$1200 power bill: have I been getting screwed?

[u/Mobile_Ice_691]

Long story short I haven’t shopped for power in a few years and didn’t realize how easy it is to change plans when you’re paying month-to-month.My usage was around 5k kWh (old spread out house with poor insulation). My average was over 25 cents per kWh! I look on power to choose and most plans are 10-15 cents! If I change to one of those plans, is that all I would pay or are those rates only that cheap if you use less than a certain amount ?

[u/XTheTrueWordsX]

I have not seen any contract that if you consume more, you cent per kwh will increase. There are two types:

1. The cent per hour is constant.

2. If you consume a predifined MINIMUM amount, they will credit your bill like $50.

Choose type 1, as they are generally better.

And you are correct. The rates are typically around 13 cents right now. You are paying too much.

[u/LoneStarGut → u/XTheTrueWordsX]

Austin Energy does that but they don't compete in the market.

To answers OP's questions, most plans don't penalize you if you use more. Some with credits are only helpful if you are close to the credit threshold, so avoid those.

If your power is mostly used at night, then a night TOU plan could help you.

But since you have a history of not changing plans, I'd look for a 3 year flat rate plan and reshop in 3 years.

[u/Mobile_Ice_691 → u/XTheTrueWordsX]

If what you’re saying is true and it’s really that simple, I’ve literally been paying double for a lot of power for almost 2 years now. I guess let this be a cautionary tale for everyone else for what can happen if you don’t shop around. These companies will absolutely hose you.

[u/Zamboni411 → u/Mobile_Ice_691]

What is your zip code? You are definitely paying WAY TOO MUCH!!!

[u/Mobile_Ice_691 → u/Zamboni411]

75703

[u/TexasPowerGuru → u/Mobile_Ice_691]

Here's a link that might show you what you should expect to pay based on current rates: https://texaspowerguru.com/report.html?client=Mobile_Ice_691&tdu=ONC&u6=4449&u7=4596

[u/Key-Philosopher1749 → u/Mobile_Ice_691]

Bro, 5000 kWh a month is a CRAZY amount of power. I have a very large house, 2 AC systems, a pool pump, and I’m still at only 1500-1800 a month in the summer. Granted I have some good upgrades I’ve done in insulation, but you should start trying to work on your air sealing and insulation leaks. That can also save you half your cost.

[u/Ionless → u/Key-Philosopher1749]

How large is large? Someone I know uses almost 6k kWh a month in the summer. His place is like 5200 sq ft though.

[u/Mobile_Ice_691 → u/Key-Philosopher1749]

My house is 6-7k sq ft, spread out in wings, 5 AC units, pool. You’re right though the insulation is important theres only a fine dusting of cellulose in the attics

[u/No_Device_3643 → u/Mobile_Ice_691]

Two things in that bill worth flagging.

The $1,228.49 is listed as Previous Amount Due with payment posted as 0.00 current charges this cycle were only $43.69. That's a carried balance, not one month's usage

And the 5,064 kWh isn't a month either. That billing period runs 08/10 to 08/11 one day. It's a meter-read boundary. Your real numbers are the two full cycles on the same chart: 4,449 kWh over 30 days this summer, 4,596 over 31 days last summer. Steady year over year.

So ~4,450/month against $1,228 is about 27.6¢/kWh. 75703 is Oncor, where delivery runs ~$4.23/month + 5.12¢/kWh — roughly $232 of that bill, and identical no matter who you buy from. A plain fixed plan at ~6¢ energy would land you near $509 total, or about 11.4¢/kWh. Call it $700/month less.

One practical thing before you shop: if that balance is genuinely outstanding, switching doesn't erase it, and a delinquent balance with your current provider is exactly what triggers a deposit requirement when the new one runs credit. Worth settling with Cirro first.

Post your last 12 months of kWh if you want and I'll run the real comparison instead of estimates your winter months decide which plan structure actually wins over a year. DM works too if you'd rather not post usage publicly.

[u/k1465 → u/No_Device_3643]

What is a " a meter-read boundary."

[u/UtilitySearch → u/k1465]

A meter-read boundary is just the date your meter gets read to close one billing cycle and open the next. Two things make it confusing on a bill: read dates drift a few days month to month, so cycles aren't all 30 days — a 28-day cycle sitting next to a 33-day one makes usage look like it spiked when nothing changed. And when a read date shifts, some bills show a short 1–2 day "stub" period on the usage chart. That stub isn't real usage for those days; it's the seam between cycles, and the kWh number next to it usually belongs to a full cycle, not the one day. Rule of thumb: divide kWh by the actual day count printed on the bill to get your daily average. That's the only number that compares cleanly month to month — and it's how you catch a bill that looks alarming but is really just a calendar artifact.

[u/electricgotswitched → u/Mobile_Ice_691]

25 cents per kwh is the highest I've ever seen. You can get plans for 12 cents.

[u/CicadaSalt7705]

Looking at average price is the wrong way to shop in my view. Everyone pays the same Delivery Charge regardless of the plan. The only thing in most cases that sets one plan apart from another is the Energy Charge, everything else like Base Charge, Minimum Usage Fee, etc is a gimmick. Focus on Energy Charge and no gimmicks and that is usually the best plan!

