Category: Learn

Worried about paying your bill, or about high bills as a result of working from home?

The far-reaching impact of COVID-19 has put a lot of financial strain on many of us Texans.

This is an unprecedented time in our lives. All of us are facing some type of concern related to paying our bills and keeping our lights on and affordable.

Whether you are worried about paying your bills and your lights going off, or you need to secure a lower rate to get the bills down while using a lot more energy working from home, this article will guide you in the right direction.

If you’re worried about high energy bills as a result of working from home, we can help.

Check out this guide and learn how to quickly make an informed decision, or put in your zipcode below to start comparing rates. You can switch your electric rate this same-day in about 10 minutes. The switch is automated – No one comes to your home, and there is no disruption in your service.

Dealing with a sudden loss of income and can’t pay your electricity bill?

Being ordered to stay home during the COVID-19 pandemic is uncharted territory for us all. If you find yourself out of work or unable to pay your electric bill, you should understand that getting relief is possible.

The Covid-19 crisis is unlike any we’ve had in the modern economy. Millions of people may be losing income or losing their jobs.

So what do you do if you find yourself unable to pay your electricity bill? Keep reading – we’ll share what we know so far, and how you can keep your lights on in this trying time we are all facing…

Talk to your electricity provider now

If you find yourself unable to pay your electricity you should talk with your electric company now. Do not wait.

Your electricity provider is unlikely to disconnect your power during a state of emergency, but you need to contact them now to make the appropriate arrangements so that you have power for your home or business.

Many providers are offering waivers of late payment fees and will work with you to come up with a plan.

They are facing tough times as well, and many providers have put programs in place to help ensure you receive electricity even if you’re having a tough time paying.

Disconnection Suspensions

On March 16, 2020, the Public Utility Commission of Texas held a hearing where the imminent threat to public health and safety by the Covid-19 epidemic was addressed.

The PUCT reinforced that each individual utility may choose to suspend disconnection for non-payment at their discretion. You can view the hearing here.

CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric has suspended disconnections for non-payment (DNPs). Visit the official CenterPoint Energy website for more information.

Oncor and TNMP each said that they will work with other utilities, retail electric providers, the Commission, and state and local authorities to develop a longer-term plan for handling DNPs during this State of Disaster. For more information visit the Oncor and TNMP websites.

AEP Texas has halted disconnection of service for non-payment in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19), “until further notice.” Visit the official AEP Texas website for more information.

It’s your turn to act:

Working from home with high energy bills, or losing your job and unable to pay them – both of these require just a bit of simple action from you. We’re here to help you in whatever ways we can- as the real-person team behind ComparePower, we too are going through this with you.

• If you’re out of work and can’t make the payment on your bills, take the action we’ve outlined above to ensure your lights stay on.
• If you’re trying to reduce your energy rate while working from home, enter your zip code and get a better deal locked in now. The switch is automated – No one comes to your home, and there is no disruption in your service.

From all of us at ComparePower, we wish you and your family health, wellbeing, and prosperity during this troubling time we face together.

Need to contact us for questions or guidance?  Contact us here.

Already in a Contract? Click here to learn more.

A switch-hold will remain in effect until your light company notifies the Utility company that payment obligations have been met, including back-billings and meter repair charges due to tampering if applicable.

If you are disconnected for non-payment, you will need to pay your provider to get your lights turned back on.

What is a switch hold? 

A switch hold is a response to an electricity customer who does not pay a past-due bill as a means to block and prevent that customer from switching to another light company before paying their overdue light bill. 

Why is a switch-hold placed on my account?

The switch-hold prevents a switch or move-in transaction from occurring. In the event that you are not able to pay your light bill, your electric company will offer you a deferred payment plan to allow you to pay any outstanding balance in installments. Upon entering this agreement the light company can place a switch hold on your meter to prevent you from switching to another light company to avoid the balance due.  

Another reason is if your utility company determines that meter tampering has occurred at your location. It is against the law to tamper with the Transmission and Distribution Utility meter to benefit from unbilled electricity service. 

Can you switch electric companies if you owe money? 

In Texas, you can switch light companies if you owe money (as long as there is no switch hold already in place).  However, you will most likely be required to pay a deposit to start service with a new company. If your power is disconnected contact your electric company and request a payment plan to pay the balance owed overtime. 

