Moving - What Is a Good Electric Company

Updated on May 23, 2008
L.H. asks from Arlington, TX
21 answers

We are moving into a house and I want to know if anyone has advice on how to pick a good electric company.

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So What Happened?

After looking at several options we went with reliant. They had a great summer plan than a cheap fixed rate. I called Stream and they said they cannot start me at my location. I would have to start with someone else then switch to them later on. Thank you for all of your input. It was very helpful!!!

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M.W.

answers from Dallas on

Reliant Energy is Great ! I haven't had any problems and there Customer Service has been very good. I live in Cedar Hill.

M.

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K.S.

answers from Dallas on

If you choose a company other than who owns the actual power lines you will be a low priority when powerlines are down - they will work to get their customers lines repaired before they get to you. Also, many of the other company's have good rates at first but they will continually rise and end up being higher in the end.

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A.A.

answers from Dallas on

Ditto Stream Energy!

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K.Z.

answers from Dallas on

Go to az.igniteinc.biz check out STREAM ENERGY or call me
at ###-###-#### for more info.

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P.P.

answers from Dallas on

We currently use Cirro energy and have been very happy with them. Here is a website that may help you choose http://www.powertochoose.org/ This site will show you all the choices for you zip code.

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C.C.

answers from Wichita Falls on

I'm with three (so far) of your other posts - we LOVE Stream! The service is great, the company has real live people that answer the phone and our bill dropped significantly. Good luck!

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L.M.

answers from Dallas on

I use Stream Energy. Since I switched from TXU...bills are a WHOLE LOT cheaper. Good luck!

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G.E.

answers from Dallas on

My husband and I have been very happy and pleased with the service from Stream Energy, their rates are low and they don't charge a base charge like some electric providers do, only your kilowatts used. We also saw the benefits of becoming reps with Stream Energy through Ignite Inc. Here is our website if you’d like more information www.1SimpleSwitch.com

By the way, it is absolutely not true that if your lines go down you will be on the last of the list to be back up with power if you don't go with a company that owns the power lines, that is illegal. You have the right to choose and whoever you choose you shall not be discriminated against. Myself and many of my neighbors have varying energy providers (including TXU) and when a storm cuts our power, we are all restored at the same time.

Blessings,
G.

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C.S.

answers from Dallas on

____@____.com and/or http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/summerjean to reach Andrea. I am not sure if she is still selling Electricity from home. Her intentions were be a stay at home mom selling electricity for extra money until her 3 yr old 'Summer' developed Leukemia. I know they could use the support and then you could also earn extra money offering electricity too. The electric company is set up with a web site (sorry do not remember it) and does all that for you. Please feel free to contact Andrea for information.

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M.L.

answers from Dallas on

We are in this same process of choosing a new company too. You will really appreciate this web site. It compares all the companies and their plans on one chart. You can even sort them by the feature that you consider best by clicking the heading at the top. Awesome tool.

http://www.powertochoose.com/_content/_compare/showoffers...

We have both Reliant and TXU right now and they are fine but I'm looking for a cheaper rate and perhaps a little more "green." I think our big choice is Green Mountain but I'm still working on it so I'm not yet sure.

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M.K.

answers from Dallas on

Commerace is a great company, my light bill is like 50- 70 dollars a month.
thank you,
M.

T.F.

answers from Dallas on

We have used Reliant for years and have always been happy.

You will get a lot of responses for who is cheaper and mlm "great deals". I am sure there are some cheaper companies than Reliant but I don't base my decisions on who or what is cheaper. If I have a problem, I want to have a company to call who will be here when I need them....Reliant and TXU have done that. I believe you get what you pay for.

We were with TXU for a very long time and when the option to switch came up, we went with Reliant. We never really had an issue with TXU either.

Good luck with your new home!

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L.P.

answers from Wichita Falls on

Stream Energy is a great electric company in your area. Please email me if you want to ask about it. You can also look at all the information online at http://lesliep.igniteinc.biz .I hope you will do yourselves a favor and look into this company! We have been using them for about 18 months and are happy with everything.

L. P.

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S.W.

answers from Wichita Falls on

www.powertochoose.org you can compare companies side by side

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K.J.

answers from Dallas on

Hi L.,

I USE STREAM ENERGY AND IF YOU CHECK OUT THERE RATES THEY ARE THE CHEAPEST ONE AROUND, I HAVE HAD GOOD LUCK WITH THEM.

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S.M.

answers from Dallas on

I'm editing my response here as I didn't see all of them before I originally posted, but definitely contact Stream Energy as mentioned here - just choose an individual to call ~ my husband sells this, I believe the fixed rate is 13.2/kwh...just check out the website and it also has a tab where you can compare rates. TXU/Reliant is still responsible for the lines, just Stream handles your billing and provides service at a much cheaper rate. Good luck!

