Texas Electricity Ratings

What Impacts Electricity Cost in Texas? New to Texas and can't make heads or tails of your power bill? Let us show you all about electricity cost to help you save more. Your power bill may be a mystery to you. But it isn’t very complicated once you break it down. Texas electricity bills are made up of two parts – retail charges and utility charges. The company you choose for your power plan keeps the retail charges. After that, they pass the other charges along to your local transmission and distribution utility (TDU). Now, let’s dig deeper into these two charges.  Utility Charges TDUs incur costs for keeping up their local part of the Texas power grid that delivers power to customers. These costs differ among TDUs. This happens because of the different sizes and layout of their service territories. They also face different population densities and conditions of their infrastructure. As a result, utility rates aren’t the same across Texas.  Here are a...

Top Five Things Your ToS Covers Understanding the fine print on a Texas electricity plan can help save you money. Learn why you need to read your supplier's Terms of Service! We’ve all pretended to read the terms and conditions without looking at it. But, your Texas electricity supplier terms of service are not something you should glimpse over. Usually, your plan’s EFL summarizes the most important aspects of this document. But, knowing what’s in the terms of service agreement before you sign is the best way to avoid hidden charges. Here are five things you could miss if you don’t read your terms of service. 1. Variable vs. Fixed Rate Terms of Service First and foremost, you need to know whether you’re on a variable or fixed rate .  A variable rate’s energy charge changes depending on the market value of electricity. Since the demand during the summer’s AC season and the winter’s heating is higher, energy prices are usually high. ...

Texas Homebuilders Alarmed by Shortage Whether they're mounted on a pole or a concrete pad outside your home, transformers bring power to your home. But with a national shortage, they're getting harder to replace. Find out what's happening. Most transformers really aren't much to look at. But you can't have an electrical grid without them. And the nationwide transformer shortage has been a concern for almost six years. But this long-time issue only seems to be getting worse. Is there going to be a solution to this transformer shortage? And does it affect the price of electricity for you? What’s a Transformer and Why Do We Need It? No, we’re not talking about the half-robot half-car aliens in Michael Bay’s films. We’re talking about those electrical boxes you see on utility poles. Transformers step down high-voltage electricity from power lines to the lower-voltage electricity we use in our homes. This hard-to-notice part of the grid makes it possible for us to h...

Will New Laws Make Your Electricity Bill Go Up? Texas lawmakers voted down some new programs to fund fossil fuel generators while passing others that limit renewables. Find out how new laws could make your electricity bill go up! The Texas Legislature debated a slew of bills during this year’s session. And a few dozen of them dealt with electric reliability. But each session, only 10 to 15 percent of Texas bills actually become law. So some bills are dead while others are now law or soon will be. But which new laws will make your electricity bill go up? When lawmakers enact changes to how Texans get their power, there are bound to be costs. And even if those costs fall squarely on power generators and utility companies, you can bet those costs will flow to customers. So, let’s review some of this session’s bills, where they ended up, and how they might impact your electric rate .   State Money For Natural Gas Plants – Did Not Pass  Despite broad su...

How Choosing Green Can Save You Money Texas is still the world leader for Renewable energy generation. Find out our reasons why you can save more green electricity plans. Texas leaders seem to have turned against renewable energy . Even so, there are many reasons to invest in green energy, from boosting the local economy to the environmental benefits. And Texans also enjoy the cheap electricity that renewable sources can provide. So, these are our top reasons to choose a green energy plan over non-renewable types. Plus, we'll run through some of the best 100% renewable plans available right now. The Five Biggest Reasons to Choose Renewable Great for the environment : Burning fossil fuels to create energy also creates nasty byproducts like greenhouse gases. This pollutes our air and environment. Plus, it’s also the number one contributor to global warming. Renewable energy keeps our air clean and requires no limited resources.  Invest in the future : It’s no surprise t...