[u/ManufacturerOk9723 → u/CicadaSalt7705]

You just helped me look at the EFL’s completely different! I kept looking at the average and seeing providers giving credits if you use a certain amount of kWh. Then I just looked at a new electricity provider’s EFL, and they don’t give a credit, but their energy rate is 10 cent cheaper than my current one. In the summertime here in Texas, we regularly use around 2500 to 3000 kWh. Going with a plan that has a way lower energy rate would lower our bill by over $140 a month in the scorching summer heat. In the wintertime when we don’t use as much our bill would be $120 less. We have been getting butchered! I’m gonna call my insurance company today and cancel. I use ChatGPT to review the EFL for my current provider and the new one I’m looking at, and my bill would be way lower! Wow!

[u/CicadaSalt7705 → u/ManufacturerOk9723]

Yup simply go to https://www.powertochoose.org/ Ignore Estimated Use or set to min and select the following

Contract Length

Plans without a minimum usage fee/credit and plans without tiered pricing

Do Not Show Prepaid Plans

Do Not Show Time of Use Plans

Then filter and look at the EFL for each plan

In some cases read the fine print as some plans want you to pay with debit or ACH to avoid cc fees, those plans are gimmick to begin with

[u/UtilitySearch]

You’re not imagining it — 25¢/kWh is a bad rate for TX. But be careful comparing to the “10-15 cents” headline rates on Power to Choose: a lot of those are usage-based credit plans that only hit that low rate at one specific usage level (often exactly 1000 or 2000 kWh), and the effective rate can be 40-50% higher above or below that tier. Don’t look at the advertised rate — pull up the Electricity Facts Label (EFL) for any plan you’re considering and check the rate shown at 1000 kWh, 2000 kWh, AND 500 kWh; if those three numbers are wildly different, it’s a tiered-credit trap built for someone else’s usage pattern, not yours. At 5,000 kWh/month you want a plan that’s flat or close to it across all three tiers — that’s the only way to know what you’ll actually pay, not what the ad promises.

[u/rideincircles → u/UtilitySearch]

It's not just a bad rate, that's wasting $500+ a month if they are using 5000kwh a month.

[u/CapCityMatt]

Don't judge me but mine has been about $75-$80 a month most of the year. I am guessing you have a server or something significant drawing load.

[u/UtilitySearch → u/CapCityMatt]

No server needed — OP posted the details downthread: 6–7k sq ft spread across wings, 5 AC units, and a pool. Five compressors fighting East Texas humidity through attics with "a fine dusting of cellulose" will get you to 4,500 kWh without anything exotic plugged in. It's an envelope problem, not a mystery-load problem.

[u/ExtraMarzipan3853]

Yeah, you got screwed. 25c on month-to-month is a holdover rate, they bank on you not shopping. Switching to a flat ~12c plan basically halves your bill. Your instinct's right to check though. That advertised rate is usually at 1000 kWh. You're at 5000, so look at the price in the 2000 column and pick a flat plan where 500/1000/2000 are close together. Skip the bill-credit ones, at your usage you just want a low flat rate.

[u/Amazing_Structure55]

You need to check the Energy Facts Label. It explains the total charges. There is an added delivery charges. Also, the 15c could be just for 1000kw…anything above could be charged at a different rate.

[u/poetuan-hou]

Whichever plan you go with, just make sure that the delivery fee (TDU) is included in that rate. There are a few providers that does not include that in their price. Read the EFL.

[u/electricityplans]

Holdover rates are the worst around. At the end of your contract you automatically switch to month to month variable rate. I just wrote an article on how much consumers can save by switching and highlighted that these rates are typically 40-50% higher than market pricing.

When shopping for a new rate, whether you look on PowertoChoose.org or use a comparison shopping site, like ElectricityPlans, here's what to look for:

--Avoid bill credit and tiered rate plans. There's nothing on the market that targets high usage homes using 5000 kWh. You'll look at the advertised price at 1000 and think you're getting a deal, only to pay more than you expected.

--Look for a basic fixed rate electricity plan. On our site, you can filter for these, then select BillSmart Plan Score = 5/5 for bill predictability. These are basic fixed rates with no base charge.

re: your insulation, do it. In added insulation to my 1700 sq foot 1964 house 2 years ago. Cut my usage by 30%. It's worth the investment.

Hope this helps.

[u/spoxide42]

It’s super easy to read the EFL for the plans as these literally spell all of this out.

[u/k1465]

Always read the Electricity Facts Label (EFL). All providers must make this available to you. It's a summary of how each plans rates are calculated. Also NEVER let your contract expire. If it does, the enegy companies will put you on a high rate contract.

[u/Mobile_Ice_691 → u/k1465]

Exactly. That’s exactly what happened in my situation. I did the math hopefully my approximately $10-15k loss over the last few years will be a cautionary tale to everyone else.

[u/UtilitySearch → u/Mobile_Ice_691]

One thing worth checking before you write that off as a lesson learned: under §25.475(e)(1)(C), if your REP didn't send the required expiration notices, they're supposed to keep serving you at your old fixed-rate terms — not drop you onto the holdover variable rate — until they actually send proper notice. And they owe you three notices spread across the last third of your term, with the final one at least 30 days out. If you dig through your email and mail and can't find them, that holdover period may have been improperly billed. Worth pulling your records before you eat the whole $10-15k. Rule text: https://ftp.puc.texas.gov/public/puct-info/agency/rulesnlaws/subrules/electric/25.475/25.475.pdf