Check out http://mackenzie.igniteinc.biz and contact Kevin - ###-###-#### he can help set you up and get you a terrific rate on electric/gas.

Best of luck to you with your move! :)

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I.D.

answers from Dallas on

stream energy, their number is 866-447-8732. my mother in law actually sells the electric as well and could set you up with service, her number is ###-###-####, her name is elizabeth. i have had them for at least a year and love them. i currently live in a 3bdrm 2bath almost 1500 sq feet, and my highest bill has been approx $250.00 my current bill is $115. you should try them :)

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T.L.

answers from Dallas on

We currently use Green Moutain and it's supposed to be good for the environment. It is also cheaper than TXU. We haven't had any problems with them.

We've had Reliant and GEXA before as well and they are also cheaper.

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N.M.

answers from Dallas on

We have Green Mountain. They use wind energy and their rates are lower than TXU. I can get their contact info if you're interested!

If you have a customer service issue with Green Mountain, you call them. If you have a power outage or something like that, you call Oncor...just as if you were using Reliant or TXU.

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R.B.

answers from Dallas on

Congratulations, L., on your new home! I think it is great that you have the foresight to think ahead and research the choices available. You deserve to feel good about how you spend that kind of money each month and to be able to consider, for example, whether your choice is helping the environment or whether it is helping create more jobs in your community.

I am currently with Stream and the original reason I went with them is that I was able to get a better fixed rate than I had with Reliant, even AFTER figuring in the early termination fee charged by Reliant. Later I decided to bcome an associate with Ignite, their marketing arm, and now I can even make money from my energy account. Right up front I want to tell you that, even though it is not the main reason I originally went with Stream and an now recomending Stream to you. My adult children and I have been with several different providers over the years and Stream as been the most convenient, easiest to understand and most economical for all of us so far. Of course, we all look at cost, but also want to make the most impact possible with the money we are paying our chosen electric provider.

With that in mind I would like to suggest some criteria for you to consider that may help you make your decision. Since Texas deregulated the electricity industry, you now have choices about this important part of your family budget, as opposed to a few years ago when there was only one choice. If you would like more information about deregulation, you can click on this site www.thefutureofenergy.igniteinc.biz/1_texas_energy_dereg.asp?

Now some criteria for your decision-making process:

1) Does the company have peak/off-peak rates, like TXU, for example. Peak rates appl from June-Oct. or Nov. and several companies use them, but that is not always clear up front to the uninformed users. Rates, quoted by companies who employ peak/off-peak, represent an average of the yearly rate. That means that a rate quoted as 14-15 cents per KWH on your contract could actually be 16-17 cents or higher per KWH DURING THE SUMMER WHEN THE USAGE IS HIGHEST, BUT LOWER IN THE WINTER WHEN YOU ARE NOT USING AS MUCH. A company who does not use peak/off-peak rates allows you to be able to anticipate your monthly expenditures better, as the KWH rate you contract for (if on a fixed-rate plan) should be the same month by month. Some companies offer averaging to even out your monthly bill, but only after you have 12 months of usage to forecast from.

2) Where is the customer service located. Some companies have outsourced their customer service to foreign countries and sometimes people find it difficult to communicate comfortably in those instances. Stream's customer service is in Dallas and provides jobs for people in our community.

3) Check on the company's termination policy. Some companies charge a very high termination penalty for early termination, and one even charges an amount equal to 3 months of your average energy usage. Their rates may look low, but the high penalties for early termination make up for some of that.

4) Look at payment options and payment center locations; are you able to pay on line if that is something you do and is there a convenient local payment center if computers are not available for some reason.

5) Look at the Green Power plans they have if you are concerned about the environment we are creating for our children. With Stream, the green plan seems higher, but when I calculated the overall cost and compared with the regular plan, there was only a difference of a few dollars every month ($2.00 per 1000 KWH at this time). For some people, knowing they are contributing in their own small way to the future of our planet and the health of our children, those few dollars per month extra seem worth it.

6) Does the compny charge a "Monthly Service Charge" (other than PUC and GRT assessments and sales tax that all providers must assess)? If so, ask for an explanation of what those charges are for. They are usually ON TOP of your KWH hour rate, and so the amount you ultimately pay is not actually the true calculation of usage x rate as quoted.

Good luck in your new home and with your new little one on the way. I hope these thoughts help in your decision-making process. Please feel free to contact me if you have questions about my Ignite business, Stream Energy or home energy in general. In case you would like to do some additonal on line research, my website is www.thefutureofenergy.igniteinc.biz/.

Sincerely,

R. B.

P.S. One more thought, if you have an electric account in your name at your current residence, you can switch providers now and simply have your new account transferred to your new address when you move. That way you can lock in a rate now before the height of summer. Some analysts are predicting gas prices will hit $6.00 and $7.00 a gallon by summer, which usually means home energy prices will rise as well. All of this is connected back to natural gas prices; even wind power has back-up generators that are powered by natural gas.

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