Special Discount Rate for PreBuy Electric Customers of Texas

We have worked out a special discount rate with Champion Energy for PreBuy Electric customers on their 12 month fixed electric rate. You can sign up with them here: Champion Discount Sign Up The discount code is built into the link so you will not need to enter it.

If you need a shorter term electric rate or just want to get on a month to month no contract rate then we recommend a reputable low cost provider by the name of Startex Power. Startex Power has never reneged on a Texas electric service agreement and is an ethical company.

Sign up with Startex Power

If you need to sign up with someone quick again we recommend Champion Energy Electric company and use them ourselves at our own home. They are a good solid energy company with an industry low electric rate. PreBuy Electric Companies appeal was their no deposit option. If your credit isn’t too bad the most we have seen Champion’s deposit requirement is $250. You may be able to sign up with them with no deposit if you have ok credit. When you sign up online using the discount code built into the link below you will get their cheapest rate they offer and they usually respond back regarding if a deposit is needed within 2 minutes via email.


Champion Energy Discount Electric Rate

Prebuy Electric Company has often been mistaken for the name Prepaid Electric. If you have come to this site looking for your electric company you may refer to them by Prepaid or Prebuy because the names are easy to confuse. Both names refer to PreBuy Electric who filed bankruptcy on May 16 2008. Prebuy Electric offered consumers in Texas the option of purchasing their energy in advance thereby having no need to check for credit or require a deposit. Prepaid electricity appeals to a large segment of the Texas population but there are not very many electric providers in Texas who offer it. If you need a prepaid electricity choice we unfortunately know of no other electric provider but PreBuy who offers this option.


If you would like to learn more about PreBuy Electric’s status you can reach them at one of the following numbers below. Also, if you have any experience with what has happened to you as a customer of PreBuy Electric Company since they went bankrupt please comment below to let other PreBuy Electric customers know what is going on. We would really appreciate it.

Information, Phone Numbers, and Email Addresses

Primary: Authorized Rep
PRE-BUY ELECTRIC LLC
1703 16TH STREET

BRIDGEPORT, TX 76426
Main: 940-683-1853
Alt: 866-777-0406
Fax: 866-883-8302
Email: lbosley@prebuyelectric.com

Company / Physical
PRE-BUY ELECTRIC LLC
1703 16TH STREET

BRIDGEPORT, TX 76426
Main: 940-683-1853
Alt: 866-777-0406
Fax: 866-883-8302
Email: jim@prebuyelectric.com

Contact
PRE-BUY ELECTRIC, LLC

Main: 940-683-1853
Alt: 866-777-0406
Fax: 940-683-8302
Email: jim@prebuyelectric.com

Contact
PRE-BUY ELECTRIC, LLC.
1703 16TH ST.
PO BOX 1460
BRIDGEPORT, TX 76426
Main: 866-777-0406
Alt: —
Fax: 866-883-8302
Email: regulatory@prebuyelectric.com; mhanley@prebuyelectric.com

Contact
PRE-BUY ELECTRIC, LLC.
1703 16TH ST.
PO BOX 1460
BRIDGEPORT, TX 76426
Main: 940-683-1853
Alt: 866-777-0406
Fax: 866-883-8302
Email: regulatory@prebuyelectric.com; lbosley@prebuyelectric.com

Contact
PRE-BUY ELECTRIC, LLC.

