Most Texas homes have enjoyed the power to choose their electricity provider since 2002. More recently – consumers have seen rising Texas electricity rates. Over the years, there has been a learning curve for both electricity providers and consumers. The most popular product in the market has been the 12-month fixed price electricity plan. Consumers […]
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Practical guide to Texas electricity plans. Shopping for a low electricity rate for your Texas home can be confusing. There are a dizzying number of electricity providers from which to choose. Each provider, in turn, may have multiple offers including prepaid electricity, variable rate plans, and fixed rate plans. Fixed price electricity plans are the […]
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Texas electricity usage patterns. Whether we are online, watching our favorite program, or listening to the radio, we receive an endless stream of marketing messages and advertisements. Knowledge is power when shopping for goods and services. Whether we are buying an appliance or looking for an electrician, doing research helps us make the best decision. […]
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Electricity Plans and Home Warranties – Electric choice markets pose challenges for energy providers seeking to build a national brand. First, not all states give customers the opportunity to choose their electricity supplier. Second, even for those states with electricity choice programs, competition is typically limited to customers in areas served by investor-owned utilities. In […]
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Regional Electric Usage Patterns and Shopping. Electricity end uses can vary significantly between homes and businesses across the country. Climate control and water heating, however, are consistently the largest end uses among non-industrial electricity customers. To understand regional variations in electricity consumption, it is important to consider both climate and fuel source. Seasonal Electricity Usage […]
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Get a Texas Electricity Tune-Up. As the summer heat finally yields to the cooler temperatures of autumn, Texas electricity consumers welcome a period of lower energy bills. This brief gap between the air conditioning and heating seasons provides an opportunity to catch our breath and make sure that we are prepared to deal with our […]
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Champion Energy regains Texas service title. Houston-based Champion Energy Services received the highest overall rating for Texas in the 2015 J.D. Power Retail Electric Provider Residential Customer Satisfaction Study. The annual survey rates retail electric providers in the areas of price, communications, enrollment/renewal experience, customer service, corporate citizenship, and billing and payment. Champion Energy Rating […]
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Texas Electricity Provider Market Share. As Texas retail electric competition enters its 14th year, the market continues to mature as evidenced by the number of market participants and the diversity of their electric plans. Even with merger and acquisition activity, the number of retail electric providers serving Texas customers continues to grow. Several factors have […]
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Texans have the power to choose rooftop solar systems. Photovoltaic (PV) panels are showing up on more Texas residential rooftops than ever before. According to the U.S. Solar Market Insight report issued by GSM Research/SEIA, Texas added 75 MW of PV solar generating capacity in 2013. While the bulk of this added capacity was associated […]
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Texas Smart Meters Overview – Traditional electric meters in Texas only had the ability to measure cumulative kilowatt-hours consumed. Meter readers collected usage data approximately every 30 days. No information was gathered about when the energy was used, only how much was used since the last meter reading. Interval Electricity Data To collect data on […]
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