About Ambit Energy Electricity Service

Ambit's business model is that of a network or multi level marketing company, where agents are recruited to sell Ambit energy to their friends, family and social network.

Agents are required to pay a $429 fee to set up their business, and are then subject to ongoing monthly fees of $24.95 to maintain their storefront.

Ambit Energy was founded in 2006 by former telecom executive, Jere Thompson. Headquartered in Dallas, TX .

Electricity in the Ambit Energy Area

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Ambit Energy's value proposition is like that of Amway or traditional MLM "Multi Level Marketing" or "Network Marketing" firm. "Sell services or products to your friends and family and make a monthly commission on those sales." In effect every sales level of the organization makes money off of the lower level of the organization. Ambit charges each sales associate a monthly fee to maintain their website/ presence - this is not reflected in any Ambit energy bill.

FAQs About Ambit Energy

Here's what people are asking about Ambit Energy.

If You're Looking for Ambit Energy

Ambit Energy is not currently available on TexasElectricityRatings.com. If you are shopping for residentail electricity in Texas, these are our recommended plans. Alternatively you can browse all of our Texas electricity plans.

Best Long Term Value

36 Inflation Fix

12.1 ^¢/kwh

at 1,000kWh
^$118/mo.

est. avg. bill

Based on a yearly usage curve averaging 1,000 kWh per month

36 month
Fixed Rate
Renewable

866-656-0374

Popular Brand

Reliant Basic Power 12 plan

13.2 ^¢/kwh

at 1,000kWh
^$136/mo.

est. avg. bill

Based on a yearly usage curve averaging 1,000 kWh per month

12 month
Fixed Rate
Non-Renewable

844-481-0677

Best 24 Month Plan

Bigger Than Texas 24

12.0 ^¢/kwh

at 1,000kWh
^$117/mo.

est. avg. bill

Based on a yearly usage curve averaging 1,000 kWh per month

24 month
Fixed Rate
Renewable

866-656-0374

Best 16 Month Plan

Simply Select 16

12.9 ^¢/kwh

at 1,000kWh
^$128/mo.

est. avg. bill

Based on a yearly usage curve averaging 1,000 kWh per month

16 month
Fixed Rate
Renewable

888-691-1489

AMBIT In The Community

Ambit Energy relies on Sales Consultants who pay a monthly fee to affiliate themselves with Ambit Energy. Your Ambit Energy Consultant will guide you through the steps to get the best energy rate. Generally there is little risk in signing up as an Ambit customer. Ambit rates are generally higher than competitive rates from most major Texas electricity suppliers, and in terms of reliability, your energy is delivered via the same distribution system, Oncor, Centerpoint, or AEP, etc. as everyone else. Ambit Billing, bill pay and customer service systems are top level. The key is understanding your usage and the impact on your energy bill. A $20 to 30% premium paid can add up to $500 over the course of a year.Ambit Consultants pay up to $429 to join the Ambit Consultant program, plus $24.95 a month to support their marketing website. First year start up costs would equal $729. Frequent sign up promotions and recruiting efforts may lower these costs. If you immediately sign up 10 friends, you'll make $240 in commissions from Ambit in your first year. So, you'll lose $489 in that year because of the signup and monthly fees. But, if you can sell 20 or so friends - you could make $800 in your first year. The question is - can you sell 20 + friends and family on buying electricity through you. Then you have to make sure they renew, every year, or they'll churn out for the next lowest rate.

Ambit and Variable Rates

As required by law, Ambit Energy send notices out 45 days prior to the end of every electricity contract in Texas. These mailed notices inform customers that their contract is ending and that their rate will move to a month to month / variable rate. If the contract is not renewed or a new plan selected, the customer will flip to the variable rate which may be 2 to 3x higher than the original contract rate. And that rate may move up or down every month until you lock in a new contract. In other words you can go from paying 9¢ per kWH to 20¢ per kWh in one month.

How do I get the Cheapest Ambit Energy Rate?

There are four basic steps

We've created a step by step guide to help you get the cheapest electricity rate. Plus we've built tools to help analyze your rate. Or you can use our Bill Calculator tool.

Ambit Energy doesn't sell electricity on TexasElectricityRatings.com, instead compare the cheapest electricty plans from the best electricity companies in Texas.