Main: 940-683-1853
Alt: 866-777-0406
Fax: 940-683-8302
Email: lbosley@prebuyelectric.com

Another Texas Electric Company down, Hit by Unhedged Energy and skyrocketing prices

Today it was announced that Pre Buy Electric has gone out of business. The way this company sold energy is pretty obvious from their name. The Texas electric provider would have their customers pre pay for energy so there is no need for a deposit and if they havn’t paid a previous electric company, well no problem you have to pre pay with Pre Buy Electric so the choice was simple for many people. One of the down falls of Pre Buy Electric Company wasn’t the fact that they had a customer base of about 9,000 bad credit risks because these customers bought their energy in advance so the risk was minimal to Pre Buy. The issue once again is bad risk management. What I mean by risk management is that Pre Buy Electric Company did not properly hedge their energy in the Texas market. In order to insure you make money and don’t expose yourself to a high level of risk an electric provider in Texas has to buy natural gas futures and then hedge this energy in case of any potential price volatility that puts their profit margin into backwards teritory. No one wants to lose money after selling an electricity rate to a customer but that is what several companies have done by putting themselves into the position of having sold energy without hedging it expecting the market to stay in a particular safe territory.

I am a PreBuy Electric Customer, What Should I Do?

PreBuy Electric has right under 9,000 customers which were switched to POLR or the provider of last resort at an inflated electric rate.* In Dallas Fort Worth the POLR company is TXU Energy and in Houston the POLR company is Reliant Energy. The POLR company was established as a back up so that if an energy company goes bankrupt the customers with that Texas electric company do not lose electric service. PreBuy ELectric failed to pay their financial obligations to the Texas grid operator, (The Electric Reliability Council of Texas) and were forced into bankruptcy. If you are a PreBuy Electric customer you want to shop for a competitive Texas residential electric provider as you are on the POLR uncompetitive rate that is meant as a temporary solution so you are not without power. The Texas POLR back up plan is a great idea but is only a temporary solution and is higher then the going competitive market rate. If you need a discount electric rate choice we recommend Champion Energy’s 12 month fixed rate - Sign up Here! ( I use this company myself. Good ethical company with one of the lowest rates around.

If you need a month to month electric rate or a shorter monthly fixed rate we recommend going with Startex Power. You can sign up at a discount here: Startex Power Discount Rates

The Texas Power Companies History

The senior business partners at PreBuy Electric pioneered the prepaid electric market in Texas and have been committed to remain the largest prepaid Texas electric provider. Prebuy Electric serves thousands of customers across Texas.

PreBuy Electric was based in Bridgeport TX and is now in Grapevine Texas, PreBuy Power is led by an experienced team of energy managers who are experienced in the deregulated electric market. The pre paid electric provider uses innovative software, that appears to have given them some bad fundemental or technical signals, which was used to keep electric prices as low as possible for their customers. This company never charges a deposit and all Texas customers qualifies for their electric service. Prepay Electric’s slogan is “The PreBuy Advantage”.

Fly by Night Texas Energy Providers in a Similar Situation

Well the electricity market is at a 3 year high in Texas and Pre Buy Electric is not alone in a list of scandalous Texas electricity activities. Riverway Power sent out a notice to their customers that they would not be honoring their electric customers fixed rate energy agreements but would instead be raising the electric price much higher. In the middle of May 2008 not but a few days ago National Power Company had found themselves in a similar unhedged position as Pre Buy Electric. National Power also sent out a letter and told their customers that they coul not honor their fixed electric rate any longer but would be raising multiple fixed rate term agreements from around 11 cents kWh to 15 cents kWh. These issues have since been dealt with in short order by the Public Utility Commission of Texas, thank goodness.

Unable to Pass on Higher Electric Rate Costs

Pre Buy Electric is one of those electric companies that cannot pass on the cost of an unhedged energy rate as their customers never signed a term??agreement and can get out at anytime. Of course, it is illegal for an electric company to break a fixed rate agreement but several have tried and been succesful. Recently Riverway and NPC tried to pass on their unhedged energy costs but the PUCT told them they must eat their losses. It makes you wonder of Pre Buy Electric will soon have Riverway and National Power Company following suit? I suspect many of Pre Buy Electric’s customers in Texas left when the rate got so high they couldn’t realistically justify paying such a high rate in comparison to paying a reputable electric company a small $200 - $500 deposit rather then pay an energy bill that would pay that and more in just a few months. It made sense for many of Pre Buy Electric’s customers to leave and find a cheaper electric company even if there was a deposit required. The deposit for most providers helps protect them from customers who never intend to pay their electric bill in the first place which happens more often then you would think. Some providers charge such a high deposit that it discourages anyone who would even think about not paying from even signing up.

