Is there a legitimate honest site to pick an electricity provider from? I can't believe how many sites there are that claim this or that.

The terms of each energy provider are eye blurring. My son has taken a job in Austin and is moving pronto. I need to help him pick something today.

I'll be in and out today helping prepare for the move and will check back here from time to time.

Thanks in advance!

They drive me batty. . Like to be locked in for a least a couple of years and have no penalities.

Energy Ogre

Current price per KWH?

That is what I was referring to. Have to jump through hoops for a clear answer.

Not really Bill, it's easy too get a rate if you were actually serious about it

http://www.powertochoose.org/

Charlie

Energy Ogre for me.

Energy ogre

so I put Bill's numbers in: (had to guess on some....) - looks like he likes to give money away...

Didn't the people who were using Energy Ogre get bent over during the freeze, or was that some other provider that was using really short-term rates.

I just use the powertochoose site listed above and sort by rate. Look at the fees for the different levels of usage and pick the cheapest one. I usually pick terms in the 12-18 month timeframes and try to setup my renewals for the Winter/Spring timeframes before the rates go up in the summer. In the 10-12 years that I've been doing that, I only had one company go out of business on me and I ended up getting bounced to Reliant for a month until I switched to a different provider.

I think that was an energy provider Griddy, I use Energy Ogre and have for several years always been pleased with them.

They are not a provider they look at how you use electricity and pick the best provider for you. I guess you could call them my energy manager.

Two key points come to mind when looking for the best deal. First, the rate you're quoted is specific to your usage history. You can't compare the rate you're quoted to someone else who may have a much higher usage history. The more you use the better the price you'll be quoted. Also, don't forget to include the transmission charge per kWh, which you'll have to dig deeper to uncover.

On Energy Ogre I plugged in my numbers. It said I had a good plan and they wouldn't be able to help. Power to choose had some similar or better KW prices in Austin by about a penny than I have. I just have to read all the fine print. Granted we are talking about my home vs. his soon to be apartment. However, his apartment is a fairly new build and hopefully not terribly inefficient. If he will just not leave the thermostat on freezing all day while working he should be OK.

To help on the usage levels, he may want to call the apartment manager and ask them if they know the average KWh people use. The website rates all look pretty close when you see the 500 vs 1000 vs 1500+ rate. However, when you include minimum usage fees, your rate per KWh can vary quite a bit when you aren't using a lot of KWh's..

That was people who were on variable rate plans. Insanely good prices when usage is low, insanely high as usage goes up. You have to take the good with the bad.

We just learned that he is captive to Austin Energy. Plus he's had good feedback on some of the average bills in that complex.

Thanks for all the suggestions!

Don't go with Energy Ogre or Power Wizard unless you want to pay and extra $10/month. $10/month is a lot per KWH for small users. Just go on Power to Choose enter zip code, filter on length of plan, pick lowest. and check the facts label for the price of electricity. The other stuff like Oncor delivery will all be the same no matter who you choose.

Nope, they just get bent over for an extra $10/month for something that takes 5 to 10 minutes every 1 to 3 years.

Energy Ogre never puts anyone on variable plans. Fixed rated only. They have me on Frontier Utilities now. Paid $95 for my last bill and $100 for one before that. 2,900 sq ft.