Ambit Energy Rates for Houston

Company & Plan	Term	Rate
4Change Energy - Maxx Saver Select 12	12	9.2¢
4Change Energy - Maxx Saver Select 24	24	9.2¢
Frontier Utilities - Frontier Saver Plus 12	12	9.2¢
Gexa Energy - Gexa Eco Saver Plus 12	12	9.2¢
Frontier Utilities - Frontier Saver Plus 24	24	9.2¢

Houston - Centerpoint Electricity prices as of 05-28-2023. Compare Houston Electricity Rates.

Ambit Energy Rates for Dallas

Company & Plan	Term	Rate
4Change Energy - Maxx Saver Select 12	12	8.8¢
4Change Energy - Maxx Saver Select 24	24	8.8¢
Frontier Utilities - Frontier Saver Plus 12	12	8.8¢
Gexa Energy - Gexa Eco Saver Plus 12	12	8.8¢
Frontier Utilities - Frontier Saver Plus 24	24	8.8¢

Dallas - Oncor Electricity prices as of 05-28-2023. Compare Dallas Electricity Rates.

Ambit Energy Rates for Abilene

Company & Plan	Term	Rate
4Change Energy - Maxx Saver Select 24	24	9.8¢
Frontier Utilities - Frontier Saver Plus 12	12	9.8¢
Frontier Utilities - Frontier Saver Plus 24	24	9.8¢
Gexa Energy - Gexa Eco Saver Plus 24	24	9.8¢
4Change Energy - Maxx Saver Select 12	12	9.9¢

Abilene - AEP North Electricity prices as of 05-28-2023. Compare Abilene Electricity Rates.

Ambit Energy Rates for Corpus Christi

Company & Plan	Term	Rate
4Change Energy - Maxx Saver Select 12	12	9.7¢
4Change Energy - Maxx Saver Select 24	24	9.7¢
Frontier Utilities - Frontier Saver Plus 12	12	9.7¢
Frontier Utilities - Frontier Saver Plus 24	24	9.7¢
Gexa Energy - Gexa Eco Saver Plus 24	24	9.7¢

Corpus Christi - AEP Central Electricity prices as of 05-28-2023. Compare Corpus Christi Electricity Rates.

Ambit Energy received a JD Power score of 750 in 2016 (the last year of JD Power Ratings in Texas) - Within the top 10 providers in Texas. Ambit has an A+ on the BBB. Why are the Texas Electricity Ratings scores low? The majority of complaints that we've seen are due to late payments, disconnect notice issues and contract end dates that fip to variable rates. Secondly, Ambit Electricity rates are more expensive than traditional rates 20% to 30%. We also look at dozens of additional data sources such as Yelp, Google Reviews and Consumer Affairs to generate a complete picture of the company's performance.

Learn More

Ambit Energy Scores and Ratings:

Texas Electricity Ratings Overall Score for Ambit Energy

1.7 / 5

Read Ambit Energy Rating Details

Ambit Energy Reviews

514 Reviews for Ambit Energy

514

total reviews

Read Ambit Energy Reviews

News Articles About Ambit Energy

Batteries Not Included in ERCOT's Fall SARA

Posted on September 30, 2022

What Does ERCOT’s Fall SARA Say?

ERCOT's Fall SARA says there's adequate capacity this fall. Find out why it doesn't include all the utility scale battery projects. — *The good news is that ERCOT's Fall SARA says there's going to be enough capacity this fall. But with all the utility scale battery projects in the works, why aren't they including them?*

When you anticipate the autumn chill, you’re bound to see ERCOT’s Fall SARA to be chill as well. The Seasonal Assessment of Resource Adequacy for fall and spring typically include little to fret over. Milder weather means less power drain on ERCOT’s power suppliers. So the experts at ERCOT predict a low chance of extreme power demand. That means LESS spikey electricity rates.

This fall, peak demand should top out at 64,928 MW. Meanwhile, ERCOT should have 93,492 MW on tap to satisfy that demand. With supply far outpacing demand, power plants tend to use fall and spring for routine maintenance. They can go offline without imperiling Texas power customers. A little prevention goes a long way for when the weather gets too hot or too cold.

Batteries Don’t Count in ERCOT’s Fall SARA

The technology behind utility scale batteries is ever evolving and improving. Despite that, ERCOT doesn’t include the 2,623 MW of online battery storage resources toward the total generating power. ERCOT does not expect battery facilities to provide sustained capacity for meeting system peak loads. Maybe they will someday, but that day isn’t today. An additional 23 MW of battery storage should come online between September and November.