Alternative Electric Provider for Pre Buy Electric Customers

If you need an alternative electric company besides the now bankrupt Pre Buy Electric we recommend a very good low cost Texas energy provider who has ethical business practices, a low electric rate, quality customer service, and I use them myself. They are a large electric company in Texas and are offering a discount electric rate to Pre Buy Electric Company customers. The name of the electric provider is Champion Energy. You can sign up on their online discount electric rate below.

Champion Discount Electric Rate - Sign up Today!

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Pre Buy Electric Detailed Company Profile

Detailed Pre-Buy Electric Company Profile
Pre-Buy Electric is a private company located in Grapevine, TX.

Pre-Buy Electric’s line of business is Texas electric services.

Company Profile: Pre-Buy Electric
Year Started:2005
State of Incorporation:N/A
URL:(www.prebuyelectric.com)
Location Type:Single Location
Stock Symbol:N/A
Stock Exchange:N/A
Also Does Business As:N/A
NAICS:N/A
SIC #Code:4911
Est. Annual Sales:$130,000
Est. Employees:1
Est. Employees at Location:1
Contact Name:Criag Bolin
Contact Title:Owner
Contact Phone Numbers and Emails for PreBuy Electric Company
?
This company has been confused with the names Prepaid Electric and Prepay Electric, but is actually called Prebuy Electric which is very close in name and meaning.

*information gained from Tom Fowler with the Houston Chronicle: (http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/biz/5789933.html)

Today Pre Buy Electric of Texas has Gone Bankrupt

Wow, Texas electricity rates are at a 3 year high right now and with electric companies breaking fixed rate contracts on their customers it is no surprise that Pre Buy Power also known as Pre Buy Electric has gone out of business. This electric provider was not operating their business correctly as far as the hedging of their energy, risk management and the credit risk of their customers. Having your customers pre purchase their energy definitely helps as positive insurance you will receive payment from your customer base but then speculating on the energy market without hedging your energy leaves your electric company to really high levels of exposure to market volatility. The energy provider was forced into bankruptcy by ERCOT (The Electric Reliability Council of Texas) because they were not able to meet their power payment obligations. PreBuy Electric customers were switched to the Provider of Last Resort (POLR) over the weekend by ERCOT so they would not be without electric service. In the Dallas area the POLR company is TXU Energy and in Houston it is Reliant. The POLR electric rate is a higher inflated rate and is only temporary. A PreBuy customer on the POLR rate is encouraged to sign up with a competitive electric provider ASAP to avoid paying a higher then the average electric bill they may be used to. We are asked quite frequently for a recommendation of an electric provider like Pre Buy Electric Company that will let you into an energy contract with no deposit and I have to flatly spell it out that there really isn’t anyone if your credit is bad. If you have decent credit history some providers are more lenient then others. In rare circumstances some electric companies will allow someone else to personal guarantee your residential electric contract but that is very rare. The pre buy energy option is one way to avoid a deposit and besides Pre Buy Electric Company I know of no one else who offers this arrangement. Some Texas electric providers offer lower deposits then others and some consider one credit score passable while another one will want a deposit. We recommend Champion Energy for those needing a low rate with a relatively low deposit if they even end up requiring one.

The Irony of PreBuy Going Bye Bye

I was talking to my brother today about PreBuy who sells Texas prepaid electric service and how ironic it is that they have their customers prepay for their electric service but they themselves did not prebuy their electricity and went bankrupt because of it. An unhedged energy price is basically like never locking in on a set price so you are completely exposed as to whatever the market may do. Ouch they got hit, and so did a few other electric providers who tried to sell electricity without hedging their bets. The PUCT came down on a couple of these companies but Prebuy was one of those electric providers that just couldn’t eat the loss. Riverway Power and National Power Company found themselves in a similar situation and the word is still out on if they will be able to stay in business since the PUCT would not allow them to pass the loss on to the customer.

