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Start electricity service for your move

If you are moving into a new home in Texas, here’s what you need to know to quickly set up electricity service.

Texas has over 60 providers and hundreds of electricity plans with different features, options, and prices.

You have to choose an electricity provider. You cannot get service to your new home until you enroll in a plan on ComparePower. 

We help millions of Texans power their homes every year. We’ll help you find the best plan for your home and get your lights on in time for your big move. 

💡 Did you know: The average retail price for residential electricity in Texas is 14.82 cents/kWh per kilowatt-hour (kWh).

Set up electricity in minutes 👇🏽

Buying a new house and remembered at the last minute I didn’t have an electric company. Enrolled and was able to get power the next day which was my closing date! Fantastic!

Ronda H. (TX, United States)
Table of Contents
  • How to start new electricity service in Texas
  • Choosing the right energy plan
  • Shopping considerations
  • Setting up apartment electricity
  • Starting electricity service FAQs

How to start new electricity service in Texas

Ready to get started? Answer five home and energy habits questions and find the right energy in minutes.

Moving or Switching?
1 of 5

Are you moving in, or are you just looking to switch to a new electric company?

House or Apartment?
2 of 5

Is this for a House or an Apartment?

What’s your usage?
3 of 5

Choose your home type or enter your monthly usage to shop total monthly cost:

Small Home
500-1200 square feet,
~500kWh usage
Medium Home
1200-2000 square feet,
~1000kWh usage
Large Home
2000-3000 square feet,
~1500kWh usage
x-Large Home
3000+ square feet,
~2000kWh usage
Your own average
Enter your monthly kWh average
Enter your past usage history

Enter your own monthly usage history:

Some plans have different discounts, fees, and pricing tiers that may or may not apply each month depending on your usage.

ComparePower will calculate each month’s bill for every plan and show total cost for all bills combined.

Click on each month above to input as much usage data as you have. Then press the “next” button.

January
kWh
February
kWh
March
kWh
April
kWh
May
kWh
June
kWh
July
kWh
August
kWh
September
kWh
October
kWh
November
kWh
December
kWh

Things to consider...

Why is comparing monthly plan cost based on your usage so important?

Electricity companies advertise their best “price per kWh” rates based on an exact monthly usage (usually 1000 or 2000 kWh). But you don’t use exactly 1000 kWh or exactly 2000 kWh. No one does.

This advertised “price per kWh” doesn’t apply the same in different households that use different amounts of energy. It’s not the same as gasoline pricing where the “price per gallon” applies to every gallon.

Buy 1 gallon or 10, it’s all the same price per gallon.

This is simply not the case with electricity. Every plan has a different equation used to calculate your monthly bill. The math is complicated.

At ComparePower, that math has already been done for you for every plan. We show you total monthly energy costs for all the plans based on your expected monthly usage.

This way you can be confident you aren’t signing up for a low advertised rate but instead choose a rate based on costs for your usage. That’s real power.

How can I find out how much I expect to use?

Moving?

  • choose a usage based on home size, or
  • Not sure? Click here use our estimator tool

Switching?

  • look at your past bills and click here to enter your estimated monthly usage or
  • Have your usage history for past bills? Click here to leverage our most powerful tool and shop based on your usage history.

Terms / Contracts
4 of 5

What contact terms interest you?

IMPORTANT NOTE:

If you move out before your fixed-rate contract is up, don’t worry. You will NOT be charged an early termination fee if you cancel your service because you are moving. Texas law!

Things to consider...

Will I be charged a fee if I move out or cancel service before the end of my contract?

Texas law states that in the event of a move out, energy companies cannot charge a contract “early termination fee”.

This enables you to choose any term contract you like without fear of being charged a large fee if you have to move.

If you enter into a contract and switch providers (not move, but switch providers at the same address) more than 14 days early of your contract’s expiration, you will be charged an early termination fee.

So, don’t worry about your lease length or if you have to move. Just be sure to not switch providers before 14 days early of your contract expiration. You can determine you expiration date by calling your provider, or it may be printed on your bill.

How important is “Going Green”?
5 of 5

Green Energy is energy generated from renewable resource like wind and solar.

Things to consider...

What is “Going Green” with energy?

