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.
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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
Lone Star 6
view EFL
$131
TrueClassic 36
view EFL
$133
Texas Fixed 36
view EFL
$135
Simply Green 30
view EFL
$136
Free Energy Nights 36
view EFL
$138
Free Energy Weekends 36
view EFL
$138
Texas Fixed 24
view EFL
$138
TrueClassic 6
view EFL
$139
Frontier Super Value 12
view EFL
$143
Price Protect 24
view EFL
$143
Spark Green Secure 24
view EFL
$143
Green Choice 1
view EFL
$143
Texas Green Choice 36
view EFL
$143
Power Up 1
view EFL
$143
Texas Fixed 12
view EFL
$143
Free Energy Nights 24
view EFL
$143
Free Energy Weekends 24
view EFL
$143
Gexa Saver Deluxe 12
view EFL
$144
TrueClassic 12
view EFL
$144
Choice 15
view EFL
$144
Solarize 36
view EFL
$145
TX Breeze 36
view EFL
$146
Saver 24
view EFL
$146
Bigger Than Texas 24
view EFL
$146
Eagle 36
view EFL
$147
Free Energy Nights 12
view EFL
$147
Free Energy Weekends 12
view EFL
$147
12 Month Usage Bill Credit
view EFL
$147
The Gruene 18
view EFL
$148
12 Month (No Min Usage Fee)
view EFL
$148
TX Breeze 24
view EFL
$148
Solarize 18
view EFL
$149
Solarize 24
view EFL
$149
Come & Take It 12
view EFL
$149
Gexa Straight Saver 24
view EFL
$149
Solarize 12
view EFL
$152
Eagle 24
view EFL
$153
Value Plus 12
view EFL
$153
Energy Texas Monthly
view EFL
$154
Green Eagle 36
view EFL
$154
Live Brighter Lite 36
view EFL
$154
Gexa Energy Saver 36
view EFL
$155
TX Breeze 12
view EFL
$155
12 Month GREEN (No Min Usage Fee)
view EFL
$155
Gexa Straight Saver 12
view EFL
$155
Chapman Ranch 24
view EFL
$156
Live Brighter 1K+ 36
view EFL
$157
Smart Value 12 Online
view EFL
$157
TX Shine 24
view EFL
$158
GridEdge 36
view EFL
$158
Eagle 12
view EFL
$159
Green Eagle 24
view EFL
$159
Reliant Basic Power 24 plan
view EFL
$159
Taste of Energy Texas 3
view EFL
$160
Live Brighter Lite 24
view EFL
$161
Helpful Saver 24
view EFL
$161
Live Brighter 1K+ 18
view EFL
$161
Live Brighter 1K+ 24
view EFL
$161
GridEdge 18
view EFL
$162
Clear Deal 12
view EFL
$162
Gexa Energy Saver 24
view EFL
$162
Solar Value 12
view EFL
$164
Live Brighter Lite 18
view EFL
$164
Green Eagle 12
view EFL
$165
GridEdge 12
view EFL
$165
Pollution Free e-Plus 24 Preferred
view EFL
$169
Conservation 12 plan
view EFL
$169
Solar Saver 12
view EFL
$171
Reliant Basic Power 12 plan
view EFL
$173
Clear Deal 24
view EFL
$175
Pollution Free e-Plus 12
view EFL
$175
Go Local Solar 12 Preferred
view EFL
$179
Live Brighter 36
view EFL
$179
Simple Rate 12
view EFL
$185
Gexa Saver Value 12
view EFL
$188
Gexa Superb Saver 12
view EFL
$188
Frontier Max 12
view EFL
$190
Gexa Saver Premium 12
view EFL
$194
Flex Forward
view EFL
$197
Season Pass 12
view EFL
$200
Free Nights & Solar Days 12
view EFL
$202
Free Power Weekends 12
view EFL
$209
Twelve Hour Power 12
view EFL
$212
Power of One 12
view EFL
$229
Power of One 24
view EFL
$231
Power of One 36
view EFL
$233