No Credit, No Problem Appears to be the Mode of Operation

The way Pre Buy Power has setup their business model is to let energy customers into an agreement by having them prepay for electricity. The problem once again is that they were selling unhedged energy to credit risk customers. It takes a smart cookie to run a Texas retail electric provider as you have to have well trained energy trading experts who know how to buy and hedge natural gas futures while maintaining a healthy risk management policy. Some electric providers like Pre Buy Power can make a bundle by betting that the market will go their way while selling unhedged energy and these electric companies could potentially make a lot of profit for years and years. The problem is that when companies like Pre Buy Electric leave themselves exposed with no risk management policy firmly in place they will eventually get burned. Unfortunately Pre Buy Power has sold their last energy contract unless they restructure and go at it again.

Pre Buy Electric Company Website Still Shows Open for Business?

We checked to see if (prebuyelectric.com) was still open for business or atleast had some type of news worthy information but everything appears to be business as normal as far as the site goes. If you need an alternative electric company to Pre Buy??Electric Company??that offers a low deposit then we recommend Champion Energy of Texas. Champion usually lets you in at a reasonable deposit if you have bad credit. If you pay on time for the term of your contract they may let you renew with no deposit at all. As far as Prepaid electric service in Texas we know of know other company besides PreBuy that offers this option.

Alternative Discount Offer we Recommend for Pre Buy Power Customers

If you would like to sign up with Champion Energy at their discounted electric rate we have a special offer for you below:

Champion Energy Discount Rate - Sign up Now!

List of Natural Gas and Electricity Deregulated States

If you have been looking for a comprehensive list of the deregulated states in the US then this list should help. This list contains both natural gas and electricity deregulated information on all 50 states. If you need more information about a states deregulated status you can visit their state commerce site that will give you more information related to how energy deregulation is going in that state and if they consider it a success or failure in lowering energy rates.

Map of Electricity Deregulated States

Here is a map of all states in Texas that have their electricity deregulated. Deregulated electricity means that the energy consumers in these states can pick among multiple retail electric providers to buy their energy instead of just one monopoly company. States in blue are deregulated while states in gray are not.

What is Electricity Doing Right Now?

As of May 2008 Electric rates are currently close to a 3 year high and because of this Texas residential electric rates do not look so good right now. Many people would like to wait and renew when rates drop down but there is just no way to know when this will happen. Electric rates could hover at historical highs for several months before they drop back down to prices many people are comfortable paying.

Who We Recommend

We recommend signing a 12 month energy agreement and then trying again next year. Notice: Riverway Power recently cancelled their residential electric customers agreements in mid April according to several people who called in and left comments regarding them so we do not recommend using them as their fixed electric rate is subject to change. Our preferred electric providers at this time are Champion Energy and Startex Power. Both of these Texas electric companies have accurate billing, good customer service and low rates.

Comparing Electric Rates in Dallas Tx, Fort Worth, North Texas, and much of East Texas.

For those living in the Dallas, Fort Worth, surrounding metroplex, as well as East Texas you will find current May 2008 electric rates in the chart below. Texas electric rates are very volatile and so these rates could be lower or higher as the month of May approaches its end. Each Texas electric provider below has their company linked so you can click on the company to learn more or sign up.


If you would like to see what Texas electric rates have done in the past feel free to browse past electric rates. Historical Texas Residential Electric Rates

Disclaimer regarding Riverway Power Co.

