How to Use Your Smart Meter Texas Data to Pick the Right Plan

By the TexasPowerCost Editorial Team — independent Texas electricity analysis · Last reviewed October 18, 2026 · how we analyze plans

Last updated: October 18, 2026 · 6 min read · Free data every deregulated Texas home already has.

The short version

Every deregulated Texas home has free interval data at smartmetertexas.com — the ground truth for picking a plan at your real usage instead of the advertised 1,000 kWh rate. How much you need depends on the plan type: for a flat/fixed plan, monthly kWh totals are enough; for a free-nights / time-of-use plan, you need the 15-minute data to find the one number that decides it — the share of your usage inside the free window.

Step 1 — Get your data from Smart Meter Texas

Create or log into a free account at smartmetertexas.com using your address and ESID (it's on your bill). You can view daily and monthly totals on screen, and export the 15-minute interval usage as a CSV — that CSV is what makes the free-nights decision possible. Note this is historical data that uploads with a lag; it is not a live feed (more on that below).

Step 2 — For a flat or fixed-rate plan, you only need monthly kWh

If you're choosing among plain fixed plans, the winner is decided by your monthly kWh totals — nothing more. Pull your last 12 months, note your typical month and your summer peak, and compare each plan's EFL price at those usage levels. The plan cheapest at 1,000 kWh is often not cheapest at your real usage — that's the 1,000 kWh illusion. If you'd rather skip the spreadsheet, the free bill checkup does this comparison for you.

Step 3 — For free-nights / time-of-use, run the night-window test

Time-of-use plans only pay off if a real chunk of your usage already happens in the free window. Here's how to check it from your own data instead of guessing:

Export the 15-minute interval CSV from Smart Meter Texas.
Add a column for the hour of day (0–23) next to each interval.
Pivot to total kWh by hour (a spreadsheet pivot table or SUMIF works).
Sum the kWh inside your candidate window (e.g., 9pm–7am) and divide by your total kWh. That percentage is the whole decision.
Try a couple of window definitions (8pm–6am, 9pm–7am, 10pm–6am — plans differ), and split summer from winter, since your pattern shifts with the seasons.

The rule of thumb

A free-nights or time-of-use plan only beats a good fixed plan when roughly a third or more of your usage already sits in the free window. Without deliberate load-shifting — running the dishwasher and laundry late, pre-cooling, charging an EV or a battery overnight — most homes land well under a third, and the marked-up daytime rate wins. See the full free-nights math.

What Smart Meter Texas can't do

SMT is your historical record, not a live meter feed — the data uploads with a lag, so it won't power a real-time dashboard. If you want live, to-the-second usage (for example in Home Assistant), you need a device that reads your panel or meter directly, such as an Emporia Vue, or a reader for your meter's wireless broadcast. Use Smart Meter Texas for the historical analysis that picks your plan; add a device only if you want live numbers for load-shifting.

Solar or battery home? The same interval data drives a different decision — buyback vs. free nights vs. flat. See the best electricity plan for a solar home.

Common questions

What Smart Meter Texas data do I need to pick an electricity plan?

It depends on the plan type. For a flat or fixed-rate plan you only need your monthly kWh totals, which you then compare against each plan Electricity Facts Label price at those usage levels. For a free-nights or time-of-use plan you need the 15-minute interval data, because the decision turns on how much of your usage falls inside the free window, not on your monthly total.

How do I find the percentage of my usage in a night or free window?

Export the 15-minute interval CSV from smartmetertexas.com, add a column for the hour of day, then total the kWh in each hour and divide the kWh inside your night window by your total kWh. Run it for a couple of window definitions, such as 8pm to 6am and 9pm to 7am, and split summer from winter, since your pattern changes with the seasons. As a rule of thumb, a time-of-use plan only beats a good fixed plan when roughly a third or more of your usage already sits in the free window.

Is Smart Meter Texas data real-time?

No. Smart Meter Texas is interval data that uploads with a lag, so it is your historical usage source, not a live feed. For real-time monitoring inside a tool like Home Assistant you need a device that reads your panel or meter directly, such as an Emporia Vue, or a reader for the meter wireless broadcast. Use Smart Meter Texas for the historical analysis that picks your plan, and a separate device if you want live numbers.

Educational information, not financial advice. Always read the plan's EFL before enrolling.