How we rank electricity plans
We focus on fixed-rate plans. Here’s how we choose and order the plans we show you.
What we list
We show plans only from providers and enrollment partners that work with us, which can pay us a commission, for the utility at your address. Providers that don’t work with us aren’t shown, so this isn’t every offer in Texas. Every plan has a fixed energy rate, and we check its price against its Electricity Facts Label (EFL). We leave a plan out when its documents are missing or aren’t for that plan, or its rate type doesn’t match the label. Some plans show small rounding differences from the label that we’re still reviewing; the provider’s EFL always controls your price.
How we order our recommendations
Our main recommendations are fixed-rate plans with no bill credits, no minimum-usage charges, no usage tiers and no time-of-use pricing. Every provider competes for them. We put them in order by estimated all-in monthly bill at your usage, using our enrollment platform’s price estimate. It includes the provider’s energy and base charges and your utility’s delivery charges, before taxes. We use your bill’s usage if you share it, or 1,000 kWh a month, which you can change. We rank a plan only when we have a complete price; we don’t fill in missing charges with zero.
We sort by that total, not the energy rate alone, because a slightly lower rate with a monthly base charge can cost you more. On the results page, these appear in the value plans section. We default the term filter to 12 months because it’s a common, easy-to-compare length; it isn’t a ranking. So you’ll first see the three lowest-cost 12-month plans. Choose another length, or “All Terms” to compare plans of any length. A shorter plan can end at a pricier time of year, so check the end date and plan to shop again before it expires.
We also show two shorter lists, each sorted the same way. “Renewable energy plans” are plans whose EFL states 100% renewable content. “Recognized brands” are plans from a short list of brands we choose by name, not by price (currently Reliant and Direct Energy). Plans on the brand list can cost more than our recommendations. To see every plan we list, choose “View all plans.”
What we leave out, and why
Bill-credit and minimum-usage plans can look low at one usage level and cost much more at another, and a Texas summer can push you out of that range. They can work for households that watch their usage closely, so they still appear under “View all plans.” We just don’t recommend them.
Sometimes the right move is to stay where you are. If you share your bill and your current plan looks like it costs less than what we find, we’ll tell you.
How we get paid
Residential customers don’t pay Power Hopper a separate fee. If you enroll in a plan through us, the provider may pay us a commission. We don’t add a Power Hopper fee to the price on the provider’s EFL.
Commissions don’t change the order
As our Terms of Service say: “Power Hopper’s plan-ranking methodology does not use the amount of brokerage commission paid for a plan to determine its ranking or recommendation.” The amount a provider pays us isn’t part of how we sort or recommend plans.
Before you sign up
Always read the plan’s EFL, Terms of Service and Your Rights as a Customer before you enroll. The provider’s EFL and Terms of Service control your plan. A fixed rate locks in the provider’s energy charge, but your utility’s delivery charges can change, and taxes apply too. Our numbers are estimates, so we can’t promise you’ll save.
Read the full rules in our Terms of Service.
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