No one expects batteries to come in during peak demand. But they could factor into solving an emerging Texas power problem. Cryptocurrency miners are flocking to Texas, and their setups need a great deal of power. Perhaps batteries can meet this rising demand that solar and wind can't satisfy. Only time will tell.

Texas Battery Project Rundown

The number of Texas battery storage facilities is staggering. ERCOT’s Fall SARA lists 78 facilities currently operational. Their installed capacity ranges from 1.5 MW on the low end to 102.4 MW at the Gambit Energy Storage Park in Brazoria County. At least 57 projects are scheduled for completion between now and 2025. The SARA does not list the capacities for these projects. Both groups – operational and anticipated – are scattered across the state geographically. And this makes sense. The more spread out battery facilities are, the quicker that stored power can reach customers when they need it.

Chill Out With Fixed Rate Power

Chilling weather signals a great time to get a fixed rate power plan. Shop for plans at https://www.texaselectricityratings.com before the weather goes from chilly to cold. That way, you’ll lock in some of the best prices of the year. You'll keep warm with a cool rate.

How Energy Customers Can Best Weather the TX Grid Failure

Posted on March 02, 2021

TX Energy consumers are worried about the grid failure. What should you do about your Texas electricity provider? Let our advice help you get through it all.

Electricity Customers Will Survive the Texas Power Grid Failure

One impish pal privately quipped to me that news about the Texas freeze reminded him of Sunday morning church after a Saturday night chili festival -- lots of strained grimaces, startling noises, and mortified amazement. Still, crude humor aside, Texas energy customers are rightly outraged at events that grew into a federally declared disaster. With this ordeal slowly resolving, many electricity consumers are worrying about their electricity in the coming months. Could your Texas electricity provider go out of business? How might the Texas electricity market change? Will your energy rates increase? Of course, we've been watching all the moving parts on this. To help keep you informed, we're going to drill down into the latest REP news. That way, we can show energy customers how to best weather the Texas grid failure.

Texas Retail Electricity Providers Ordeal

To begin getting a handle on all this, it helps to understand something of the REP perspective. During a normal Texas winter, most REPs plan for volatile electric prices. They contract with generators to buy electric supply in advance at a fixed price. This way, the REPs line up enough electricity as a hedge against prices spiking later on the wholesale markets. Those REPs that didn’t hedge enough risk paying those high prices. REPs also need to have enough collateral to do transactions in the wholesale market. They have just 72 hours to pay ERCOT the fees and collateral requirements for the transaction. If they default, they lose their customers. But no one prepared for such extreme cold hitting Texas. Rates went higher and higher. When generators went off line, the wholesale rate rose to the $9,000 cap. At that point, ERCOT began asking for increasing amounts of collateral to guarantee each increasingly expensive transaction. At one point, the Chicago-based Exelon, which operates several natural gas generators in Texas, posted $1.4 billion in collateral to ERCOT. Obviously, this kind of sustained demand for cash threatens the financial stability of smaller REP companies. Add to this the additional financial strain due the PUC suspending billing and smaller, weaker REPs will struggle. Not all the casualties so far have been REPs. The Brazos Electric Power Cooperative Inc, the state's the oldest electric power cooperative filed for bankruptcy protection in Houston on March 1. The Coop which has 1.5 million customers cited a disputed $2.1 billion bill from ERCOT which includes $1.8 billion in collateral.

Expect Higher Texas Electricity Bills From Usage

Texas building codes do not require homes to efficiently withstand the rare brutal cold that came to visit. At such low temperatures, for example, electric baseboard heat would run constantly. Even normally efficient air-source heat pump systems would run almost continuously, relying on auxiliary electric resistance heaters. Most REPs are warning their customers to expect higher bills due high usage from the record-setting cold temperatures. They are also reassuring their energy customers with fixed rate plans that their rates stayed put. Likewise, many retail electric providers are also assuring their customers on variable rate plans that these rates are not directly linked to wholesale prices and do not change in the middle of the cycle.

