If you are like most people you don’t really think about what you pay for electricity. Or even where to start to shop for it. As you may not know electricity in Texas is deregulated, which means you can shop around to buy your electricity. This is a huge benefit to us vs other states that are not deregulated and you have to pay what you are offered by the one company for your area.
To shop for your electricity all you have to do is go to www.PowertoChoose.org. This is an amazing website provided by the Utility Commission of Texas and is non bias. So you don’t have to worry about any tricks to steer you to one provider or another, just some good old electricity shopping. Just type in your zip code and let the prices come up. But before you pick a plan there are some things to keep in mind:
How long of a plan do you want? - I always suggest a 6mth or 12mth plan. This gives you enough time to not have to worry about shopping on a regular basis with a lesser plan like a 3 month plan. And longer then 12mth plans usually have a much higher rate, so I avoid those.
Know your Usage- Before making the change to a new electricity provider. Each option has a price for 500, 1000 and 2000 kwh per month. Some options may have a great rate for 500 kwh but not 1000 and if you use 1000 kwh each month you would be stuck with that worse rate. So keep an eye out for a “teaser” rate that is too good to be true when taking into account your usage. And remember your usage changes thru out the months.
Avoid Shopping during the summer- In my experience the rates offered during the summer are higher vs non peak months. As this is when most folks are shopping around for cheaper electricity. So if possible avoid shopping for electrify during the hot months
What about the Company’s Reliability? – This is a great question and a major concern for me the first time I started to shop for electricity. But actually the company that delivers the electricity for all of us is CenterPoint. So incase of an emergency you would still call CenterPoint at 1-800-332-7143.
Repeat the process- Once your contract expires due it all over again!
Electricity companies offer low rates to get you to sign up and then figure they have you for life. And that confidence leads to you paying higher electricity rates vs shopping on a regular basis. So don’t waste time and money, go check out PowerToChoose.org today!
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