What Power Company Do I Need

Think about shopping for electricity like shopping for groceries. We all need different food to stay happy and healthy!

Some eat lots, some eat little, some love meat, some are vegetarian, and some people can’t survive without their bowl of ice cream at the end of the night. 

Your electricity company should serve your unique needs just like your grocery store does. But sometimes, finding that perfect company that meets your needs feels like finding Waldo. 

Like Waldo, it’s right in front of your eyes; you just need some help seeing it. 

We can find the perfect company for you and your needs with the 

 

This guide will provide insight on how to effectively search for and compare power companies and give you guidance on what factors to consider while choosing your electricity provider.

How To Determine Utility Providers

Finding the utility providers available in your specific area is the first step to determining who to use for your power.

But how can you determine your utility providers?

You could do a Google search to find out which providers are available for your address.

But you’ll likely find a large handful of results.

To determine a power company that not only services your area but provides the best rates and plans for your unique needs, you can use Power Wizard’s Shopping tool.

Who Is My Power Company?

Texas is mostly a deregulated energy market.

This means that there is not one single electric company that services many of the cities in Texas.

Instead, Texas power consumers have the option to shop around the dozens of electric providers in their area before choosing the one that best fits their needs.

There are over 160+ REPs available throughout Texas.

With so many available electricity providers throughout the state, each deregulated energy city might have 20+ electricity companies that service their address.

Because of the variety of available options, power consumers in these Texas cities have the freedom and flexibility to find the right power company for them.

What Power Company Can I Use?

Nearly 85% of Texas residents and business owners live in a deregulated energy Texas city.

These power consumers have the option to shop around and choose one of the dozens of electric providers available in their Texas city that service their specific address.

Right now, you might be asking yourself, “How do I know what electric company I can use? Who services my area?”

Power Wizard can help you find an electricity provider in your area. We make the process of shopping for a power company quickly and easy.

With minimal information, Power Wizard’s Shopping tool matches you with the best power company for you in minutes.

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Here’s how it works:

1. Enter your Texas zip code into the Shopping tool
2. Answer minimal questions relevant to your home, lifestyle, and expected usage
3. Patiently wait less than five minutes while Power Wizard works for you
4. Match with your new electricity provider and begin the sign-up process

What Is Deregulation?

Deregulation is when control is reduced or removed from specific aspects of the economy.

With electricity, energy deregulation is when specific states allow their cities to have multiple electricity providers available to energy consumers.

This allows electricity customers to shop around all of the available providers in a city before deciding which one offers the best rates or plans for their needs.

Deregulation and Power Companies

Deregulation allows power companies to offer rates and plans to electricity consumers throughout many of the cities in Texas.

With this option, power companies become more competitive as they work to gain customers while allowing you the freedom to find a retail electric provider that perfectly fits your needs.

How Does Deregulation Affect My Power Company Choices?

Before energy deregulation, power consumers in Texas were forced to use the one electricity provider available in their area.

This meant that despite each consumer’s specific needs, every electricity customer paid the same rates through the same electricity provider in their area.

When Texas became a mostly deregulated energy market in 2002, power consumers suddenly had the freedom to shop around for a power company that fit their specific needs, considering a handful of factors.

You’re likely wondering, “What electric company do I use?”

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While shopping for a power company, you’ll want to consider:

• The exact location of your home
• The size of your home
• The age of your home
• The lifestyle of you and your family
• The historical electricity usage of the home
• The expected electricity usage for your family

How Can I Find The Electric Companies That Service My Address?

One of the most common questions considered while shopping for power companies is, “What electric company services my address?”

Power consumers can begin their research process in one of two ways:

1. They can spend hours and hours on Google searching for all of the possible electric companies available in their area.

OR

2. They can use Power Wizard.

When you use Power Wizard, we require your address to ensure we are matching you with the best possible provider that services your area.

The process is quick and easy and requires minimal time and information from you.

How To Choose A Power Company – 5 Factors You Should Consider

Choosing an electricity provider can be overwhelming, especially when there are so many providers to choose from.

In Texas, there are over 160 REPs available to power consumers, so it is important to consider every factor when shopping for your new electric company.

Most customers need to consider five different factors when deciding how to choose a power company in Texas.

These factors include:

• Your electric bill budget
• Your credit score
• Your personal and family lifestyle
• Your household (appliances, electronics, etc.)
• Your house specifics (age, size, location)

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Factor 1: Budget

When shopping for your new power company, your budget is likely one of the top factors that come to mind.

Your electric bill budget plays a large role in choosing an electric provider because you want to be sure that you can afford the rates they offer once your expected electricity usage is taken into consideration.

If you’re on a budget, you might consider an electric company with predictable rates and no cancellation fees.

A fixed-rate plan, one that doesn’t allow the rate to change throughout the contract, might be best for you.

If your budget is larger or more flexible, you might consider a different electricity provider that offers plans that accommodate your family’s needs better but might require a deposit or have cancellation fees.

A variable energy plan might be better if your budget is larger or flexible.

How Does This Affect My Power Company Choice?

Taking your budget into consideration can drastically affect your power company choice.

You want to ensure that you can afford the electricity provider that you choose:

• Avoid the hassle of dealing with customer service when there are issues with your bill
• Avoid having to switch providers when you cannot afford your power.

Consider John and his family:

When John lost his job and filed for unemployment, he chose to stick with his current electricity provider because they had great service, and he had no trouble paying his bill each month.

However, John did not reconsider his budget after losing work because he was hopeful he’d find another job quickly.

After three months of unemployment and failing to pay his electricity bill on time, his electric company warned him that his power would be turned off.

