Electricity Providers - Which One to Choose (Austin, Allen: 2014, co-op)

[mvdallas2017]

I am moving to Allen, Texas into my new house in next couple of weeks. I am asked by the agent to choose electricity provider. I am moving from Iowa, and I am not used to of choosing electricity providers. we always had 1 here.

I am told that my new home is in Oncor supply area.

I am trying to educate my self on fixed and variable plan. But I am not getting data that shows how and when variable offers overall cost savings

I am coming at the end of this month. Average temperatures starts falling from that point of time. Being from Iowa, I am used to of harsh winters. I don't think I will be using too much heat in winters.

Having said all above, I have two questions

1. Which electricity providers should I use ?. I saw that On PowerChoose, each of them have ratings. On what grounds these ratings are provided. If electricity is managed by Oncor , Once I am comfortable with pricing, then how does it matter If I choose A or B

2. Me and wife would be out the entire day from 8 to 5. Is it a factor while choosing the electricity provider.

Need Advice.

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

All the companies do is provide billing. The electricity all comes from one company over their lines. Your choice is simply which plan you think fits you best. I live in a co-op area and have no choice . I think it's stupid, a left-over from Bush as governo r and his cronies.

[Mershu]

Energy Ogre! it's the only way to go, especially if you have square footage or are on a tight budget. www.energyogre.com

Saves me so much each $$$!

[PRND321]

Originally Posted by SouthernBelleInUtah

I live in a co-op area and have to choice . I think it's dtupid, a left-over from Bush as governo r and his cronies.

How is having choice stupid? Why don't you move to Austin and pay 3x the rate to a government monopoly?


To OP.

From what I understand, electricity is produced and sold to TDU. REP (retail electric providers) buys from TDU and sells to consumers. TDU delivery charge is the same no matter who you buy from. The difference is Energy charge, base charge ($0 for some plans), fees (ETF etc. )

read Electricity Facts Label (EFL) and do the math carefully (there might be some catches in the rate plan, like a super expensive tier or extra charge if usage is below a certain kWh).

The closer you can get the average rate to TDU delivery rate ($5.25 + ~3.3c per kWh) the better. 5c (monthly bill/monthly usage) is a definitely achievable. I find it to be much cheaper than a non-competitive market.

imo you dont plan on moving within a year, it is probably not worth it to use variable/indexed plan. Fixed rate plans usually comes with service term (usually 12 months) and ETF (early termination fee). Other REP are likely happy to reimburse the ETF if you switch over to them, just like cellphone operators.

AFAIK not all plans are listed on powertochoose. If you go to REP's website, there are plans with all kinds of promotions (free nights, airline miles, smart thermostats). Just be sure to compare the terms/EFL

HTH

[tb75252]

Originally Posted by mvdallas2017

I am moving to Allen, Texas into my new house in next couple of weeks. I am asked by the agent to choose electricity provider. I am moving from Iowa, and I am not used to of choosing electricity providers. we always had 1 here.

I am told that my new home is in Oncor supply area.

I am trying to educate my self on fixed and variable plan. But I am not getting data that shows how and when variable offers overall cost savings

I am coming at the end of this month. Average temperatures starts falling from that point of time. Being from Iowa, I am used to of harsh winters. I don't think I will be using too much heat in winters.

Having said all above, I have two questions

1. Which electricity providers should I use ?. I saw that On PowerChoose, each of them have ratings. On what grounds these ratings are provided. If electricity is managed by Oncor , Once I am comfortable with pricing, then how does it matter If I choose A or B

2. Me and wife would be out the entire day from 8 to 5. Is it a factor while choosing the electricity provider.

Need Advice.

The State of Texas has actually a web site that you can turn to for help in searching an electricity provider: Power To Choose | Home

You should however read this first: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/watc...mpany-in-texas

[lepoisson]

Originally Posted by PRND321

How is having choice stupid? Why don't you move to Austin and pay 3x the rate to a government monopoly?

I didn't think having a choice was stupid, but I do think it introduced another set of problems. Instead of having an easy to understand flat monthly rate and a separate charge per kWh of electricity used, you now have to deal with flat monthly rates from both the power provider and billing company, separate charges per kWh of power used, and even different rates based on how much power you use.

Also, when you do the math and add up all of the little fees, you'll realize that power is actually cheaper in areas with just one company.

And don't even get me started on their customer service. I had Gexa and their website was frequently unavailable and I constantly got errors when trying to pay my bill online. Funny enough, they still send me marketing emails once or twice a month trying to get me to sign up again. A friend has another company and says they are just as bad.

The best power company I had was run by the town utilities commission. It was a non-profit and they just charged what the power company charged them. They would work with the power company to get the best rate possible.

[Ralph_Kirk]

A couple of years ago I was considering purchasing a new air conditioner and spent a few minutes chatting with the dealer. Regarding choice of service, he offered this advice: Get the cheapest rate available and then change services every six months for the cheapest rate available.


It took me a couple of years to discover he knew what he was talking about. If you use electricity for both heating and cooling, get six-month contracts and change services in the spring and fall. If you only have electric cooling, get 12-month contracts and change in the spring.


Basically, you want to switch before your new customer rate ends with any service. Fortunately, the way the systems are set up to steal each other's customers, switching service is quick and painless. Just set your calendar to give you popups: Time to change service.


Loyalty buys you nothing.

[tb75252]

Originally Posted by Ralph_Kirk

A couple of years ago I was considering purchasing a new air conditioner and spent a few minutes chatting with the dealer. Regarding choice of service, he offered this advice: Get the cheapest rate available and then change services every six months for the cheapest rate available.


It took me a couple of years to discover he knew what he was talking about. If you use electricity for both heating and cooling, get six-month contracts and change services in the spring and fall. If you only have electric cooling, get 12-month contracts and change in the spring.


Basically, you want to switch before your new customer rate ends with any service. Fortunately, the way the systems are set up to steal each other's customers, switching service is quick and painless. Just set your calendar to give you popups: Time to change service.


Loyalty buys you nothing.

Question: Suppose I use provider A for 6 months and then provider B for the next six months. After that I want to switch back to provider A because their prices (for new customers) are lower. Is provider A compelled to give me their best offer as if I were a brand-new customer that never used them before?

[Ralph_Kirk]

Originally Posted by tb75252

Question: Suppose I use provider A for 6 months and then provider B for the next six months. After that I want to switch back to provider A because their prices (for new customers) is lower. Is provider A compelled to give me their best offer as if I were a brand-new customer that never used them before?

Well, after my last switch, my former company is still trying to lure me back with even better sweetheart deals...so either way, switching is better than loyalty.

[oldoak2000]

Originally Posted by tb75252

Question: Suppose I use provider A for 6 months and then provider B for the next six months. After that I want to switch back to provider A because their prices (for new customers) are lower. Is provider A compelled to give me their best offer as if I were a brand-new customer that never used them before?

This is exactly how I get 5c/kwh !
I have found four providers each offering a 5c/kwh 'special' intro offer for my usage amount, for 3, 4, or 6 months;
I simply rotate thru them in turn; takes only MINUTES to switch !!

Saving Hundred$$$ !!!