Green Energy, also called Renewable Energy or Renewable Energy Content, is energy generated by Wind, Hydroelectric Dams, Solar Panels, etc.

As opposed to Coal or Nuclear processes, these Green Resources are easily replenished and take less of a toll on Earth’s ecosystem.

How does my choice make an impact?

When you elect to purchase 100% Green Energy the amount of energy your home uses is added back into the Energy Grid by renewable resources only (Wind, Hyrdoelectric, Solar, etc.)

The electricity itself is the same, you are just ensuring that the method used to generate it takes less of a toll on our natural resources.

Estimator Tool

1. Size of home:

2. Number of residents:

3. Your energy habits:

Approximate monthly kWh usage:

690 kWh

Disclaimer: This tool is for approximation purposes only. Accuracy is not guaranteed or implied.

The approximated monthly usage is based on an average over 12 months. Air conditioning and heating costs can vary and often account for up to 50 percent of your home’s energy use during different seasons.

Factors such as size of your home, weather, construction, heating and cooling equipment type, insulation, and family living habits will influence your actual usage.

Get started with your zip code on ComparePower.com

Total Time: 10 minutes

  1. Enter Your Zip Code

    hero step1

    Enter your zip code to find energy plans and rates in your area.

  2. Compare Energy Plans and Rates

    Hero Step 2

    Compare energy plans and electricity rates by filtering the search results for desired features.

  3. Enroll Online Instantly

    hero step3

    Enroll online in 5 minutes, confident you made the right choice.

Supply:

  • Service Address
  • Drivers License #
  • Social Security #

Tools:

  • An internet connection and ComparePower.com is all you need to cross electricity off your moving checklist.

Materials: A computer, tablet, or mobile device with internet access.

Choosing the right energy plan

Electricity rates in Texas are priced according to your monthly energy consumption.

Finding the best home plan requires you to know your home’s kWh usage month-by-month for an entire year. 

If you are moving into a new home, you likely don’t have any usage history. That’s okay.

We will guide you to the right plan by estimating your kWh usage with your home’s square footage. 

If you are moving into an older home, you may be able to get information about the home’s historical usage from the previous owner. If this is the case, you can shop with your home’s historical usage to get the best electricity price.

Month-by-month historical usage can help tremendously in finding your best-priced plan but don’t worry if you don’t have any historical usage.

The fastest way to schedule power for your move-in is to choose a plan based on your expected average monthly usage.

The following home sizes can be used for reference when choosing which usage to sort energy plans by.

Home SizeSquare FootageSuggested Usage
Small500 – 1200 sqft500 kWh
Medium1200 – 2000 sqft1000 kWh
Large2000 – 3000 sqft 1500 kWh
X-Large3000+ sqft2000 kWh 
These are estimates. Your usage can vary due to numerous factors, such as home size, age, and household energy habits.

Not sure which to pick? Estimate your usage using this tool.

Let’s quickly find your best energy plan.

1. Size of home:

2. Number of residents:

3. Your energy habits:

Approximate average monthly usage: 690 kWh

Disclaimer: This tool is for approximation purposes only. Accuracy is not guaranteed or implied.

The approximated monthly usage is based on an average over 12 months. Air conditioning and heating costs can vary and often account for up to 50 percent of your home’s energy use during different seasons.

Factors such as size of your home, weather, construction, heating and cooling equipment type, insulation, and family living habits will influence your actual usage.

Shopping considerations

Choose a plan with a satisfaction guarantee. Worried about making the wrong choice?

Avoid buyer’s remorse or having to stay with a plan that is not ideal for your home’s usage profile.

If you aren’t satisfied with your choice, you can switch to a plan that is ideal for you and your home by choosing a plan with a guarantee (see the screenshot below for what to look for).

satisfaction guarantee
Example – Plans with Guarantees

Choose a plan that does not have usage credits. Usage credits are discounts applied to your bill each month depending on whether you meet a certain usage threshold.

Usage credits can be beneficial, but only if you always get the credit.

You’re playing a guessing game if you do not have a month-by-month history of your home’s historical usage. 

Plans with usage credits are not necessarily bad. The right usage credit plan can save you a lot of money. It’s just hard to find the right plan without knowing your usage.

