If you live in Texas, you’re no stranger to choosing an energy provider — but if you’re new to the state, here’s a quick rundown of what you need to know.
Texas is home to a largely deregulated energy marketplace which means consumers must choose a provider to meet their electrical needs. It’s a world of choice with a wide variety of providers offering different options for how you can power your home and the costs associated with it. Can you believe there are more than 130 retail electricity providers in Texas to choose from?!
These options, presented as energy plans, can vary greatly and choosing the best one for you, well, it can be an overwhelming choice. But don’t stress! We’re breaking down the best energy plans in Texas right here in this blog post to help make the decision a little easier. Read on for all the details.
First things first, it's important to understand the different options associated with energy plans in Texas. Fixed-rate plans tend to be the most common (and the most desirable). They lock in a specific cost per kWh for the duration of your contract, which means the price you’re paying for electricity won’t change from start to finish. It makes budgeting pretty easy, and you’ll never run the risk of higher rates if electrical costs spike in your area, like in the event of an unexpected storm.
Variable rates, as their name suggests, vary. This means that sometimes you might be paying less than in previous months, but sometimes you might be paying more. They’re a bit of a gamble and can make budgeting a challenge, but for some consumers, they might be the right fit.
And then there are pay-as-you-go energy plans. With these prepaid energy plans, you’ll pay a predetermined dollar amount rather than having your consumption measured and a bill issued at the end of the month. Once you’ve paid, you’ll be able to use power until you’ve maxed out the amount you’ve paid, at which time it will be time to top-up your account. It’s a convenient option if you don’t want to lock yourself into a long-term contract but don’t forget to top-up before you run out or you risk having your power cut off!
Feeling a bit more up to speed? Great! Now let’s get into what you really came here for. Here are some of our favorite energy plans in Texas.
Our first plan is OhmConnect Energy’s TexasConnect Energy Plan. It's a fixed-rate plan which, as you’ll recall, means you'll pay the same fixed rate for electricity throughout the entirety of your contract term. It’s an awesome everyday energy plan for individuals, couples and families alike!
The plan’s fixed rate options are low cost (woohoo!) and available in a few different term length options, so it’s easy to pick a contract that suits your needs. Plus, you’ll benefit from access to OhmConnect's energy-saving program too, which means getting rewarded whenever you save energy at home (more on that in a minute).
Next up, we have OhmConnect Energy’s GreenConnect Energy Plan. Similar to the TexasConnect Energy Plan, it's a great option for those living solo, with a partner or with family and features low, fixed-rate prices that make budgeting a breeze.
The main difference here is that this plan uses renewable energy certificates (RECs). RECs are market-based instruments, representing 1 megawatt-hour (or 1,000 kilowatt-hours) of power, and they’re used to keep track of renewable energy production. When a renewable energy producer (like a solar or wind farm) produces a megawatt-hour of electricity, they earn a REC that can be then sold to providers (like OhmConnect Energy) to verify the electricity consumers are paying for has been produced with renewable resources.
If you’re looking to go green, this is the perfect plan to help take you that extra mile without breaking the bank.
Our next plan is ideal if you’re already dabbling with monitoring your energy consumption habits. OhmConnect Energy’s Half-Price Nights Energy Plan is available with a 12-month or 24-month term, and as you might have guessed, electricity is half-price at night!
That’s right, between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 5:59 a.m., your fixed electricity rate will be cut in half. It’s the perfect time to run high-energy appliances like the washing machine, dishwasher and other energy-hogging devices and take advantage of some major electricity savings!
And finally, we have one more Texas energy plan that we want to bring to your attention before we wrap up. It’s OhmConnect Energy’s EVConnect Energy Plan.
Similar to OhmConnect Energy’s Half-Price Nights Energy Plan, the EVConnect Energy Plan offers half-price electricity between the nighttime hours of 9:00 p.m. and 4:59 a.m., and it’s specifically created with electric vehicle owners in mind! Plug in your electric vehicle at night and benefit from the lower rates while you get your car charged up and ready to go for the next day.
The biggest difference between this energy plan and the Half-Price Nights plan? Similar to the GreenConnect plan, the EVConnect Energy Plan uses RECs as well to confirm the electricity paid for is going towards the production of green energy — just this time, you get some bonus savings for shifting your consumption to off-peak hours!
Okay, so we’ve given you a rundown of some of the best energy plans in Texas, but if you’ve been paying close attention, you might remember us mentioning OhmConnect Energy’s energy-saving program up above when we talked about the TexasConnect Energy Plan.
Well, here’s the thing, OhmConnect’s energy-saving program is actually a part of *every* one of OhmConnect Energy’s plans — from GreenConnect to Half-Price Nights.
Here’s how it works.
Demand response is a way to get compensated for using less power when there’s lots of demand on the grid. As part of OhmConnect’s free energy-saving program, you’ll receive a text or email at times when electricity demand spikes in your neighborhood, empowering you with the knowledge you need to know when to power down your energy-hogging devices.
Even easier than unplugging manually? Connect smart devices like a smart thermostat or smart plug, and those appliances can power down automatically, saving you money and earning you rewards without you lifting a finger.
By taking part in these energy-saving events (called OhmHours or AutoOhms), you’ll earn Watts (think of them like points) that can be cashed in for credit on your bill, prizes, donations to your favorite charities and cash right back in your wallet! That’s because OhmConnect takes the energy you save and sells it back to the grid, sharing those profits with you.
It’s a simple way to do something good for the planet and get rewarded in the process! Ready to get started? Click here to learn more and sign-up for an OhmConnect Energy plan today.
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