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Will PUCT Hold on PCM Plans?

In a letter signed by nine members of the Texas Senate, lawmakers told the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) to hold their horses. The agency’s recently announced plans to revamp the Texas power market go beyond what Senate Bill 3 says. The letter tells PUCT to wait for lawmakers to weigh in before carrying out their Performance Credit Mechanism or "PCM" plan. 

The nine signers make up the Senate Committee on Business and Commerce. After a letter like that, you can bet your mortgage payment PUCT will await further instructions. These senators feel PUCT misses the point of SB 3. And lawmakers don’t take kindly to state agencies failing to meet the intent of high profile new laws. The next legislative session begins January 10. During the 180-day session, lawmakers will consider the power grid and a myriad of other issues. Expect some uncomfortable committee hearings with pointed questions for PUCT leaders.

Hold on PCM, But Then What? 

A few lawmakers say the state needs more “dispatchable generation" and PUCT plans don’t make a clear path for reaching that goal. In other words, Texas needs power plants it can turn on and off as demand varies. These plants sell power to retail providers who in turn sell to homes and businesses. In a nutshell, that's how your lights come on and stay on.

Last month, PUCT floated sweeping proposals including Forward Reliability Market (FRM) with its PCM plan. Under FMR, the state would dole out monetary rewards to power generators based on their performance during peak demand. The wording of the senators’ letter appears to favor a more traditional regulatory model with standards and penalties for non-compliance. 

Senators worry market redesign plans will confuse industry players. In this mindset, companies will delay building new power plants. And Texas needs more power to keep up with growing demand. Falling only behind property tax relief, shoring up the state’s energy supply is Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick’s second most important priority for this session. ERCOT has said making the market redesign happen could take a few years, so firms may take a wait-and-see approach to investing. 

Texas Electric Service

No matter what lawmakers and PUCT do, you need a power plan for your home. The best place to shop for electric service is http://www.texaselectricityratings. Here you’ll always get the best prices on a wide range of plans. You have the power to choose your provider, so arm yourself with the right data. 

How Does Customer Feedback Beat Power to Choose?

When you do something every day, you get good at it. Practice improves your skills and instincts. That’s why you can drive your car every day without a crash for years at a time. However, shopping for a cheap electricity rate is something you usually do once every year or two. That makes customer feedback about retail providers important in making your decision. 

And when it comes to customer feedback, Power to Choose comes up short. Texas Electricity Ratings, on the other hand, gives you ample information to use the wisdom and experience other customers have had. Use their knowledge to supplement your own for a sound electric plan decision. 

Limited Power to Choose Rating Information

Research shows customer reviews influence buying behavior. So it makes sense that many websites offer some sort of rating or review system. But some sites are better than others. 

The Power to Choose site offers a 5-star rating system for companies, but it is overly simplistic. Their measure “is a measure of consumer complaints per 1,000 customers based on a 6-month rolling average.” Unfortunately, they do not release the count of customers for each retail provider! That means you can’t get an idea of how many complaints each retailer has. So one complaint does more damage to a smaller retailer's rating than it would a bigger one. You can’t rely on a rating system that produces distorted ratings and favors bigger providers. 

Texas Electricity Ratings Customer Feedback 

Texas Electricity Ratings also uses a 5-star electric provider rating system, but it's much more robust than Power to Choose. Beyond just the overall rating, you can also see scores for specific aspects of doing business with retail providers: 

• Plans & Pricing
• Ordering Experience
• Customer Service
• Billing & Account Management

These ratings help you narrow down companies based on what factors are important to you. From there, you can read what real customers have to say about each provider - no matter what their size.

Read Customer Reviews 

A company’s customers will tell you how it really is. They know from experience where the company does well and where it can improve. The customer feedback on Texas Electricity Ratings includes the reviewer’s star ratings, comments, and date of review. After reading reviews, you’ll know what you’re in for when you sign up for a power plan. 

Your Power to Choose 

As you can see, the information at https://www.texaselectricityratings.com is the best you can get for making a good choice on your next electric plan. Here, the quantitative data combines with the qualitative. You have all the numbers like price per kWh, contract term, and early termination fee. Plus, you get real customer feedback to put context around those numbers. Why would you shop anywhere else!?