A disclaimer needs to be made about Riverway Power Electric Company. Riverway Power cancelled their Texas electric power customers fixed electric rate contracts around the middle of April and were unable to be reached from their India outsourced call center for awhile due to large call volume associated with the breaking of their fixed energy contracts. This issue was reported to Electricity Bid by several of their prior customers. Because of this it is important to know that they just started business in Texas recently and have already renegged on their residential energy contracts. In our estimation we cannot recommend them at this time due to a less then satisfactory record with Texas consumers.


If you need a recommendation for a good reliable low cost electric provider then we currently recommend Champion Energy. Feel free to call us if you have any questions or go ahead and Sign up Now!

Many people like myself have searched for several years to find a cheap affordable solution using solar panels for your residential home. Unfortunately the cost has always outweighed the benefit of being off grid. The upfront capital investment in solar panels would take 20 years to succesfully pay off and maybe more. Deep cycle batteries eventually deplete and new ones need to be bought to store the solar power energy created and then fed into the appliances and cooling systems for your house.

Recently new solar technology has come out in the news like the thin film solar panel technology that will allow solar panels to be manufactured similar to the printing of paper money. The problem exposed about thin film solar panels is that they are inefficient. To be fair the thin film technology may be inefficient but it is cheap to make and more affordable to consumers like me wanting to buy solar panels to assist in getting off the grid or atleast having a cogeneration set up. The way cogeneration works is that any unused power generated by off grid technology can be fed back on the grid and credited on your meter directly. Solar still needs some more advancements and breakthroughs and right now there is a shortage of silicon for manufacturers to start mass producing some of the new technologicaly tweaked solar panels. A recent discovery that has cast a shadow on thin film solar technology is the new vertically aligned, low-density carbon nanotubes that are the blackest material ever invented or created. You may wonder why it needs to be the blackest to be such a wonderful advancement in science. Having a blacker solar panel means it becomes extremely efficient and cost effective. A very black solar cell means you will not need to buy as many solar panels to do the same thing and it will cost less. Just like CPU processors have become smaller, more efficient, and less expensive the solar industry is working on doing the same.

So where do you go to buy the latest thin film solar panels and blackest of black more efficient solar panels? The answer is sketchy as manufacturers that sell solar panels are still selling old outdated technology because they have not yet produced an available retail product for a residential home using either thin film or the smaller blacker low-density carbon nanotube solar panels. We spoke with an engineer at Applied Materials and went back and forth with them about the thin film technology they have a patent on and licensing ability to make available to solar panel manufacturers. There are several manufacturers working on getting a product created especially in Asia and China but I received no email back from Applied Materials when I asked for just one available retail store selling the thin film solar panel technology. Applied Materials were happy to talk about manufacturing opportunities but were silent on if the technology has actually reached retail stores. For right now the solar panel technology is still in the dark ages for a residential home. If you are going to invest in a solar panel system for your residential home be aware that you may be buying something that will shortly be replaced by a more efficient cheaper solution. With everyone talking about Green Energy and many companies including the NFL, Fox, Green Mountain Energy, Al Gore and a slew of other companies there is no end in site to the demand for green energy products. I have never seen more demand for green energy and solar panels in my life and I can only imagine this will rise significantly when the new technology hits the retail shelf.

If you would like updates on new solar retail products and technology as it comes available we have contacts with Solar manufacturers, and several retail solar stores featured on TV and trade magazines that keep us current on any new developments. When we receive this information we will be happy to pass it along to you.

Feel free to fill out the form below about your Solar Panel interests and I will keep you in the loop. We do not sell your email or phone number information.

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If You would like to have an energy expert consult you in the right device to purchase for your home or commercial business you may speak to an energy consultant at Electricity Bid who can help point you in the right direction. Depending on the preferences you might want and the amount of money you would like to save over the year some thermostats are more effective then others. Please feel free to fill out the form below to learn more.

Some of the industry leaders in programmable home automated thermostats is a company by the name of Proliphix. A licensed commercial and residential reseller will be happy to call to assist in answering your questions and setting you up with the right thermostat for your needs. We can also help with the installation of the device so you can begin saving money on your Texas energy bill.

