In Houston Texas, where the electricity market is deregulated, customers have dozens of choices when it comes to who will provide their service for power. Residential electricity customers in Houston can choose to pay a low variable rate that gives the flexibility to leave the company at any time, or they can choose a number of fixed rate options with different sets of terms ranging from 3 months to 3 years. In recent years green power choices such as wind power have become more popular among Houston energy customers.
Choosing a wind power option is not different than choosing any other type of electricity rate product. All of the electricity that is generated from sources such as wind, coal, and natural gas, go into the same grid. Choosing wind power for your home means that your retail electric provider of choice will buy the power from the wind power company generating the electricity, and then sell it to you at the retail level. When you buy wind power you are voting with your dollars to support clean energy.
The electricity rate that an Houston energy customer ends up paying depends on the electricity product that they choose. Here are the some of the best electric offers in Houston updated daily:
Texas residential customers who have had their contracts expire could be paying too much on their monthly bills. Nearly every competitive electric provider who offers term contracts has a clause built in that causes customers to stay with the provider after the contract has expired at rates determined by the supplier. The business strategy for the electric providers is that a large enough percentage of their market share will forget to sign a new contract allowing them to up the rates to a premium.
Two summers ago, electric rates in Texas for twice as high as they are today due to higher natural gas prices. Customers who signed fixed electric rate contracts during that time became customed to paying a high electric rate. As these contracts expire, providers continue to charge the high rates hoping that their customers have forgotten that they can now shop for a lower rate.
If it has been awhile since you shopped the electricity competitive market we encourage you to see if your contract has expired. Just because you are still receiving a bill from an electric provider you chose last year does not mean that you are still on contract.
For the lowest Texas residential electric rates today, email us with your city name and ask for rates. As of this week, fixed rates have been found below $0.09 per kwh. Many Reliant and TXU customers are paying over $0.15 per kwh.
