Switching electric providers

[Horns99 172]

If your contract is up, yeah you are screwed right now & it’s not going to get better anytime soon. Best advice is take the longest contract for the cheapest rate you can find. Did Amigo for 5 years @ .15. The key is check the cancellation fee - Amigo is only $175. I will save that this summer alone vs paying .20. It’s a cheap long term option, cancel it if rates ever go back down below .10.


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[Dahobbs 18385]

I haven't paid for energy yet this year. Yay solar. 

[Quagmire 2148]

Welll except the 20k for the panels

[Dahobbs 18385]

1 hour ago, Quagmire said:

Welll except the 20k for the panels

I mean, at these prices the panels will pay for themselves in 5 years or less. I'm feeling pretty good about that investment. 

[Nice Guy Eddie 13742]

3 hours ago, Horns99 said:

If your contract is up, yeah you are screwed right now & it’s not going to get better anytime soon. Best advice is take the longest contract for the cheapest rate you can find. Did Amigo for 5 years @ .15. The key is check the cancellation fee - Amigo is only $175. I will save that this summer alone vs paying .20. It’s a cheap long term option, cancel it if rates ever go back down below .10.


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Great advice about shopping cancellation fees when prices are this high. Relatively speaking, these cancellation fees are low when comparing them to the monthly charges.

Constellation is offering $0.15 with a $99 cancellation fee for my zip code.

Edited June 2, 2022 by Nice Guy Eddie

[Seasick Sailor 3747]

Thinking of signing up for Gexa with a 24-month plan at 14.4 with a $100 credit for each month our usage is between 1,000 and 2,000 kWh. I think we would hit that most months. 

[Nice Guy Eddie 13742]

45 minutes ago, Seasick Sailor said:

Thinking of signing up for Gexa with a 24-month plan at 14.4 with a $100 credit for each month our usage is between 1,000 and 2,000 kWh. I think we would hit that most months. 

I would check historical usage with your current provider. Only have 999 kWh, and you're effectively hit with a $100 penalty.

Edited June 2, 2022 by Nice Guy Eddie

[Quagmire 2148]

Just used energy ogre for the first time , seems like it sucks, they just signed me up for contract at around 18.5

I’m easily finding 14 cent plans for my usage on power to choose , wtf.

[tokamak 6687]

32 minutes ago, Quagmire said:

Just used energy ogre for the first time , seems like it sucks, they just signed me up for contract at around 18.5

I’m easily finding 14 cent plans for my usage on power to choose , wtf.

I don't know anything about Energy Ogre, but seems like there's potential for lots of fuckery with that business model. Referrals for steering customers to certain providers, etc.

[Dahobbs 18385]

2 hours ago, Quagmire said:

Just used energy ogre for the first time , seems like it sucks, they just signed me up for contract at around 18.5

I’m easily finding 14 cent plans for my usage on power to choose , wtf.

What's your usage and location? I looked at plans at 800 kwh, 1,000 kwh, 1,500 kwh, 2,000 kwh, and 2,500 kwh and everything is pretty much 15 and over.  You have a few at 14 cents with those trick plans that give you a credit after a certain amount of usage, but you basically have to hit that exact number or end up way over. For instance, New Power offers one that says 14.4 cents per kwh at 1,000 kwh. But if you are below 1,000 kwh you're paying north of 23 cents. And if you're above 1,070 kwh you'll pay north of 15 cents (19.8 cents at 2500 kwh). You have to watch out for those plans. 

Edited June 2, 2022 by Dahobbs

[Quagmire 2148]

Usually 1300-1800 during summer and 800-1000 during winter .

Plan I was looking at was from frontier utilities, not one of the discount ones for certain usage. Goes between 14 - 14.5 between the major thresholds .

In dfw area . Is power to choose the best site to use ?

[Dahobbs 18385]

1 hour ago, Quagmire said:

Usually 1300-1800 during summer and 800-1000 during winter .

Plan I was looking at was from frontier utilities, not one of the discount ones for certain usage. Goes between 14 - 14.5 between the major thresholds .

In dfw area . Is power to choose the best site to use ?

The problem with Power to Choose is that the brackets it uses get gamed. I've used ComparePower.com as a free way to enter custom usage amounts and quickly find out when a plan is playing games. But I think the best is probably Texas Power Guide, however it requires a $10 payment to get the name of the plans (you can still see what the rates are that they model for your usage without paying). Isn't a bad deal and its tool is definitely more robust than any others (and they aren't shopping your sale for commissions like ComparePower). 

