Powertochoose - Fact Sheets (Dallas, Howe: apartment, refinance, credit)

[GiantCow]

My plan is ending soon so I'm looking at providers but one thing I've never been sure about is if I'm reading these Fact Sheets correctly. The Average Price per kWh figures in the top box is the main thing I should be looking at correct? It will have all the different charges/credits factored in already?

For example, if my monthly usage is 550kWh, the cost is: (550*.0769) + (550*.0369) + 5.25 - 40 = $27.84 = $0.0506 per kWh, which falls within the range of the average 500 and 1000 kWh costs.

Am I looking at this right? Appreciate the help.

[nitynity]

Yes, you are right.

[tb75252]

Originally Posted by GiantCow

My plan is ending soon so I'm looking at providers but one thing I've never been sure about is if I'm reading these Fact Sheets correctly. The Average Price per kWh figures in the top box is the main thing I should be looking at correct? It will have all the different charges/credits factored in already?

For example, if my monthly usage is 550kWh, the cost is: (550*.0769) + (550*.0369) + 5.25 - 40 = $27.84 = $0.0506 per kWh, which falls within the range of the average 500 and 1000 kWh costs.

Am I looking at this right? Appreciate the help.

Beware of these companies:
Watchdog: Don?t let phony 1-cent electricity plans and knockoff websites fool you | Watchdog | Dallas News

[lepoisson]

Electricity here in Texas is great, but only if you make sure to check every detail of the plan. But I feel as if having unregulated power has completely defeated the original purpose of having unregulated power. The purpose was to eliminate a monopoly and let the market control everything. Sounds pretty good. But it's created a whole other set of problems. You just have to remember that corporations will be corporations. They'll use shifty language to trick people.

People new to Texas might not know what to look for. Same for elderly people. They'll see 1 cent plans and assume it's the cheapest.

Even though I paid more for electricity in other states, it was nice having the same company all year long and not having to worry with constantly moving plans and start the nightmare process every 3-9mo.

Another problem is that NO ONE can give you the previous electric usage for an address. This is especially useful when you are picking a plan at a new address. Some plans offer discounts for different power consumption levels, so it would be nice to know if the 1br apartment uses 500 or 1500kWh. I called Oncor and they said I had to complete a request with landlord approval and submit some form, then wait 30 days. With unregulated power in other states, it's as simple as calling the electric company, then giving them the address. All info is given over the phone.

[GiantCow]

Thanks for the replies. Count me as one of the people who think deregulated electricity is more hassle than its worth.

I checked my usage history and it looks like I consistently stay below 500kWh/month, with the exception of July and Aug so in the end went with a Discount Power plan that charges something like 5 cents for the first 500kWh and then a higher rate after that.

[pharpe]

Originally Posted by lepoisson

Even though I paid more for electricity in other states, it was nice having the same company all year long and not having to worry with constantly moving plans and start the nightmare process every 3-9mo.

This is still an option for you. You are free to pay more and go with TXU or some long term plan that you don't have to worry about just like in a regulated state.

And I wouldn't call an hour of research once or twice a year a "nightmare process".

[pharpe]

Originally Posted by lepoisson

Another problem is that NO ONE can give you the previous electric usage for an address.

Go to www.smartmetertexas.com and setup an account. You need you ESI and Meter number which are on your bill. You can run all kinds of usage reports for any time range you want in 15 min, daily or monthly intervals.

[lepoisson]

Originally Posted by pharpe

This is still an option for you. You are free to pay more and go with TXU or some long term plan that you don't have to worry about just like in a regulated state.

And I wouldn't call an hour of research once or twice a year a "nightmare process".

It's not a nightmare process, it's just annoying. It would be like having to refinance your car every 6mo. Not a terrible process, but not something you should enjoy doing either.

Aren't those contract free plans prone to change at any time? In other areas, most electricity rate changes have to be approved by the city/state and customers are notified in advance.

Originally Posted by pharpe

Go to www.smartmetertexas.com and setup an account. You need you ESI and Meter number which are on your bill. You can run all kinds of usage reports for any time range you want in 15 min, daily or monthly intervals.

Sure, you can do that after you've moved in. But what happens if you are moving into a new apartment and want to know the usage trends for the unit (to help pick the right plan)? No one could help me. The landlord just told me "the bill averages $50-150 per month depending on the month". Wow, real helpful...

[pharpe]

Originally Posted by lepoisson

It's not a nightmare process, it's just annoying. It would be like having to refinance your car every 6mo. Not a terrible process, but not something you should enjoy doing either.

Aren't those contract free plans prone to change at any time? In other areas, most electricity rate changes have to be approved by the city/state and customers are notified in advance.



Sure, you can do that after you've moved in. But what happens if you are moving into a new apartment and want to know the usage trends for the unit (to help pick the right plan)? No one could help me. The landlord just told me "the bill averages $50-150 per month depending on the month". Wow, real helpful...

Contract free plans are variable. However, you can lock in fixed rate plans for 2 years. It's going to more expensive but you won't have to mess with it.

The meter number is stamped on the meter so you can just write that down but you will need the ESI ID. Oncor might be able to provide that to you.

The landlords estimate is not that unreasonable though. Just seeing someone else's usage is not that useful unless you know their lifestyle. Power usage will be drastically different depending on the lifestyle of the prior tenant. Example. You might see an average usage of $50/mo and think that looks pretty good. But if the person living there was a single consultant, that spent most of their time on the road, that's not going to be a very accurate estimate. Flip side, if there was a stay at home parent there all the time, and liked it cool in the summer, you'd see usage 3 times that easily.

[Johnhw2]

Choices are work but having no choices is not better when it comes to electricity which means ac in dfw.it would be helpful if you could see what you prior contract person use age would be under a plan under consideration. The math is not complex but computers can do the math with a little forethought.