Many Texas REPS Are Still Operating

This list names just a few REPs that are doing business in ERCOT. APG&E The company announced to its customers that it is financially stable. APG&E also applied for volunteer POLR status. Champion Energy Services This provider announced on February 23 that there would be no impact on the electricity rates to residential customers. It added that residential customers whose contracts expired will be billed at the variable rate published last month. Constellation Energy The company reassures their customers that they are still in business. Fixed rate energy customers will see no rate changes but variable rate customers could see changes to monthly rates. Gexa Energy The company told its customers on February 22 that their variable rates do not change during a billing cycle and so not linked to real-time wholesale market pricing. Gexas has applied to be designated as a volunteer POLR . Payless Power This REP says that customer plans are safe from wholesale rates. Payless did not raise either its fixed or variable plan rates during the storm and will not increase them at this time. Pulse Power The company offered customers who cut usage by 10% a chance to win a Tesla Model 3. Pulse Power estimates says its fixed rate customers will see only a small increase in their bills. Reliant Energy The company announced residential customers would only be charged according to their plan’s rate for the month. Reliant filed a request with the Texas PUC to be a volunteer POLR. Spark Energy On a February 22 press release, the company wanted to assure its customers that it has ample liquidity. TriEagle Energy The REP told customers that it's not going anywhere and that their rates are insulated from wholesale prices. Energy customers may see usage updates for days they were without power. TXU Energy The company said in its February 21 release that customers "may experience higher than normal bills due to higher usage” but that they “will be insulated from storm-related rate increases.”

ERCOT Seeks Billions For Texas Electricity

Companies are still taking stock of their losses. With the financial consequences still unfolding it's not clear yet which REPs are in financial stress. While ERCOT covered the roughly $2.1 billion in REP debt with $800 million it owed REPs, providers are still on the hook for hundreds of millions of dollars. According to some experts, if ERCOT doesn't get paid sometime, then the state of Texas might need to bail out its grid manager.

ERCOT’s Providers of Last Resort

Almost as soon as the crisis ended, the Texas PUC began mobilizing its Provider of Last Resort (POLR)companies. POLR companies are default electricity providers that shoulder the load of those REPs who could no longer afford to do business in Texas. TXU Energy will take over supplying most customers whose REP fails. As of Friday, February 26, ERCOT revoked all rights of Griddy Energy "to conduct activity under the ERCOT Protocols" and began transitioning its 10,127 service addresses to POLR providers enmasse. Griddy also faces a class action lawsuit seeking $1 billion in relief and a separate suit filed by Texas Attorney GeneralKen Paxton charging that the company misled customers and blindsided them with surge pricing during the freeze.

Future Competition in the Texas Electricity Market?

The premise of Texas deregulation was to break up the big monopolies and bring in competitors to drive down prices. We yet don't know the exact extent of financial damage to retailers. However, it's pretty safe to say that the big freeze could become an extinction event among retail providers. One current common line of reasoning holds numerous REPs could leave the market. While those that stay might face less competition, they'd also face bigger companies with far deeper pockets. Vistra Corp, for example, which owns TXU and Ambit Energy, announced it would take a one-time loss somewhere in the rang of $900 million to $1.3 billion. Smaller REPs may sell off their Texas customer books to the big fish in a shrinking ERCOT pond. That would free them to swim off to northern deregulated states that know how to prepare for cold weather. Unfortunately, that kind of consolidating reduces competition and could eventually just result in raising Texas electricity rates. Whether this bleak assessment comes to pass depends on how regulators and legislators respond to the electric market's needs. To be sure, it won't be cheap and it won't be quick.

What's Our Advice To Energy Customers In Texas

Obviously, REPs will need to pay off debt from this crisis and that usually involves raising rates. The bitter cold that hit the country also helped burn through a record natural gas supply. Unfortunately, with natural gas production expected to be lower this summer, EIA predicts that U.S. electricity rates will rise. Texans could see electricity prices rising as soon as the summer cooling season starts. However, the good news right now is that energy customers won't see any immediate impact on rates. Plus, the spring shoulder months will begin soon. This is when demand for natural gas and electricity falls and rates tend to dip. With all that in play, Matt Oberle, Head of Operations at Texas Electricity Ratings, puts the case simply: The biggest piece of advice I can give customers not under contract is to lock into a 6 or 12 month fix rate with anyone. Rates are a bit higher now. But customers will enjoy substantial savings compared to the high risk swings we expect to see on variable rate plans. Customers can return after 6 or 12 months after the market stabilizes and shop again for a new plan. So now more than ever it’s the best time to find a new Texas electricity provider.