[Skipper 6412]

1 hour ago, Dahobbs said:

But I think the best is probably Texas Power Guide, however it requires a $10 payment to get the name of the plans (you can still see what the rates are that they model for your usage without paying). Isn't a bad deal and its tool is definitely more robust than any others (and they aren't shopping your sale for commissions like ComparePower). 

This was what I used to confirm I was getting bent over no matter what.   Think my cancellation fee is only $100 so set a reminder to check again in the fall.

[harpercollins 394]

Another vote for texaspowerguide.com. I got 10.9cents plus $10 monthly fee on 36 month contract with $0 cancellation fee on octopus energy. Saved me hours and money. $10 is no brainer.

[Telegraph_it 3379]

6 minutes ago, harpercollins said:

Another vote for texaspowerguide.com. I got 10.9cents plus $10 monthly fee on 36 month contract with $0 cancellation fee on octopus energy. Saved me hours and money. $10 is no brainer.

This. 

[Quagmire 2148]

Another vote for texaspowerguide.com. I got 10.9cents plus $10 monthly fee on 36 month contract with $0 cancellation fee on octopus energy. Saved me hours and money. $10 is no brainer.

Nice was this recently though ? Seems like rates went crazy early this spring

[Quagmire 2148]

I mean, at these prices the panels will pay for themselves in 5 years or less. I'm feeling pretty good about that investment. 

No doubt , I’d be interested if I had the extra cash and knew I’d be in my home for awhile

[harpercollins 394]

No this was first week of February.

[tokamak 6687]

The chart shown right on the front page of Texas Power Guide pretty much tells the tale.

[Nice Guy Eddie 13742]

33 minutes ago, tokamak said:

The chart shown right on the front page of Texas Power Guide pretty much tells the tale.

Ouch. Not many options if your contract is up this summer.  I also wonder if this is an opportunity for the providers to start earning back all of the money they lost in the '21 freeze when they had to purchase electricity at top levels but sell it for the low contracted rates.

[MonkeyDoughnut 10810]

[SydneyCarton 49532]

Some good advice on this thread, but some fundamental misunderstandings. For one, this is fucking the providers as much or more than Uri did by freezing the state. Some guys will likely go out of business over this. The long and short if it is that natural gas spent about, oh, 8 or so years right at about 3 and a half bucks with a few short term hiccups. Now it's at $9. Power providers usually buy quarterly, half year, and/or year mixes of power blocks at various rates to cover their customers. Well, all of a sudden these natural gas rates go apeshit, and when the time comes to buy more power for their customers this summer, prices of that are 4-5x. If an electricity provider doesn't have enough power to cover their customers, they're buying on the spot market, and that is potentially 3-10k as opposed 30 or so cents. But in short, natural gas 3x higher? I'm surprised that electricity rates thus far are only about double. Hopefully there is still more generation to come online to help combat this.

The only other piece of advice I'd give people that I haven't seen (I skipped to page 4 of the thread) is that right now, there are some 12 month plans at 20 cents. And the promotional 1 month rates of some guys is at..20ish cents. I told my father in law I'd set him up ever 30 days to just shop a new 1 month rate, and we'll see if this goes down in the next couple months. It's a pain in the ass, but you spend 5-10 minutes once a month for 3 months and we'll see if there's a correction.

That being said, the 3 year low cancellation charge plan is also a good tactic I've suggested to folks. 

[mdmost 44109]

Yeah my plan is up next month and I'm worried. I think I'll just do another 3 month plan and hope shit gets a little better. I should've just locked in a 12 cent yearly plan the last time. 

[SydneyCarton 49532]

Buddy, you're not going to find a 3 month plan. Almost no providers are offering them right now, for obvious reasons. Here are the two 3 month plans available on PowerToChoose, both with 175 cancellation fees lol. PS, They're the same company that operates multiple brands. 

https://texpo-prod-api.eroms.works/api/v1/document/ViewProductDocument?type=efl&rateCode=TRCNPSAVER3&lang=en
https://texpo-prod-api.eroms.works/api/v1/document/ViewProductDocument?type=efl&rateCode=SRCNPF3PTC&lang=en

I believe you're in dallas, so it will be a LITTLE bit cheaper than Houston rates. 27 cents. 

You can get a one month variable plan for a bit under 20 in dallas right now. Trust me, it's worth the extra 5-10 minutes a month to just surf one month promotional rates for the next 3 months than it is to pay an extra 20%. 

