Texas is one of several states in the country that has deregulated electricity. This means that rather than having no choice in the power company that supplies you with electricity, you have the ability to choose your own. The upside of deregulation is that you can shop around for the best company with the best electricity plan for you based on your needs. The downside of deregulation is that there are hundreds of companies offering thousands of plans, which makes it next to impossible to choose the best plan on your own.

As a result, numerous websites and companies have been formed that attempt to make the selection process easier. Two of these websites include the one you’re visiting now, EnerGenie, and Power to Choose.

Power to Choose is the original electricity selection website for Texas. It was formed and is owned by the Public Utility Commission of Texas and was created soon after the deregulation in the early 2000s. Power to Choose serves the entire state of Texas and provides everyone living in a deregulated area with all of the electricity options available to them.

The website was originally started as an educational one that helped explain what deregulation was and how many Texans have options when it comes to choosing their REP. While the initial intent of the website was good and the ensuing options they showed were sound, problems were quick to follow for Power to Choose.

One of the biggest issues with the Power to Choose website is that REPs (retail electric providers) learned of ways to manipulate it. They would advertise extremely low rates that they would then jack up after several months of your initial sign-up. Here’s how it works.

A REP advertises a 24-month contract with a fixed rate of 10 cents per kWh. In the fine print, however, the contract stipulates that rates are subject to change after a three or six-month period. Suddenly, without warning, your rate goes from 10 cents to 15 cents in the blink of an eye. Because the REP wasn’t required to stipulate changing rates on the Power to Choose website, you just got duped into a bad deal contract that you’re now locked into.

REPs would also advertise promotions with special rates that quickly jumped after the end of the promotional period. The catch? The rates after the end of the promotion were unadvertised so customers didn’t know what their actual rate was going to be.

Power to Choose also doesn’t do a great job of vetting the companies that advertise their plans on their website. This means that any licensed REP, regardless of their reputation or past dealings, is allowed to advertise their plans on Power to Choose. While Power to Choose does show reviews and ratings, not everyone looks at these and is instead sucked into a deceptively low rate with incentives.

One of the more confusing aspects of Power to Choose is that it almost seems like the website hasn’t been updated since its creation. The way it shows plans and companies is confusing and hard to follow.

Finally, while Power to Choose is very comprehensive and shows all the electricity plans available to you, you still have to choose one. While the options get narrowed down from thousands to hundreds or dozens, it still takes time to weigh all your options. EnerGenie, on the other hand, does the picking for you!

EnerGenie is an electricity concierge service that not only finds the electricity plans that are available to you, they also choose the best one. EnerGenie can do in minutes or seconds what would typically take you hours or days. We use smart technology and a series of algorithms to find the best plan for you.

Here’s how the process works with EnerGenie.

1. You enter your Zip code into our database so we know which companies and plans are available in your area.
2. Answer several basic questions about your energy usage and the size of your home.
3. Sit back, relax, and let EnerGenie work its magic.

It really is that simple! EnerGenie sifts through each of the possible plans in your area until they find the one that works best for you. We take a company’s reputation and customer service into consideration, as well as their rates and if price hikes are a possibility. Once we find the right contract, we take care of contacting the company and signing you up.

Contact us if you’re tired of sifting through an endless number of plans and contracts.