Note: When entering a payment plan with your electric provider you also agree to have a switch hold placed on your service address. To prevent a switch hold from being placed on your account in the first place, do not enter into a payment agreement with your light company. If at all possible pay your bill in its entirety. If you do not have the funds we still recommend that you pay your bill and switch to a prepaid company right here on ComparePower. Not paying your light bill might have a negative impact on your credit which will make it more difficult to get lights in the future, when you need it most.

How to remove a switch hold? 

A switch hold can be removed by paying any past due balance owed to your electricity company. Once the balance is paid in full it can take up to 72 hours to remove the switch hold. 

If you are a new occupant residence with a switch hold you can remove the switch hold by contacting the electricity company that you are trying to set up services with and filling out a New Occupant Statement (NOS). New Occupant Statements must be accompanied by at least one of the following documents:  

1. Copy of signed lease
2. A notarized affidavit of landlord
3. Closing documents
4. Certificate of Occupant; or
5. Utility bill in Customer’s name dated within the last two months from a different premise.

Related Reading:

Learn more about Texas electricity and how to shop for your best light plan. 

• Prepaid Electricity Companies
• Texas Energy Companies 
• How to Switch Energy Companies 
• No Deposit Texas Electricity Companies 
• Texas Electricity Rates 

Texas Electricity Prices on the Rise

There is a major crisis that is likely to affect all Texan’s wallets in 2020. Texas electricity prices are expected to increase this summer.

According to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), electricity customers will experience record high prices as the state’s electrical grid is stressed during the hot summer months.

Variable pricing could go as high as 15 cents per kilowatt-hour or higher. 

The best thing Texas electricity customers can do to protect themselves from high prices this year is to lock in a fixed price contract.

With terms as short as a few months to as long as a few years, there is bound to be a fixed price electricity plan that meets your household’s power needs.

You can rest easy knowing your electricity bill won’t ride the wave of increasing prices this summer. Read on to find out what is causing the spike.

ERCOT points to a variety of factors expected to put the grid to the test. In addition to record-breaking demand, delayed power supply projects and the closure of three major coal-fired power plants will dampen the amount of electricity available.

To make a long story short, you need to lock in your electricity prices now before rates shoot up right before summer.

Look outside, and you can see the signs of spring. The grass is growing, and the flowers are blooming.

That means you don’t have much time before the thermometer hits triple digits. Shop for electricity plans now on Compare Power to see which one meets your needs for the best price.

Expect increase for Texas electricity rates 2020

This year is another in a long succession of years where ERCOT has predicted peak demand in the summer months. It’s easy to become desensitized to ERCOT power prices. However, this summer is different.

Wholesale electricity prices are expected to jump this summer in the wake of shutdowns of three of the state’s largest coal-fired generating plants.

These closures have driven the state’s power reserves down to their lowest in more than ten years. ERCOT manages 90 percent of the Texas electricity grid.

ERCOT has not been sitting on its hands. Late last year, ERCOT calculated Texas would start this summer with fewer megawatts of power than expected.

This was caused, they said, by the coal plant closures along with temporary shutdowns and delays in natural gas and wind power projects.

As a point of reference, one megawatt can power about 200 homes on a hot Texas day.

Increasing demand combined with decreased supply

As with any good or service traded on an open market, increased demand and reduced supply mean increasing prices.

Industrial power customers will be impacted the soonest because they tend to buy power at the market price.

Most residential customers will be shielded from the high prices in the short run because of fixed-price contracts, but eventually, electricity suppliers will recover their increased costs. If you don’t currently have a fixed price electricity plan, you need one.

Signing up for a fixed price electricity plan will spare you from those high prices, but you must act now.

Thankfully for customers, Texas has some of the lowest energy prices in the nation because of easy access to natural gas and an abundance of wind power.

On the flip side, low prices have made it difficult for power generating companies to stay profitable.

To maintain their slim margins, they have delayed capital investment in new and existing plants.

As these power plants are allowed to operate with few improvements and less than optimal upkeep, the risk of malfunctions increases.

If a plant is taken offline for repairs, that decreases the supply of available electricity.

Taking a plant offline for repairs on a summer day could force ERCOT to implement emergency conservation measures such as rolling blackouts.