John had to quickly search around for a new electricity provider that fit his income and budget, even though it meant stepping away from the provider he had used for many years.

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Factor 2: Credit

If you have poor credit, you might be required to pay a larger deposit to your electric company before your services can begin.

Because of this, it is important to consider your credit score when shopping for a new power company.

How Does This Affect My Power Company Choice?

Sarah works as a waitress in Houston, and her income varies each month based on how often she works and how well her customers tip.

Because her income is not consistent, Sarah has had a bit of trouble paying off some debt.

As a result, she does not have the best credit.

When Sarah chose her Houston power company, she considered her credit score while shopping around.

Sarah chose a power company that offered prepaid electricity because they do not require a credit check when signing up for services.

Instead, prepaid electricity plans allow for the consumer to choose when to pay for their electricity and how much to pay in advance with their budget and expected usage in mind.

Factor 3: Lifestyle

Ask yourself the following questions:

• Do you travel often?
• Does your house have occupants at all hours of the day regularly?
• Do you work from home?
• Do you run appliances and electronics the majority of the time?

Your lifestyle is a large determining factor when choosing a power company and varies from person to person.

Someone who spends the majority of their time working out of the home and their free-time traveling likely uses less electricity than someone who:

• Works from home
• Has small children
• Spends the weekends catching up on chores

How Does This Affect My Power Company Choice?

Consider Dave:

Dave is a single man who works in an office Monday-Friday for eight hours each day.

He often grabs food out with coworkers after work and doesn’t return to his house until 7 p.m.

Once he’s home, Dave catches up on a television show before going to bed.

On the weekends, Dave often visits his family, who lives in a nearby town. If he does stay in town, he spends most of his time hiking or in the gym.

Because Dave is rarely home using electronics or appliances, he does not use much electricity.

He might benefit best from a power company that offers rates based on electricity usage or a prepaid plan where he can pay for his electricity as he sees necessary.

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Now consider the Smith family:

The Smiths are a family of five.

Mr. Smith works from home and is tucked away into his office for a typical 8-hour workday.

Mrs. Smith homeschools her two older children every day while also occupying her toddler with electronics, naps, and movies.

The Smith family uses a lot of electricity daily.

Because of this, they might consider a power company that offers them a plan with a predictable rate for their higher usage.

Factor 4: Household

The specifics of your household are important to consider when shopping for a power company.

Ask yourself the following questions:

• Do you live alone?
• Do you have a larger family?
• What activities or jobs do the people in your home partake in that require electricity usage?
• Is your home energy efficient?
• How often do you run large appliances?
• How much time do you spend inside of the home?

The answers to these questions can help you choose a power company that offers the best rates and plans to accommodate these needs.

How Does This Affect My Power Company Choice?

We can use Julie’s story as an example:

Julie lives alone in a one-bedroom apartment, but her boyfriend visits often.

Although she works outside of the home, she spends much of her free time in her apartment:

• Doing chores
• Catching up on television shows
• Entertaining

Considering Julie’s household size and her lifestyle, she can shop for a power company that allows her to have an affordable electricity plan while accommodating her energy usage needs.

Factor 5: House Specifics

Each family has its own electricity usage habits, and the specifics of a house can play a role in electricity usage when choosing a power company.

Think about these questions:

• Is your house big? Are there multiple stories?
• Is your house smaller?
• Is your house older and not as energy efficient?
• Does your home have new or old technology?

These are all factors that play a role in electricity usage and should be considered when choosing a power company.

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How Does This Affect My Power Company Choice?

Let’s look at how home specifics affect the Drew family’s power choice:

The Drew family is a family of five that lives in a large farmhouse. The farmhouse has two stories and is brand new.

The Drews home is energy efficient and has all new technology and appliances.

When shopping for an electricity provider, the Drews want to ensure they are not overpaying for power.

Luckily, the Drews know they can use Power Wizard to help match them with an electricity provider that offers a perfect plan for their household and their budget.

How Can I Find The Best Power Company For My Needs?

Shopping for the power company that fits all of your needs can be a daunting task.

You will likely forget to consider some important factors, or you might second-guess that you’ve picked the best electricity provider for your needs.

The “best” power company will vary from consumer to consumer because each electricity customer’s needs are specific to their lifestyle and location.

The Manual Way – For Those That Have Nothing Better To Do

If you have all of the time in the world on your hands, you could spend hours and hours manually searching the internet for a power company.

Here’s what the process would likely look like:

1. Enter keywords and phrases into Google in hopes of generating results that lead you to some reputable electricity providers in our area
2. Take notes on each potential electricity provider and every plan that they offer
3. Compare all of your notes
4. Consider your budget, lifestyle, household, and more
5. Settle on a power company because you’re tired of the process

Chances are that this process took you a few hours (maybe even a few days), and you probably chose a provider that isn’t the best one for your needs.

But you’re fine with feeling like you settled on an electricity provider because you doubt that you could ever be sure that you found the best power company for your electricity needs.

But you can be.

The Power Wizard Way – For Those That Have a Life to Live

If you’re too busy to spend hours at the computer searching for a power company, Power Wizard can help you.

Power Wizard considers all of these important factors for you in a simple and quick 5-minute process.

Here’s how it works:

1. Enter your zip code on Power Wizard’s website
2. Answer minimal relevant information on your home or business expected usage, and lifestyle
3. Answer a few quick text messages while Power Wizard works for you
4. Review your new power company and continue using Power Wizard for an easy sign-up process

Power Wizard works for you.

We take away the hassle, time, and frustration of finding a power company that fits your lifestyle.

In less than five minutes, Power Wizard’s unbiased algorithm matches you with an electricity provider, ensuring that you’re signed up with the best power company for your needs.