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Moving to Houston, Dallas, the Valley or a deregulated area in Texas? Need electricity service?
Currently, the low residential rate for a 12 month term is: 10.1 cents per kwh for the Centerpoint area 9.3 cents per kwh for the Oncor area 10.2 cents per kwh for the AEP central area Today's current commercial rates in cents per kwh (change daily): For businesses using less than 200,000 kwh annually and a Low Load Factor. For businesses using more than 200,000 kwh annually and MED-HI Load Factors rates can be lower by .5 to 1.5 cents/kwh MONTHS 3 6 9 12 15 18 24 36 Oncor 7.24 6.84 6.93 7.29 7.71 7.71 8.01 8.50 AEP 7.61 7.14 7.17 7.65 8.02 8.05 8.35 8.50 Centerpoint 7.36 6.96 7.02 7.48 7.87 7.89 8.21 8.66 WTU 7.49 7.11 6.53 6.74 7.35 7.37 7.38 7.81 It normally takes 3 to 5 working days to turn on electricity when moving into a property that is not currently in your name, but if a property is in your name then you have to apply for a switch which could take 30 to 45 days depending on your meter reading date and the submission of your order to the REP. Once a REP has accepted your order for service you do not need to terminate your service with your current REP. Leave that to your new REP who will notify ERCOT, the entity which controls the electric grid for One suggestion is that you should have an energy manager which doesn't cost you anything. They are paid by the REPs since most REPs do not have an outside sales force these energy management companies are great to have. They look for the lowest rates available with credible REPs. Not only will they save you by getting you a low rate, but they also keep you from forgetting your expiration date and getting hit with a default rate that has been as high as 30 cents per kwh as was experienced by many this past summer. They will give you the low rates for that period depending on the market and from time to time may give you advice. One piece of advice is to not enter into a contract for electricity in the summer. Sometimes it is unavoidable. They are able to find any number of terms. If your contract expires in August there are REPs that offer 1, 3, 6, 9, and almost any number of months. You would need a 3 month term to get you out of the high summer month rates. Then after 3 months you could then sign a 12, 24, or 36 month agreement.
Another piece of advice is that for a switch there is what is called an out of cycle switch which is usually done within 10 days and it cost as little as $10.00 or less, for commercial it costs from $12.00 to $25.00 depending on the REP. Another is what is called a "safety net". This is for a move in to be done same day or the next day depending on the time of request. This cost is usually about $50.00 or less for residential, but may be as high as $300.00 for commercial.
One such energy management company that has been in business for 7 years is Quantum Gas & Power Services in Cypress, Texas. They service mostly Texas for electricity, but natural gas is not deregulated in Texas so they service the deregulated areas in the rest of the United States. Your personal credit will be checked by your new REP and because of the economy it has become stricter. Currently, deposits are between $250.00 and $500.00 for residences. For commercial it can be in the thousands depending on usage and other factors. The deposit will be kept by your REP until you complete you contract, but if you do not pay your bill regularly, your chance to get your deposit back is very small. In the event that you satisfied your contract the REP will apply your deposit to your final bill and refund the remainder.
Posted 3/28/2009 @ 3:38:09 pm by josespeaks.com
There are several Texas REPs (Retail Electric Providers) that now have 1 month Promos of 9.4 cents per kwh in the Oncor area. Why do the promo? If your contract is expiring this 1 month promo will give you another 30 days to allow rates to come down even more, then you can enter into a long term contract in the low 10-11 cent per kwh range. .1100 cents times 1000 kwh per month = $110.00 plus taxes and any monthly fee if any. Quantum Gas & Power Services has several such REPs. |
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