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Who are These Energy Providers?

With over 60 different retail electric providers in Texas operating in the state, for the time being you find yourself with a mix of electric companies that many people have never heard of before. Some of these energy providers have not been heard of before because of coming from out of state. An out of state Texas electric provider might be very capable of handling your commercial business or residential homes Texas power needs but the name just has never made it to your state until they came in and began operation. Consider Green Mountain Energy as a good example of an electric company most people have never heard of before. Prior to deregulation there were a few companies like TXU Energy and Centerpoint Energy but other then that most people had no clue of who the energy companies were in other states nor did they have a reason to care. I would guess that quite a few people now have heard of Green Mountain Energy even though they were not even operating in Texas prior to Texas deregulating the retail electricity market.

Prior to Deregulation There Were Many New Companies

Spark Energy is another company that no one had heard of prior to Texas deregulating but they have made a pretty good name for themselves in certain cities. Texas Power is another electric company that has quickly gained ground in name brand recognition in the state of Texas. A common element among these electric companies is a long history in the energy business. Spark Energy’s ownership has always had a very strong past in the natural gas related industry. Spark’s ability to hedge their energy correctly allows them to confidently price products for commercial and residential consumers without worrying that they will at one time have to break the contracts and raise the rates on their customers. Having experience trading commodities and hedging energy by buying natural gas futures contracts is a needed skill in the Texas electricity market. There are several companies that came into Texas with little skill and knowledge about how to properly run a Retail electric company. Because of limited experience or just bad management some of these companies have gone bankrupt or just raised there promised fixed priced electric contracts on their customers. Tara Energy, TriEagle, Texas Commercial Energy, and Riverway Power are a few companies we are aware of that have broken their electric agreements with their customers and raised rates on them despite the fact that they signed a binding agreement for a fixed electric rate.

Why Do Providers Cancel Their Energy Agreements?

The reason a few electric providers in Texas have renegged on their commercial or residential electric contracts has to do with plain and simple bad business. Best practices for the energy market were not used most likely in the buying and hedging of their energy. Some companies may not have hedged their bought energy at all. When the market went against them they were upside down on a large block of energy as they were in reality just betting on the market just the same as me or you were to buy a stock and hope it goes up.

Recently a new upstart electric company in Texas has broken the energy agreement for their fixed electric rate with their Texas residential electric customers. We have received several comments and phone calls from people that were told they would have to accept a higher Texas Power rate or go shopping for a new provider. It doesn’t do an energy customer any good if they go to lock into a fixed electric rate if the company is only going to break the agreement if the market does not go their intended way. Riverway Power Electric Company is a recent example of an energy company breaking their customers fixed rate energy agreements. We had an overflow of people call in around mid April saying they were not able to get a hold of Riverway Power. Riverway Power was not answering their phone calls as they probably had way to many callers calling to protest the hike in the rate they had thought was locked in all year. For those considering using Riverway Power with their supposed guaranteed lowest electric rate price we would like you to consider their track record. They are new to Texas and it didn’t take them log to break customer contracts. Below we have included their most recent description of their rate and their prices in the 5 different TDSP zones in Texas.

Riverway Power Electric Rates

What Texas Electric Provider Do You Recommend

If you need a low cost electric provider we recommend Champion Energy. They are a large discount electric provider offering low cost residential and commercial energy to Texas homes and businesses. You will find a promotional link to their electric rate at the top left of this page. The rate is a little cheaper then what they normally advertise if you sign up online. If you call them on the phone the rate will be a little higher.

More information about MX Energy Electric Company

For more information about MXenergy feel free to give us a call and learn how MXenergy can serve your residential home or commercial business. An energy consultant is available to work on working down the electric rate quoted to your business to get better terms and conditions in the contract and a lower Texas energy rate.