How to choose an electricity plan in Corpus Christi

Start with your usage and an official comparison tool

The Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) provides Power to Choose, which it describes as the official and unbiased electric choice website of the Commission. Providers may list offers there. The PUCT has recommended that customers use the User’s Guide on that site, find average usage from past bills or SmartMeterTexas.org, check selection criteria, and read the fine print in the Electricity Facts Label and the Terms of Service.

Power to Choose can also indicate that a ZIP code may not be in a service area open to competition.

Choosing a plan for a Corpus Christi home

Corpus Christi’s cooling season is long. Look at your bills from May through October before you compare offers, then use the Electricity Facts Label column — 500, 1,000, or 2,000 kWh — closest to those months.

Homes on the Island and in Flour Bluff, older homes near downtown and Ocean Drive, and newer Southside construction can use electricity very differently. Compare offers at your own usage level, not the one with the most attractive number.

If you are military or expect to move, read how each plan handles a move and what the early termination fee is before choosing a long term. Texas rules on moves are explained below.

The Electricity Facts Label (EFL)

The PUCT’s Electricity Facts Label page says consumers in areas of retail electric competition can make an “apples-to-apples” comparison of offers from retail electric providers. It describes the EFL as similar to a nutrition label, providing information on electricity prices and contract terms to help you make an informed decision. Each retail electric provider must provide a copy of its EFL upon request.

Under 16 Texas Administrative Code §25.475, the EFL must be unique for each product and must state specifically whether the product is a fixed rate product or a variable price product. For residential customers, the total average price must be shown in cents per kilowatt-hour at 500, 1,000, and 2,000 kilowatt-hours per month. The EFL must also disclose the length of the term, any minimum service term, and early termination penalties, if any, and the percentage of renewable energy of the product.

Fixed rate and variable price products

Section 25.475 defines a fixed rate product as a retail electric product with a term of at least three months for which the price (including recurring charges and ancillary service charges) is the same throughout the contract term, except that the price may vary from the disclosed amount solely to reflect actual changes in transmission and distribution utility charges, certain ERCOT or Texas Regional Entity administrative fees, or new or modified fees or costs imposed by law that are beyond the provider’s control.

A variable price product is a retail product for which the price may vary according to a method disclosed in the EFL, and a variable price product can be only a month-to-month contract. For variable products, the rule requires the provider to disclose the current price and, for residential customers, price history, and the EFL must say how to obtain that information.

A provider may use the term “fixed” only for a product that meets the fixed-rate definition. This site does not list prices and does not call a plan fixed unless that is how it is offered on the official enrollment documents.

Terms of Service and Your Rights as a Customer

The same rule requires that the Terms of Service, Electricity Facts Label, and Your Rights as a Customer document be provided to each customer upon enrollment, when a document changes, and at any time upon request, free of charge. The Terms of Service and EFL must disclose the product type using one of those two official terms. The contract term must be conspicuously disclosed. The Your Rights as a Customer document summarizes standard customer protections in plain language, including complaint-resolution information.

Early termination fees, expiration notices, and rescission

If a plan has an early termination fee, that fact and the amount must appear in the enrollment disclosures and on the EFL. An official Think Energy FAQ states that early termination fees apply to Texas residential customers (and to commercial customers). Confirm the amount in the documents for the specific plan you consider.

The PUCT’s electricity FAQ states that retail electric providers must notify residential customers at least 30 days before a contract expires, and that a residential customer can switch without incurring an early termination charge if the switch is no earlier than 14 days before the contract expiration date provided in the notice. If the customer takes no action, the provider will serve the customer on a month-to-month product.

Section 25.475 also says a contract is limited to service at the location specified in the contract. If you move and provide a forwarding address and, if required, reasonable evidence that you no longer occupy that location, no early termination fee may be assessed as a result of the relocation.

For a switch — changing providers at an address that already has service — 16 TAC §25.474 requires a right to rescind the Terms of Service without penalty or fee for three federal business days after you receive that document. The rule states that this rescission right is not applicable to a move-in request for a new address.

Why some customers then look at Think Energy plans