How to Shop for a Texas Electricity Plan: Where to Start, and Whether You Even Can

Q: Where should I start — PowerToChoose.org or a private comparison site?

Start with PowerToChoose.org, the official free listing run by the Public Utility Commission of Texas. It is neutral, takes no affiliate commission, and lists every plan available at your address. Its default ranking is by the advertised 1,000 kWh rate, so the top results skew toward bill-credit plans that only look cheapest at that exact usage. Many other compare-Texas-power sites are private affiliate sites that earn a commission and may weight their ordering. Whichever you use, the real test is the same: compare your shortlist at your own usage using the Electricity Facts Label for each plan.

Q: Should I pay a service to pick my electricity plan for me?

Managed-shopping services such as Energy Ogre are legitimate, and many people are happy with them. Just know they charge a monthly subscription for something you can do yourself for free. The core of what they do is match a plan to your actual usage instead of the advertised 1,000 kWh rate. If you do not mind a few minutes of comparing, you can run the same real-usage comparison at no cost; if you would rather it be hands-off, the subscription may be worth it to you.

Q: Do I even get to choose my provider, or is my area regulated?

Most of the Houston metro is deregulated, but not everywhere. Parts of the outer metro, including much of Conroe and Montgomery County served by Entergy Texas, and some areas served by an electric cooperative, are regulated, which means there is no retail choice and you cannot shop. The quickest check is to look up your exact address on PowerToChoose.org: if it returns a list of plans, you are deregulated and can shop; if it does not, you are with a single regulated utility or co-op.

Q: I am new to Texas — how does choosing an electricity provider work?

In most of the Houston metro, and much of Texas, the market is deregulated: a delivery utility owns the poles and wires, but you separately choose a retail provider for the energy. First confirm your address actually has a choice, since a few outlying areas do not. Then, rather than going by which brand a neighbor likes, since every home uses a different amount, compare plans at your expected usage and read the Electricity Facts Label. A 12-month fixed-rate plan is usually the safe default while you learn your home usage pattern.

Q: My contract is up for renewal — is my offer actually a good deal?

Check it, do not assume. Loyalty rarely pays in the Texas market, and renewal quotes are frequently higher than the new-customer rates available elsewhere. Compare your renewal offer against a few current plans at your real usage, and confirm whether the renewal is a fixed rate or a variable rate that can climb in summer. Liking your provider service is a fair reason to stay, but a five-minute comparison tells you what that loyalty is costing you.

Last updated: October 18, 2026 · 6 min read · Questions real Houston-area neighbors ask most.

The short version

Start at the official, no-commission PowerToChoose.org to see every plan at your address, then compare your shortlist at your real usage — not the advertised 1,000 kWh rate. You can do this yourself for free; paid services just do it for you. Be wary of anything sold at your door or under time pressure. And before any of that, make sure your address is even deregulated — parts of the Houston metro aren't. This page covers the shopping questions; for how rates and plans actually work, see the Texas electricity shopping FAQ.

Want the shortcut? Our free bill checkup does the real-usage comparison for you: enter your ZIP and roughly what you use, and it shows the cheapest plan at your usage and whether to switch, wait, or verify first.

Where to start

Where should I start — PowerToChoose.org or a private comparison site?

PowerToChoose.org is the official, free listing run by the Public Utility Commission of Texas — the neutral, no-affiliate place to start, and it lists every plan available at your address. Its default ranking, though, is by the advertised 1,000 kWh rate, so the top results skew toward bill-credit plans that only look cheapest at that exact usage. Many other "compare Texas power" sites are private affiliate sites that earn a commission and may weight their ordering. Whichever you use, the real test is the same: compare your shortlist at your own usage using the Electricity Facts Label for each plan.

Should I pay a service to pick my electricity plan for me?

Managed-shopping services (for example, Energy Ogre) are legitimate, and many people are happy with them — just know they charge a monthly subscription for something you can do yourself for free. The core of what they do is match a plan to your actual usage instead of the advertised 1,000 kWh rate. If you don't mind a few minutes of comparing, you can run the same real-usage comparison at no cost; if you'd rather it be hands-off, the subscription may be worth it to you.

Avoiding bad deals

Someone offered me a plan at my door or in a store — should I sign up on the spot?

Be cautious. In-person and door-to-door sign-ups are often not the best available deal, and it's hard to read the fine print on the spot. Never sign in the aisle: take the offer home, ask for the Electricity Facts Label in writing, and compare it against other plans at your real usage. A good deal will still be there tomorrow; a high-pressure pitch is a reason to slow down, not to speed up.

Do you even have a choice?

Do I even get to choose my provider, or is my area regulated?

Most of the Houston metro is deregulated, but not everywhere. Parts of the outer metro — including much of Conroe / Montgomery County (served by Entergy Texas) and some areas on an electric cooperative — are regulated, meaning there's no retail choice and you can't shop. The quickest check: look up your exact address on PowerToChoose.org. If it returns a list of plans, you're deregulated and can shop; if it doesn't, you're with a single regulated utility or co-op. (More on the three companies behind every Texas bill: how the Texas electricity market works.)

I'm new to Texas — how does choosing an electricity provider work?

In most of the Houston metro (and much of Texas) the market is deregulated: a delivery utility owns the poles and wires, but you separately choose a retail provider for the energy. First confirm your address actually has a choice (a few outlying areas don't — see above). Then, rather than going by which brand a neighbor likes (everyone's usage differs), compare plans at your expected usage and read the EFL. A 12-month fixed-rate plan is usually the safe default while you learn your home's usage pattern. (New arrivals often also ask the basics — what an EFL is, fixed vs. variable, and why the bill beats the advertised rate.)

Renewals

My contract is up for renewal — is my offer actually a good deal?

Check it — don't assume. Loyalty rarely pays in the Texas market; renewal quotes are frequently higher than new-customer rates elsewhere. Compare your renewal offer against a few current plans at your real usage, and confirm whether the renewal is a fixed rate or a variable/month-to-month rate that can climb in summer. Liking your provider's service is a fair reason to stay, but a five-minute comparison tells you what that loyalty is costing you. (See also: what to do when a contract ends and how switching actually works.)

Looking for the basics?

This page is about how and where to shop. For how the plans and rates themselves work — reading an EFL, why your bill beats the advertised rate, bill-credit traps, fixed vs. variable, free-nights plans, TDU delivery charges, and moving to Texas — see the Texas electricity shopping FAQ. If your summer bill jumped, start with why your bill is high and how to lower it.

Skip the guesswork

Enter your ZIP and roughly what you use. We compare every plan in your area at your real usage — not the advertised rate at 1,000 kWh.

Run a free bill checkup →

Educational information, not financial advice. Rates and figures change — always read the official EFL before enrolling.