natural gas commodities go up in price so does electricity. To avoid these volatile commodity price swings you should lock into something even if just for a year. You can compare the cheapest available residential electric rates by looking at the top left of this page in the side bar. We have the cheapest offers available there.

If you need a commercial Texas electric rate then please click on our contact link in the navigation bar at the top of this page and send us your information. A commercial energy consultant will call you right back.

You can read more about Texas electric companies by visiting these related articles:

Green Mountain Energy
Ambit Energy
Spark Energy
Ignite Energy
Startex Power
Champion Energy
TXU Energy
Reliant Energy

Recommended Cheapest Electric Rates – Click Here

When choosing a Richardson electric rate you want to make sure you are signing up with a reputable Richardson energy company that does not have a track record for adding in hidden fees and charges. A residential Richardson energy provider should bundle all fees and charges in their electric rate they are advertising. If the rate is not bundled they should list any additional fees right below the electric rate being advertised so there is no question about what you are agreeing to. There is nothing that I hate more then to be tricked by a US company. We have enough regulations and rules to prevent an energy company from deceiving a customer but Richardson electricity companies will still do this from time to time. Not all Richardson electric providers are dishonest or expensive. We have a comparison of rates from multiple Richardson electric companies below. We also have Reliant and TXU Energy in our electricity comparison chart below.

The below chart lists Richardson electric company rates for May 2009 from cheapest to most expensive. If a Texas energy provider is not recommended you will see a comment with our problem with that company.

TXU and Reliant No Longer the Price Leaders

You may notice in this May 2009 Richardson Texas electricity rate chart that TXU Energy and Reliant Energy have very expensive electric rates in comparison to the cheapest providers at the top. You may also see that Trickster Electric Company (name withheld be legal) has a cheap rate but we do not recommend them at this time as we continue to receive an excessive amount of complaints from their customers saying their electric rate is much higher once you receive an electric bill from them.

We have gone back to check Dallas Texas electricity rates for the month of April 2009 to see where the electric providers fall in line on their prices. Some Dallas energy providers have prices that are several cents cheaper then some of the larger electric companies like TXU and Reliant. One of the reasons we put this list together is so that Dallas energy consumers can see that there are much better offers available for Dallas electricity service then what TXU Energy has to offer. For instance, checking the rates TXU Energy is offering as of today, April 17 2009, we see that they have a 1 year fixed rate listed at 13.8 cents a kWh. The cheapest available 12 month offer in the chart is for 9.4 cents per kWh with Champion Energy.

We have compiled a list of some of the best and worst residential electricity rates in the Houston Texas area. You will find this detailed list below. The best Houston electric rate at this time is with Champion Energy - Learn More. Reliant Energy and TXU Energy again remain at near the bottom of this list. Trickster Electric Company is near the top although we have received several complaints that Trickster raises the electric rate through TDSP related charges once the customer gets the electricity bill. Because of this we want to warn customers about the potential of Trickster’s (name withheld by legal) electric rate being higher then what it appears. If you are one of Trickster’s customers that thought you were going to be charged one rate but once you received the energy bill were charged a much higher energy price then please feel free to comment below. Read below from one of our readers and a customer of Trickster (name withheld by legal):

Gary Huber
April 6th, 2009 at 2:33 am

Stay away!! 9.7 cent plan kept going up 13,14 and finally to 16 cents!!! Ridiculous!!

Tim Gundlach
March 5th, 2009 at 3:09 pm

Trickster Energy (name withheld by legal) is a rip off. SIgn up for .12 kilowatt, but have been billed up to .17/kw. Also the customer service is horrible. Stay away !!

If TXU Energy or Reliant Energy called asking you to renew at an electric rate several cents higher then where the market is currently at we recommend checking out our recommended Houston electric providers on the top left of this page. All fees and charges are disclosed.

Dallas electric rates have come down quite a bit from where they were at just a few months ago. We are looking at fresh lows that we haven’t seen but a couple times before since Texas deregulated. If you are trying to time the market as to when to lock in electricity rates for your home or apartment in Dallas Texas then now is a very good time to do it. The 1 year fixed electric rate is currently the most popular term. The 24 month and 36 month fixed electricity rate terms are more expensive but they act as insurance in case rates come way up during that time. Most Dallas residence still decide on the 1 year electric rate term as the 24 month and 36 month fixed rate terms are a few cents higher and for most people the higher price doesn’t justify locking in for that long. You can compare the cheapest to most expensive electricity prices in Dallas below. You will notice TXU and Reliant Energy are currently a couple of the highest priced electric companies.

Snapshot of Historical Dallas Residential Electric Rates for March 2009

We try and keep a history of what Houston residential electric rates have done over several months to give residential energy consumers an idea of what the Texas electric companies are up to when advertising their rates over the year. Some electric companies in Houston Texas have become more competitive and some have become much less competitive as the year progressed. Some of the larger Texas electric providers continue to offer electric rates that are a few cents higher per kWh then a few other reputable electric companies. TXU and Reliant right now are definitely not trying to win customers by being the price leader. You can compare multiple electric rates and electric companies below. Once you have found the company you would like to go with just click on their name and you can sign up online with that Texas electricity provider. The rates are listed from cheapest to most expensive. TXU and Reliant have some of the most expensive electricity rates in the list. This is a snapshot of electric rates as of March 2 2009. These rates may change as the month progresses.

Click Here and Compare January 2008 Houston Residential Rates

Houston residential electric rates have steadily come down this month and when comparing to the summer of 2008 they are several cents cheaper. This last summer we had one of the worst electricity rate spikes in the history of Texas. Because residential electricity rates in Texas have come down so much since this summer we recommend signing up for atleast 1 year. A 1 year fixed electric rate insures that your Houston electricity rate is locked in for the duration of the term.

Houston Electric Service More Expensive then Dallas Rates

In Houston rates are a little higher then they are in the Dallas Texas area and other deregulated electric service cities in the state. Houston’s congestion and line loss issues on their poles and wires contributes to a higher electric rate in comparison to other cities regardless of the electric provider in Houston you go with.

TDSP, Pole and Wires Charges, and Comparing Electricity Rates

When comparing residential electricity rates in Houston do not be confused when looking at commercial energy prices. Commercial energy prices usually just show the “energy only” portion of the rate. When you look at a rate comparison chart showing several commercial energy providers the rates will look much better then they do when looking through residential electric service rates. The reason for the difference in price is that the Texas residential electric rate is an all in rate that includes the pole and wires charges and the “energy only” charges. The commercial rate isn’t any cheaper it just doesn’t have the pole charges included.

Are Commercial Electric Rates Intentionally Deceptive?

Commercial energy providers in Houston are not trying to be deceptive when the rate that is quoted does not have the pole and wires charges included in the energy rate. The reason for this difference is because the electricity provider does not know what the pole and wires charges will be immediately for a Texas business. A Texas chemical plant may pay a penny on top of the “energy rate” while a Curves fitness studio may pay 9 cents kWh for their pole charges. The pole charges are not known until an accurate estimate is completed based on several specs of the facility or the historical electricity usage is pulled from the electric utility in Houston.

All-In Energy Prices

The below Houston residential electric prices include the pole charges and energy only charges. These electric rates are all in rates that include all charges. You may browse through and pick the company, term and electric rate that meets your specific residential electric service needs.

Compare Houston Residential Electric Rates Below

January 2008 Update