Choosing electricic company in Midland (Houston, Austin: coop, how much, live in)

[pshs_2000]

Hi,
I'm moving to Midland next month and just found out that I get to choose my electric company. I've never heard of such a thing. Anyway, I looked on the power to choose website and the various fact sheets. I'm kind of perturbed that the rate for using less than 1000kwh is higher and it looks like most charge an additional fee if you don't use a certain amount of power. I live in El Paso now and average about 400-700kwh per month. Can anyone recommend a good company for low kwh usage customers?

Thanks for your help!

[debzkidz]

Originally Posted by pshs_2000

Hi,
I'm moving to Midland next month and just found out that I get to choose my electric company. I've never heard of such a thing. Anyway, I looked on the power to choose website and the various fact sheets. I'm kind of perturbed that the rate for using less than 1000kwh is higher and it looks like most charge an additional fee if you don't use a certain amount of power. I live in El Paso now and average about 400-700kwh per month. Can anyone recommend a good company for low kwh usage customers?

Thanks for your help!

I can't suggest a company as I have not lived there in a few years, but yes, anywhere in Texas you get to choose because some years back it was deregulated by the state.

[Cathy4017]

It is confusing....confusing to the point where I just stayed with TXU (never mind how much I hated them...LOL!) and didn't bother to change. I just didn't want to mess with it, and however much I might like choice, it hasn't been a good deal for consumers at all.

That has been 4 years ago, so things might be better by now.

[Willsson]

Choosing electric company in Midland

Many of those options for your provider are really just reseller of TXU electric, the major producer of electricity in Texas. Some offer alternative energy but those are not 100% of your use. Too a large extent, it's just choosing a billing department.

[TonyG5003]

Originally Posted by debzkidz

anywhere in Texas you get to choose because some years back it was deregulated by the state.

Just wanted to clarify this... you don't get to choose your electric provider everywhere in Texas. It depends on where you live.

And actually, having a "choice" has meant higher rates in those areas. For example, in Midland we were paying almost 50% more for the exact same amount of usage that we do in the City of Austin. Even in the Pedernales Electric Coop (borders Austin Energy's area on the west side), the rates were MUCH less than anything we could get in Midland from TXU or Reliant.

But to answer the OP's original question... if I were in Midland, I would stick with TXU - though I despise them . Since they were the original electric carrier (owned the lines) before deregulation, there's at least a better "connection" between TXU and Oncor (the electric carrier, not retail "provider"). So when service is needed, in my experience it was faster with TXU. I had Reliant for a time as well... it was like dealing with a middle man. Perhaps this has improved with time, and others will chime in.

[debzkidz]

When it was deregulated we stayed with TXU as well. A few years later we moved to Houston and stayed with TXU there too, although most people there were not familiar with TXU. Most people there stayed with Reliant, who had been the provider there prior to dereg. I did check a bit and found TXU was less expensive than Reliant and just decided to stay with what I knew.

[pshs_2000]

Thanks for your replies. I didn't know this was an option in El Paso. I don't really know how having the option to choose an electric company saves me money. There's not much difference between 10.2 and 10.3 cents. Because I use less electricity, I'll get charged additional fees and have a higher kwh rate... such as life. Thanks again!

[jtur88]

I just took a list of all the companies, and went down the list phoning their 800-numbers, and the first one where I could talk to a human being within 60 seconds, I chose that one.