There are so many choices for electricity plans in Houston, it can be difficult to choose. With the power to choose comes a need for information. To help out, TexasElectricityRates.com has calculated the best Houston Electricity Rates in 12-month plans. We’ll compare these plans side-by-side to decide which is the best plan for the most people.
| Company | Location | 2000 kw/h | 1000 kw/h | 500 kw/h |
| Gexa Choice Select | Centerpoint (Houston) | 7.0 ¢ | 7.3 ¢ | 14.8 ¢ |
| StarTex Power | Centerpoint (Houston) | 7.7 ¢ | 6.9 ¢ | 11.0 ¢ |
| Champion Energy Services | Centerpoint (Houston) | 8.7 ¢ | 8.9 ¢ | 9.5 ¢ |
Lowest Electricity Rates in Houston
As the chart above shows, the decision on the cheapest light companies will be based on your usage.
Apartments If you live in an apartment, your electric usage is likely to be relatively low. If you use about 500 kw/h, the
Champion Energy Services plan is the best rate. This will give you the best rates of the 12-month plans .
Small Homes Small homes tend to use about 1000 kw/h. In this case, the Star-Tex Power plan falls right in the middle between apartments and large homes.
Large Homes In larger homes with higher electricity usages, the Gexa Choice Select will be the best deal. They offer the biggest discount for significant usage.
Deciding the best plan for your home will require looking at your average energy usage over the last 12 months and choosing the plan that fits your usages best.
Other Electricity Rate Factors in Houston
For these three plans, the delivery fees are the same, but the cancellation fee might be a consideration. While Gexa and Champion will hit you for $150 to cancel your plan, StarTex’s cancellation fee is only $50. This might be a factor to consider if you are concerned that energy rates will drop significantly or that you might be moving. StarTex makes the freedom of choice in Texas electricity shopping a bit easier to access.
Minimum Usage Fees
Most electricity plans have a charge for using less than a certain amount of energy. This needs to be factored into the total costs. Often, this fee is not listed in the total charges on the charts.
Gexa charges $14.95 per month for usage less than1,000 kw/h. This makes Gexa ideal for larger homes.
Star-Tex doesn’t have a minimum monthly usage charge. If you live in an apartment, this can be the perfect plan.
Usage Credits
Each plan offers credits when your usage goes over a certain level. These credits are usually reflected in the kw/h price chart as well.
Star-Tex credits you $35.00 for usage over 1,000 kw/h and an additional $15.00 when you clear 2,000 kw/h.
Gexa offers $40.00 from 1,000 to 1,500 kw/h. Then they jump to $80.00 when your usage clears 1,500 to 2,000 kw/h. This is perfect for medium-sized homes. A note of caution – When your usage exceeds 2,000 kw/h, (or falls below 1,000), there are no credits at all. If you might have higher usage some months, this might get expensive.
All Things Considered
As you can see from the information above, the final decision as to which plan is cheapest is based on your usage. Once you’ve calculated your usage, you can find the plan with the lowest electricity rates.
Apartments – Champion comes in as the best plan.
Smaller homes – Gexa is a great plan, but be careful not to exceed 2,000 kw/h.
Larger homes – Star-Tex is a great plan primarily because there are fewer hidden fees and arbitrary cut-off points.
Then the only significant decision is: Are you reasonably sure that you will want to stay with a plan for 12 months? If so, then the cancellation fee is not a consideration. Otherwise, factor that into the potential costs.