Edited June 7, 2022 by SydneyCarton

[mdmost 44109]

14 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

Buddy, you're not going to find a 3 month plan. Almost no providers are offering them right now, for obvious reasons. Here are the two 3 month plans available on PowerToChoose, both with 175 cancellation fees lol. PS, They're the same company that operates multiple brands. 

https://texpo-prod-api.eroms.works/api/v1/document/ViewProductDocument?type=efl&rateCode=TRCNPSAVER3&lang=en
https://texpo-prod-api.eroms.works/api/v1/document/ViewProductDocument?type=efl&rateCode=SRCNPF3PTC&lang=en

I believe you're in dallas, so it will be a LITTLE bit cheaper than Houston rates. 27 cents. 

You can get a one month variable plan for a bit under 20 in dallas right now. Trust me, it's worth the extra 5-10 minutes a month to just surf one month promotional rates for the next 3 months than it is to pay an extra 20%. 

Oh shit. I guess I really screwed the pooch. How do you find the one month plans?

Edit: Found one through Direct Energy. 19.5 cents but that energy charge is a lot. 

Edited June 7, 2022 by mdmost

[SydneyCarton 49532]

7 minutes ago, mdmost said:

Oh shit. I guess I really screwed the pooch. How do you find the one month plans?

 

Switch it off fixed rate, and select variable. But if an NEC plan shows up, I don't think you can get that. I'm pretty sure it's Nueces Co-Op. Maybe you can. It's worth a shot I guess. The key is going to be you have to sign up for a new one month plan every month, otherwise they're going to smash you with like a 35 cent rate in month two, hoping you forget. 

If you want some more help than that, DM me, and I can help you out. 

[mdmost 44109]

1 minute ago, SydneyCarton said:

 

Switch it off fixed rate, and select variable. But if an NEC plan shows up, I don't think you can get that. I'm pretty sure it's Nueces Co-Op. Maybe you can. It's worth a shot I guess. The key is going to be you have to sign up for a new one month plan every month, otherwise they're going to smash you with like a 35 cent rate in month two, hoping you forget. 

If you want some more help than that, DM me, and I can help you out. 

Thanks. Also found one through TXU that's 19 cents a month for 2000kw. We average around 2500kw through September. 

https://shop.txu.com/cart/?planId=0999e8d5-e7e1-4a8c-80f2-1a178f6ba19f&utilityId=ea0ad3a5-3fc6-4d9f-894a-e21a751c33fe&zipCode=75218&rateType=2000&mover-switcher=switch&mover-switcher=switch&dwelling-type=single

[SydneyCarton 49532]

8 minutes ago, mdmost said:

Thanks. Also found one through TXU that's 19 cents a month for 2000kw. We average around 2500kw through September. 

https://shop.txu.com/cart/?planId=0999e8d5-e7e1-4a8c-80f2-1a178f6ba19f&utilityId=ea0ad3a5-3fc6-4d9f-894a-e21a751c33fe&zipCode=75218&rateType=2000&mover-switcher=switch&mover-switcher=switch&dwelling-type=single

The txu plan is where I’d have pointed you, fwiw. 

[elfenix 34768]

On 6/2/2022 at 6:06 PM, harpercollins said:

No this was first week of February.

i remember looking back then and thinking everything felt high so i'd just wait a little bit.  😭

powertochoose isn't terrible if you turn off the fuckery plans using the option to not show minimum usage charges/whatever. 

[harpercollins 394]

i remember looking back then and thinking everything felt high so i'd just wait a little bit. 
powertochoose isn't terrible if you turn off the fuckery plans using the option to not show minimum usage charges/whatever. 

So true! I was just coming off a 36 month contract paying $.07 and was super pissed about the prices.

Powertochoose is fine. It’s all there if you know your usage. Just a lot of clicking and excel formulas—takes about an hour for me to come to the same conclusion texas power guide gives me in 2 minutes.

[harpercollins 394]

Another thing I didn’t realize my first time around shopping for electricity—the prices change every single day while the plan names stay the same. So there’s no spreading a decision over two days without starting the research over. Might be common sense but I didn’t know that when I started comparison shopping.

[Horns99 172]

Guys, these fucking rates aren’t coming down anytime soon, at least not this summer. Natty is 9.30ish right now, it’s up over a dollar since the middle of the last week. These rates are going to be going even higher in the coming days. Like I said earlier, lock into the longest cheapest rate you can with a cancellation of fee of $175 or so, & then if / when rates come back down to the .10 level cancel & switch. It’s a cheap long term option. You are going to make your cancellation fee in savings if you use a decent amount in the summer months. The other week the long term contacts were around .15 for Houston.


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[Seasick Sailor 3747]

Just found a 36-month plan at 15.8/15.4/15.1 with a $99 cancellation fee. Think I'll go with it. I haven't seen anything more reasonable in my area. 

