DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ask yourself four simple questions. That’s TXU Energy’s advice when it comes to evaluating your options for retail electric providers in Texas. If you’re moving to a new home in the state, you may have almost as many choices in electricity providers as you do soft drinks in the grocery aisle. To help simplify this decision, TXU Energy now offers a new checklist to help you know what to look for when you’re evaluating convenient service options and tech tools, value-added plan choices, and personal insight and control of your usage and bills.
Since state law brought retail electric competition to most of Texas in 2002, people living in competitive regions of the state have been able to choose their electricity providers. Today that includes 5.6 million households who are a mouse click or smartphone tap away from some of the most innovative, customer-centric electricity options in the nation. And TXU Energy’s new checklist points you to some of the best the Texas competitive market has to offer.
Moving Checklist – Choosing Your Electricity Provider
TXU Energy, which serves more Texas electricity customers than any other provider in the state, is sharing tips, insights and metrics from its own business that show just how broadly available the customer-focused options are -- and how a great number of customers are engaging with their provider in new and unique ways. If you are relocating to a home in Texas with electric choice, the company offers the following checklist for evaluating retail electricity providers and the options they offer.
1. Are they easy to do business with?
As a Texas
electricity customer, you have options like free
24/7 customer service, click-to-chat
support, numerous retail
payment locations, and an
iPhone® app and mobile website that connects you with your account
and your electricity company. Today, more than 1.5 million Texans have
access to all of these free services and tools. If the provider you’re
considering doesn’t offer them, you may be happier going with one that
offers you the convenience of anywhere/anytime access to your account,
consumption and costs.
2. Do they offer you plans that fit your lifestyle?
Remember
that Texas retail electricity providers offer plans that add value for
you in a number of ways. You can earn
cash back or airline
points with your electricity purchases, or you can sign on for free
night time Energy Charges. If you prefer a prepaid
electricity plan or one that is powered by renewable
sources, like wind, those are available too. So, finding the right
fit is a matter of what you value. As one example, this year, hundreds
of thousands of Texans received cash back for their 2011 electricity
purchases, and the $36 million distribution gave back electricity
customers the extra spending power they earned just for choosing the
plan.
3. Do they help you understand how you’re using electricity at home?
Opt
for a provider that offers you free
technology tools that show you how much electricity you’re using at
home and what it’s costing you at any point in your billing cycle. Tools
like these are broadly available, and they can help
you change your usage habits to bring your costs down. With more
than 3.6 million smart meters deployed across Texas, nearly
1.2 million electricity customers statewide now have access to smart-meter-enabled
tools that can show them how much electricity they use day to day,
down to the hour.
4. Do they give you control over how much electricity you use
at home?
Look for a provider that offers you a Web-
or smartphone-enabled programmable thermostat so you can map out
your indoor temperature settings to fit your schedule, whether you’re at
home or on the go. According to the Department of Energy, electricity
customers can save
an average of $360 over two years using the features of programmable
thermostats.
According to TXU Energy, if you answered “no” to any of the four questions in the checklist, you have some great options. Retail electricity providers in Texas now offer you more choices, convenience and control with the electricity you use at home than ever before. Your best option when choosing a provider is the one that rewards you for your business in ways that matter to you.
According to the Texas state comptroller’s website, Texas is one of the fastest–growing states in the nation. Since 2000, the state’s population has increased at a rate nearly twice that of the nation (12.7 percent).
About TXU Energy
TXU Energy is a market-leading competitive retail electric provider, powering the lives of more Texans than any other retailer. TXU Energy offers a variety of innovative products and solutions, allowing both its residential and business customers to choose options that best meet their needs, including exceptional customer service, competitively priced electricity service plans, innovative energy efficiency options, renewable energy programs and other electricity-related products and services. Visit txu.com for more information about TXU Energy. REP #10004.
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50308981&lang=en