Reserves running short

Relative to expected demand, ERCOT aims to have 13.75 percent in reserves; however, ERCOT estimates it will have less than desired in reserve this summer.

The organization blames plant closings and delayed openings for this shortfall.

Looking into the future, ERCOT expects to have some kWh in reserve for summer 2020, but again, this is below the amount ERCOT feels comfortable having in reserve.

ERCOT estimates peak electricity demand in Texas to increase 1.7 percent each year over the next decade.

As ERCOT has said for years, conserve electricity during peak demand. The summer months have high demand in general, but in particular, the hottest hours of the afternoon are the most straining on the Texas electrical grid.

So if you can, wait to do your laundry or run your dishwasher until the sun goes down. And if you can bear it, turn your home’s thermostat up a few degrees. Your wallet and your fellow Texans will be grateful.

Compare electricity plan prices

Enter your zip code at the top of this page to see which electricity plans are available in your area. Lock in your price now before Texas electricity 2020 summer rates take effect.

Texas Public Utility Commission: Submitting Protests or Complaints

Any product, company, or organization names, marks or logos shown on this page are the property of their respective owners. ComparePower is an unaffiliated, independent marketplace.

When something goes wrong, you deserve to have the issues resolved immediately. While your first step should be to contact your current electric provider, they are not always able, or willing, to help. The PUC of Texas will take action on the complaints that you file with them, although this should be your last resort option.

After first filing an informal complaint, the Public Utility Commissioners will have your case investigated. Their goal is to determine whether the provider is guilty of wrongdoing. Their evidence will be shown to the company, in hopes they will make it right. If they do not, your next step is a formal complaint.

Although this may be necessary if you have been outrageously cheated or wronged, it may not be worth your time and money to file a formal complaint. The proceedings are much like a court case, and it is advisable that you consult an attorney before moving forward. Sometimes, the best option is to simply cut your ties with the company.

The energy market in Texas is deregulated, and you can choose your provider. Why go through the trouble of a formal complaint process, when it takes minutes to switch to another utility company online? ComparePower finds the lowest rates available in your area to ensure that you can choose the provider that best fits your needs.

The PUC of Texas protects your power to choose and hopes that you will exercise that right. There is less work and headaches, both for them and you, if you switch providers when a company proves inadequate. Fight the smart way and take your business elsewhere.

Texas Public Utility Commission: Defending Consumer Energy Rights

Since 1975, the Public Utility Commission of Texas has been responsible for implementing rules and guidelines that protect consumers. They regulate electric utilities and the companies that provide them, by finding solutions to customer complaints and investigating pricing and service practices in the energy industry.

At the center of the Public Utility Commission’s mission, is providing the power to choose to residents of Texas. That is the best way to ensure prices are low and that you get the best service and rates available in your area. The Public Utility Commissioners understand the importance of their role and how their rules can help consumers like you.

What’s the Job of the Public Utility Commission of Texas?

The original role of the Public Utility Commission, or PUC of Texas, was to ensure that the utility monopoly in Texas didn’t get out of hand. Energy companies had free reign over a particular area and consumers couldn’t get energy from anyone else. PUC Substantive rules were created to ensure that the energy industry was unable to gouge consumers with high prices.

Eventually, lawmakers saw that there were still issues, despite the work of the commission. So in 2002, the Texas Government passed a deregulation law. Suddenly, competition among providers was keeping prices low and giving consumers the power to choose. So the PUC adapted and began to oversee the implementation of the law and resolve initial issues.

To this day, the PUC of Texas fields complaints from customers and works to protect the people. Whenever an energy company steps out of line, they are there to impose regulations or sanctions and ensure that big businesses can’t take advantage of Texans across the state.

The Authority of the Texas PUC

There are some limitations placed on Public Utility Commission of Texas, and they are unable to operate across the whole state. The main threat is from utility companies that are investor-owned and operate in deregulated areas. The PUC can create rules and sanctions that help control these companies but have no authority over utilities provided by cities and co-ops. They can only suggest that these organizations follow PUC guidelines.

If you live in one of these areas, your prices are determined by the company’s board or the city council members. The Public Utility Commission is not given power over them, and you are not protected in quite the same way. It is essential that you elect board members and city council members that are aware of PUC rules and govern themselves in a way that cares for consumers.

To file an electric complaint form go to the official Public Utility Commission of Texas website.