[Lazarus Bocanegra 313]

just got on this train with a 2 year contract with Chariot at .065 expiring 7/1.  Hatin it

[gsoda3 3362]

nat gas futures down 15%, hoping the elec rates follow this blip down.

[bluto 4999]

Friend of mine in a large DFW house made an interesting play on one of those wild ass txu promos… Jun-aug or sept are half price rate, then it goes up to like 20c. Termination fee of $300. He’s gonna ride the half price through the promo period then ditch it. 

[gsoda3 3362]

i just bit the bullet.  14.9 cents per kwh for 36 months, $99 early termination fee.  constellation energy.  the offer's good for both renewals (what i did) and for new customers.  14.6 cents was the cheapest i saw from several other providers but that $99 early termination fee can't be beat.  austin.

[Chapo 104]

So I just signed up with Constallation at 19.8/15.9/16.6 for 36 months, no cancellation fee for Houston.

It seems like no cancellation fee is too good to be true?

https://www.constellation.com/bin/residential/Terms_TX?versionNum=27602

[Nice Guy Eddie 13742]

16 hours ago, gsoda3 said:

i just bit the bullet.  14.9 cents per kwh for 36 months, $99 early termination fee.  constellation energy.  the offer's good for both renewals (what i did) and for new customers.  14.6 cents was the cheapest i saw from several other providers but that $99 early termination fee can't be beat.  austin.

I took the same plan. I plan to keep an eye on this thread and powertochoose to hopefully cancel this plan later this year.

10 hours ago, Chapo said:

So I just signed up with Constallation at 19.8/15.9/16.6 for 36 months, no cancellation fee for Houston.

It seems like no cancellation fee is too good to be true?

https://www.constellation.com/bin/residential/Terms_TX?versionNum=27602

Wow. Seems like a no-brainer.

[Dahobbs 18385]

11 hours ago, Chapo said:

So I just signed up with Constallation at 19.8/15.9/16.6 for 36 months, no cancellation fee for Houston.

It seems like no cancellation fee is too good to be true?

https://www.constellation.com/bin/residential/Terms_TX?versionNum=27602

No cancellation fee is good. But, just be aware you'll likely pay on average closer to 17 or 18 cents per kWh. It's another plan that plays games with credits at particular usage thresholds.  15.9 is the absolute lowest amount you could pay (if you use exactly 1,000 kWh). 

[gsoda3 3362]

On 6/15/2022 at 5:15 PM, gsoda3 said:

i just bit the bullet.  14.9 cents per kwh for 36 months, $99 early termination fee.  constellation energy.  the offer's good for both renewals (what i did) and for new customers.  14.6 cents was the cheapest i saw from several other providers but that $99 early termination fee can't be beat.  austin.

energy prices have declined since i renewed so i checked again today and found the same 36 month plan with $99 early term fee available for 14.2 cents per kwh.  i called constellation and they have to submit the request to a manager but they said it should be fine (and no penalty or fee to change plans).  they said they'll get it done within 3-5 business days.  hopefully that's true b/c my renewal starts july 15.  interestingly enough, they said if you're a constellation customer you can change your plan to whatever other plan you want at constellation during your term duration for no charge.  

[Quagmire 2148]

Good to know I just started with them this month at 14.5

I’m gonna buy some drugs with the .3 I save

[mdmost 44109]

On 7/7/2022 at 5:15 PM, gsoda3 said:

energy prices have declined since i renewed so i checked again today and found the same 36 month plan with $99 early term fee available for 14.2 cents per kwh.  i called constellation and they have to submit the request to a manager but they said it should be fine (and no penalty or fee to change plans).  they said they'll get it done within 3-5 business days.  hopefully that's true b/c my renewal starts july 15.  interestingly enough, they said if you're a constellation customer you can change your plan to whatever other plan you want at constellation during your term duration for no charge.  

I just signed up for this too. 13.7 for 2000Wh. We tend to run pretty lean in the fall and winter but finding a plan with low 500-1000Wh rates is tough. I'll keep checking before our switchover date at the end of the month but the $99 makes me feel okay about doing this over a month to month. 

[Vermin 3171]

What’s the best website to seek out the best plan based on usage?

I’ve never heard of these providers should I just go with the cheapest or pay attention to the ratings?

[harpercollins 394]

What’s the best website to seek out the best plan based on usage?
I’ve never heard of these providers should I just go with the cheapest or pay attention to the ratings?

I like texaspowerguide.com. It’s a $10 one time fee.

The satisfaction ratings mostly don’t matter IMO. The most important factors in this market are low cancellation fees, and no piddly fees like $5 to pay your bill or whatever nonsense they pull.

