Texas Electricity Ratings Bill Calculator

We advise you to read the following to better understand the ins and outs of various electricity plans, but if you're in a hurry, feel free to jump ahead.

Why is my electric bill higher than it should be?

The PUC only requires companies to post their average rates for billing cycles at 500, 1000 and 2000 kWh. What goes on at other usage levels is not required to be disclosed on the web (except on the EFL). That's what allows you to see that 4.9¢ rate that you can't feasibly get on other comparison sites. The rate you see is only at that certain usage amount, and odds are, you aren't going to use 1,000 kWh in every billing cycle.

What do the houses mean?

The houses below represent the plan's rate at the 500, 1000, and 2000 kWh thresholds. The colors show the rate at those usage amounts relative to that plan's lowest rate. All green means the rate is fairly constant, regardless of usage amount. If part of the bar is orange, that means the rate at that amount is somewhat higher than the rate at the lowest usage amount. Red means the rate is significantly higher. Each plan will have at least one green section.
500
kWh
1000
kWh
2000
kWh

Plan Profiles

Below are a few example plans we've created to illustrate how different rate structures work:

Fixed Rate
Regardless of how much energy you use, you will pay 10¢ per kWh. This is because the provider has included the TDSP fees into their price. If you use 500 kwh, you will pay $50. If you use 5,000, you will pay $500. The rates may not look as attractive, but you won't get any surprises on your bill.

Flat Rate
This plan has a fixed "monthly" charge of $75 with no energy charge up to 2,000 kWh. At 1,001 kWh, another fixed charge of $75 kicks in. At 2,001 kWh, an energy charge of 15¢ kicks in per kWh over 2,000. Depending on what the energy rate is, these plans could be ideal for large homes.

Bill Credit
This plan has a bundled energy charge of 15¢ per kWh. At 1,000 kWh, a $75 bill credit kicks in, dropping your average rate to 7.5¢/kWh. This credit is per billing cycle, not per month. If you use 1,100 kWh in January but only 950 in February, your February bill almost doubles!

Bill Credit with Cap
This plan also has a bundled energy charge of 15¢ per kWh and a $75 bill credit at 1,000 kWh. The difference is that the bill credit does not apply if you use more than 2,000 kWh in a billing cycle. Even though the EFL rates may look the same, these plans are very different.

To keep our examples simple, we've bundled the rates. Most plans are un-bundled, meaning the company you select will charge a fixed price per kWh and pass the TDSP (utility) fees on to you. TDSP fees usually include a base charge of $3-10 and an energy charge of 3-5¢/kWh. In bundled rate plans, the TDSP fees are not passed through to you. Your electricity company will absorb these costs and pay them to the utility for you. It is important to remember that TDSP fees are charged by your utility (Centerpoint, Oncor, AEP, TNMP). These are NOT bogus fees added to your bill by your electric company.

Other Factors

Keep in mind that there are other charges that can get added to your bill that may not be included in your rate. Some companies charge you for paying your bill online while others charge for paying by phone. There are also some companies that will charge you a monthly fee for not enrolling in auto-pay.

Read the EFL. Know what you're getting into before you sign a contract.


Get calculating!

Average Usage:
If you don't know your average usage, you can enter previous bill info below:

Note: The average bills shown are based on the average kWh entered extrapolated across an entire year based on aggregate customer usage data. Your yearly profile will differ based on factors like in-ground pools, electric heating, small data-centers in your garage, walk-in freezers, etc.

Company

Avg. Bill		 Profile
Easy Saver 12
view EFL
$130
Smart 12
view EFL
$135
Value Plus 12
view EFL
$135
Clear Deal 12
view EFL
$139
Free Energy 12
view EFL
$140
Saver 24
view EFL
$140
Texas Fixed 36
view EFL
$142
Gexa Saver Deluxe 12
view EFL
$143
Maxx Saver 12
view EFL
$143
Value Saver 12
view EFL
$144
Solar Value 12
view EFL
$144
Free Energy Nights 36
view EFL
$145
Free Energy Weekends 36
view EFL
$145
Gexa Straight Saver 24
view EFL
$145
Power of Credit 12
view EFL
$145
Texas Saver 12
view EFL
$145
Eagle 36
view EFL
$145
Solar Saver 12
view EFL
$146
Power of Credit 24
view EFL
$147
Texas Saver 24
view EFL
$147
Price Protect 24
view EFL
$148
Texas Fixed 24
view EFL
$148
Power of Credit 36
view EFL
$149
Texas Saver 36
view EFL
$149
Helpful Saver 24
view EFL
$149
Spark Green Secure 24
view EFL
$150
Solarize 36
view EFL
$151
Spark Green Secure 12
view EFL
$151
Free Energy Nights 24
view EFL
$151
Free Energy Weekends 24
view EFL
$151
Gexa Straight Saver 12
view EFL
$151
Choice 15
view EFL
$152
Clear Deal 24
view EFL
$152
Reliant Basic Power 24 plan
view EFL
$152
Eagle 24
view EFL
$153
Green Eagle 36
view EFL
$153
Gexa Saver Advantage 12
view EFL
$153
Best Value 12
view EFL
$153
Prepare and Protect 12
view EFL
$154
Gexa Energy Saver 36
view EFL
$154
Solarize 24
view EFL
$156
Texas Fixed 12
view EFL
$156
Beat the Heat 12
view EFL
$156
Gexa Saver 12
view EFL
$157
TrueClassic 12
view EFL
$157
TrueClassic 6
view EFL
$157
Eagle 12
view EFL
$157
Green Eagle 24
view EFL
$159
Free Energy Nights 12
view EFL
$159
Free Energy Weekends 12
view EFL
$159
12 Month Usage Bill Credit
view EFL
$160
Gexa Energy Saver 24
view EFL
$161
Smart Value 12 Online
view EFL
$163
Solarize 12
view EFL
$163
Green Eagle 12
view EFL
$163
24Mo Usage Bill Credit + A/C Protection for 2 Units and HVAC Monitoring
view EFL
$164
24Mo Usage Bill Credit + A/C Protection for1 Unit and HVAC Monitoring
view EFL
$164
24Mo Usage Bill Credit + A/C Protection for1 Unit and HVAC Monitoring
view EFL
$164
Conservation 12 plan
view EFL
$165
12 Month Flat Tier Product
view EFL
$165
12 Month GREEN (No Min Usage Fee)
view EFL
$166
Flex Forward
view EFL
$168
Simple Rate 12
view EFL
$168
GridEdge 24
view EFL
$169
Gexa Superb Saver 12
view EFL
$176
12Mo Usage Bill Credit + A/C Protection for 1 Unit and HVAC Monitoring
view EFL
$176
12Mo Usage Bill Credit + A/C Protection for 2 Units and HVAC Monitoring
view EFL
$176
Frontier Max 12
view EFL
$177
Gexa Saver Premium 12
view EFL
$180
Truly Free Weekends 12
view EFL
$181
Season Pass 12
view EFL
$183
Free Nights & Solar Days 12
view EFL
$185
Gexa Saver Value 12
view EFL
$186
Truly Free Nights 12
view EFL
$188
Power of One 12
view EFL
$216
Power of One 24
view EFL
$218
Power of One 36
view EFL
$220