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Showing posts from December, 2023

Five Tips for Comparing the Best Texas Electricity Rates

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How Do You Compare the Best Plans? Over 60% of Americans resolve to save money at New Years. Let our 5 electricity shopping tips help you keep your resolution to keep more of your money. The start of a new year often brings with it the resolution to save more money. In fact, two-thirds of Americans make financial New Year’s resolutions . Electric bills are a big part of monthly expenses in Texas. So, finding the best electric company with low rates becomes a crucial step toward saving. But how you go about comparing plans isn't always clear. After all, sometimes the plan with the cheapest average monthly bill does not have the lowest rate. To navigate this issue, here are five tips for making informed choices about your electricity rates.   1. Consider Contract Lengths and Term Factors Knowing how long each plan lasts and how it structures prices is important. Monthly plans with introductory rates might look good at first, but their rates can change. So, those rates may not last th

Seven Last Minute Safety Tips for Your LED Holiday Lights

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How Do You Stay Safe with LED Holiday Lights? Although the holiday spirit is in full swing, it's easy to forget how dangerous festive lighting can be. We tackled that potentially burning issue with these last minute holiday LED safety tips. 'Tis the season to dispel the darkness with the twinkling radiance of LED holiday lights! LED lights consume far less energy than incandescent bulbs. Nearly all their power goes to visible light. Incandescent bulbs, on the other hand, use most of their energy on infrared light which people can only feel as heat. So, LEDs are a great choice for yuletide scenes. Plus, they help you save on your electric company bills. As these adornments grace our homes with festive charm, we must ensure they not only dazzle but also stay safe. While the holiday spirit is in full swing, it's crucial to address some burning questions to keep your LED lights shining brightly without any mishaps. So, make sure to follow these safety tips. We want your home

ONCOR Seeking Rate Hikes

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How Will Oncor Rate Hikes Impact Texans? New Oncor rate hikes could hit Dallas customers before the end of 2023. Learn how a new law could raise those rates again and do it sooner! Electricity bills might soon become costlier for residents in North Texas served by Oncor , the primary power line owner in the region. The recent move to request an additional rate increase , enabled by a lesser-known law passed earlier this year, has stirred talks about its impact. If approved, the new Oncor rate hikes take effect December 28. Oncor , responsible for the power lines across North Texas, aims to increase rates by $53 million for light companies . This marks the second rate hike proposal in just a few months, under the Senate Bill 1015. This law allows two smaller distribution cost recovery factor (DCRF) adjustments annually. It also speeds up the evaluation of rate increase requests. The Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) has only 60 days to review these requests. The shorten period

ERCOT Summer Reserve Pooling Added $12 Billion in Costs

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How Did Summer Reserve Pooling Impact Texas? This summer, ERCOT relied on reserve pooling rules to keep back extra reserve power. But it also created fake shortages costing electricity customers about $12 billion. Learn how it might be fixed. People are paying close attention to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) lately. And it's for a good reason because it affects your power to choose . A report by Potomac Economics, a group that keeps an eye on the grid, showed that the rules ERCOT used this summer made consumers pay an extra $12 billion for their electricity. The problem started with a backup plan ERCOT made after the big power failures in February 2021. They wanted to prevent more blackouts by making power generators keep nearly double the usual backup. But this summer, things went wrong. Despite good intent, Texans felt unintended consequences of summer reserve pooling.  Fake Summer Shortages and High Prices on ERCOT Not only did utilities have a hard time de