[Mack Tripper 708]

Would like to get the electricity wizards input ( ie @sydneycarton ) on this situation.

I have a time of use plan that is expiring this week. It was $0.16 during the day and free from 8 pm to 6 am. I drive a Tesla so I would use 55-70% of my electricity at night (depending on how much I drive/charge and use big appliances at night) and the effective rate would usually be $0.09 to $0.11.

The lowest time of use I can find now looks like $0.24 during the day, which still comes out a little ahead of the current $0.17 plans that Texas Power Guide recommends (which doesn’t take time of use into account).

Texas Power Guide appears to have disabled their time of use tool where you could import your meter data to see plans. Is there another site that does that?

Should I just find a decently priced regular plan with the shortest term and lowest termination fee?

Is this a job for Energy Ogre?

[SydneyCarton 49532]

12 minutes ago, Mack Tripper said:

Would like to get the electricity wizards input ( ie @sydneycarton ) on this situation.

I have a time of use plan that is expiring this week. It was $0.16 during the day and free from 8 pm to 6 am. I drive a Tesla so I would use 55-70% of my electricity at night (depending on how much I drive/charge and use big appliances at night) and the effective rate would usually be $0.09 to $0.11.

The lowest time of use I can find now looks like $0.24 during the day, which still comes out a little ahead of the current $0.17 plans that Texas Power Guide recommends (which doesn’t take time of use into account).

Texas Power Guide appears to have disabled their time of use tool where you could import your meter data to see plans. Is there another site that does that?

Should I just find a decently priced regular plan with the shortest term and lowest termination fee?

Is this a job for Energy Ogre?

Lots to unpack here. I’d say No to energy ogre, they can’t help you right now, and they’re on shaky ground thanks to the elevated prices everywhere…lots of people leaving in droves through no fault of energy ogre. Also some electricity companies don’t like or refuse to work with them, so more limited options. 
 

I don’t know another site that will let you import to time of use in that manner. 
 

The lowest cancellation fee strategy is what I was recommending to folks for months. If you can find the constellation 3 year with the 99 dollar cancellation fee I’d grab that. 
 

Rates are a bit lower than most summer, but they’re not good. That being said, there are differing opinions but I’m not sure the days of 10 cent energy are ever coming back, and if they do I’m also not sure it will be in the medium term. Too much uncertainty right now. 
 

I’d try to wait a few days and see if any of the REPs lower rates tomorrow or a couple days into Sept. there’s a solid chance we’ll see more REPs lower their rates. I’d you send me a DM tomorrow I’ll poke around and see if anything jumps out on the market, since you need a time of use for the Tesla charging. 

 

[Dbeasy 15613]

^ this guy knows his sh*t on this topic so listen to him. 

[Mack Tripper 708]

Lots to unpack here. I’d say No to energy ogre, they can’t help you right now, and they’re on shaky ground thanks to the elevated prices everywhere…lots of people leaving in droves through no fault of energy ogre. Also some electricity companies don’t like or refuse to work with them, so more limited options. 
 
I don’t know another site that will let you import to time of use in that manner. 
 
The lowest cancellation fee strategy is what I was recommending to folks for months. If you can find the constellation 3 year with the 99 dollar cancellation fee I’d grab that. 
 
Rates are a bit lower than most summer, but they’re not good. That being said, there are differing opinions but I’m not sure the days of 10 cent energy are ever coming back, and if they do I’m also not sure it will be in the medium term. Too much uncertainty right now. 
 
I’d try to wait a few days and see if any of the REPs lower rates tomorrow or a couple days into Sept. there’s a solid chance we’ll see more REPs lower their rates. I’d you send me a DM tomorrow I’ll poke around and see if anything jumps out on the market, since you need a time of use for the Tesla charging. 
 

Thanks. The best time of use I’m seeing is a renewal offer from Reliant (who bought out my original provider Infuse). 36 months with a $350 early termination fee. $0.24 before the delivery fee during the day.

[SydneyCarton 49532]

8 hours ago, Mack Tripper said:

Thanks. The best time of use I’m seeing is a renewal offer from Reliant (who bought out my original provider Infuse). 36 months with a $350 early termination fee. $0.24 before the delivery fee during the day.

Like I said, it’s brutal out there. Honestly you might want to do the math around a non time of use plan and see if you can hit a free charging station or two during the week to mitigate things. They still have some of those, right?

 

tine of use plans are designed to take your money. Now electric car folks absolutely figured that out to their advantage, but I’m not sure you’re saving that much at all, particularly if you are looking at 24 cents before delivery, and you can find an all you can eat plan right now at, say, 16. 
 

Edited September 1, 2022 by SydneyCarton