Will Home Projects Cut Your Houston Power Bills? With hot summer temperatures hitting Houston, you'll want to cut costs. Our four easy weekend projects can help put a dent in your montly energy bills and increase your home's comfort. Are you tired of rising electricity bills that seem to drain your hard-earned money? Living in the vibrant city of Houston means scorching summers and high cooling bills. However, by doing a few projects around the house, you can cut your Houston energy use . So let's dive into these simple yet effective solutions that will help lower your Houston electricity bills.  Crawl Space Vapor Barrier Can Cut Houston Bills Laying down a plastic vapor barrier under your home is a fairly large weekend project. But it can yield a large impact on reducing your energy bills. The crawl space beneath your house can be a source of air leakage and moisture. These issues negatively affect the energy efficiency of your home. By installing a plastic vapor barrier...

Heat Wave To Test ERCOT with High Peak Demand Summer has only started and ERCOT could see record peak demand all this week. Find out how to keep your cool through all this hot Texas weather! With temperatures topping out at over 100°F and baking Houston, Dallas, and places in between, ERCOT's demand peak reached a record of over 80.3 GW. Unfortunately, it's not likely to end soon, either. For a lot of folks, this heat wave will not only make it hard for them to pay high Texas electricity rates but also stay coold and stay safe. So, let's dig into what's coming and what you can do to keep safe. Hot Temps and Peak Demand Predicted AccuWeather forecasts for Houston from June 15-25 are predicted to hit 100°F each day and then remain in the upper 90s afterward. All the same, with this amount of heat, air conditioners will use LOTs of electricity in Texas cities and grid demand will soar. For example, while June 14 wasn't as blisteringly hot, demand at 8:30 pm sent Rea...

A New Way to Track Your Grid News ERCOT has released its new TXANS grid condition tool. Learn how you can keep informed about rising Texas grid costs so you can be better control your electricity usage and save money! Knowing the latest e nergy news is key to cheap and reliable electricity. That’s why it's great that ERCOT offers customers a new communications tool to take advantage of. The launch of the Texas Advisory and Notification System (TXANS) means that you’ll be aware of any changes in grid conditions from ERCOT directly. Find out how this new system works and how it can save you money on electricity . What Is TXANS? TXANS is a new way ERCOT can communicate grid conditions to the public. In an effort for greater transparency, this dashboard won’t just show accurate and reliable grid information. It also gives you real-time notifications. All you need to do is sign up for the notifications and alerts are emailed to you. The primary feature of TXANS is the...

Why Are Utility Scale Batteries Booming? With more Texas homes needing more electricity, there's now an investment rush to add batteries to renewable energy sources to improve their reliability. Learn what else is behind it and if it could affect electricity rates. Texas electricity is going through an investment rush in utility scale battery storage plants while attracting major players like BlackRock, SK E&S, UBS, and more. The allure of double-digit return, coupled with Texas's power grid challenges has spurred a flurry of activity in the battery storage sector. With the promise of high returns, investors are seizing their chance . There’s money to be made, and all Texans should reap benefits, too.  Resolving Grid Issues Battery storage plants have become very important after the winter storm in February 2021. They are growing quickly and can make the power grid stronger. These plants can provide a dependable source of power during important times. Texans do not want ...

Six Easy Fixes to Save Money on Dallas Electric Bills There's better ways to cut your Dallas electric bills! Stay cool with our six easy fixes to save you money this summer. Dallas summers are hot. You can see just how hot by your increased electricity bill . As we’re approaching the summer months, it’s good to think about what easy things you can do to make sure your appliances and AC run as effectively as possible. So, just follow these six summer maintenance tips to save money on your Dallas electric bills.  1. AC Maintenance Cuts Dallas Electric Bills Your HVAC unit works overtime during the Dallas summer. So, make sure you do these easy maintenance steps to keep it in good shape. You won’t just save money on electricity. You can also save big bucks by giving your AC a longer life. Clean or replace the air filter once a month. Keep shrubs cut back at least 24 inches away from your outside unit. Inspect the outside condenser unit and clean out any leaves or d...