We recommend you choose a plan that doesn’t have usage credits until you establish some usage history.  

How can you tell if a plan has usage credits? The information is in the electricity facts label for every plan.

On ComparePower, you will see the usage credits spelled out on the plan card and the plan details. 

Fixed-rate energy plans are most popular in Texas. A fixed-rate plan provides stability, especially when you are on a budget.  

Fixed rates also protect you from extreme weather conditions.

The trade-off with price certainty is that if market prices fall, you may have to wait for your contract to expire before choosing a lower-priced electric plan.

Early termination fees may apply to fixed-rate plans with long-term contracts. Make sure you read your contract carefully to understand everything associated with it.

What term length is best? It’s okay if you move out before your contract ends.

Electricity contracts can be canceled in Texas when you move out of a residence therefore pick the term length that best suits your household needs.

Variable-rate plans do not carry early termination fees so you can switch providers without penalty. However, that freedom comes with the uncertainty of market and weather conditions.

Extreme temperatures can dramatically impact wholesale electricity prices, which, in turn, will affect your electricity bill if you are on a variable rate plan. 

Concerned about a deposit? We always have a no-deposit option for you. Choose a plan that appeals to you and enroll.

You can then check our marketplace for other providers that do not require a deposit from you.

This can save you hours by letting you see the deposit options of multiple providers in a single order.

Avoid a credit check and deposits altogether with a pre-paid energy plan. An upfront charge will apply to these plans but will be deducted from your usage.

Learn how to get no-deposit lights in Texas.

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

As a new tenant, you can request a New Occupant Form directly from the electric company with which you want to enroll.

Learn how to get lights with a switch hold.

Setting up apartment electricity

If you are renting or moving into an apartment, the management office will likely need an electricity account number as proof that you have enrolled for service in your name. 

We’ll instantly provide you with your new electricity account number when you enroll for a plan on ComparePower.

Provide this number to your apartment’s leasing office, and you’ll have your keys ready to move in.

Same day service

If you need power today, you can schedule a same-day connection until 6 pm with some providers in our marketplace and until 2 pm with all providers.

Place an order before 2 pm, and service can be scheduled to start today during checkout.

Learn how to get same-day service.

What about Saturday? Some Texas electricity providers offer same-day connections on Saturdays. 

Find provider cutoff times and available days for same-day electricity service here. 

Transferring service

Transferring electricity service in Texas is not recommended. Electricity is priced according to your monthly usage. The energy plan you have for your current home might not match the usage requirements of your new home.

While it’s possible to transfer a plan, in most cases, you are signing a new contract with the electricity company, which might be more expensive than what you were previously paying.

Canceling service

Notify your electricity company that you are moving to a new address and cancel your existing service. There are no early termination penalties when moving to a new home in Texas. 

You should also expect a final bill from any utilities you shut off. Usage charges should be prorated, meaning that you should only be charged up until the date of cancellation. 

Starting electricity service FAQs

Why are there different prices for different usage levels?

This is perhaps the most critical consideration in comparing energy plans and prices. An electricity rate is the total cost divided by energy consumption. Therefore, the rate accounts for what you pay and the amount you use. 

In Texas, you pay for energy based on how much you use. In contrast to gasoline, where the price per gallon remains constant regardless of how many gallons you pump, with electricity, the price can change depending on your monthly energy consumption. This is why it is important to understand your monthly energy consumption when shopping for a new energy plan in Texas.

Why are there so many plans to choose from?

Since 2002, the energy market in Texas has been deregulated. As a result, over 60 electricity companies compete for your business in the state, and hundreds of energy plans are available. If the number of plans available overwhelms you, you’re not alone. Shopping for power in Texas is frustrating for most. ComparePower makes it easy to find your best plan and refine your search with powerful tools and filters to only see the energy plans that meet your needs. 

Can I change my mind?

Pick an energy plan with a guarantee of peace of mind and the freedom to switch to a different energy plan. 

What if I have to move before the end of my contract term? 

You are not subject to a cancellation fee if you legitimately move from your home in Texas, as laws protect you from this. Moving allows you to shop for a better plan, regardless of whether you are on a contract. Texas law does not require you to transfer your service. 

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