In 2006, Carrollton, Texas was named one of America’s Top 100 Places to live by Relocate America and the 19th best place to live in the United States by Money magazine. In 2008, it achieved the honor again by Money as the 15th best place among small cities. Forbes rated Carrollton 12th among the 25 top places to move. The city is technically found in Dallas, Denton and Collin counties. The entire city is found within the Oncor electric utility territory, which is part of the Texas Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT).

ERCOT is recognized as many industry experts as the most successful electricity choice market in the World. Oncor is the largest utility within ERCOT, and is in charge of delivering power to all customers in the Dallas and Forth Worth area, reaching as far west as Odessa, and going all the way south to Round Rock located 15 miles North of Austin. While Carrollton electricity customers can choose between over 40 electricity companies to supply their electrity, Oncor is still solely responsible for power delivery in the city.

Carrollton, Texas owes much of its early success as a community to mills and railroads. The Dallas-Wichita Railroad came first, then was purchased by the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad. Then the St. Louis Southwestern Railway crossed the Missouri-Kansas-Texas making Carrollton a shipping center for agricultural products. After World War II the city began to boom. Then the city grew more rapidly in the 1970s when the suburban growth from North Dallas spilled into the town.

Carrollton, Texas has a humid subtropical climate. The warmest month on average is July where Carrolton residences often see their electric bills double from the mild spring months. The highest recorded temperature was 112F in 1980, the lowest was 1F in 1989. The most precipitation happens in May.

People ranging in age from 25 to 44 make up the highest demographic in the city, with ages 45 to 64 following close behind. Over 5,000 businesses call Carrollton home. In general, people working in Carrollton are working in industrial, medical/pharmaceutical and energy jobs. Halliburton employs over 1,300 people with the North American operations for Easywell. McKesson pharmaceutical company has over 800 employees. Thomson Reuters also has an office in Carrollton. The city also has the home offices of Motel 6, FASTSIGNS International, and Sandy Lake Amusement Park. The city plays host to over 1,000 acres of developed park land for all to enjoy.

Unlike the majority of cities in the United States, Houston residences have the luxury of living in an electric choice market. The PUCT oversees the competitive energy market in Texas. The benefits of having multiple energy companies offering you service boils down to better customer service, green energy options, multiple rate products and terms, and above all cheaper electricity prices.

When shopping for the cheapest electricity rates in Houston it is important to look at the whole offer which includes the rate and monthly charge. Many electricity comparison sites list rate offers that are merely estimates if you use a certain amount of electricity per month. If you use less than this amount then you end up paying a higher rate than what was advertised.

Houston electricity customers should also be careful of variable rate options that advertise a low introductory rate. These month to month floating prices are almost sure to increase substantially after the first month. Look below for an easy comparison of some of the cheapest electricity prices in Houston. Prices are updated daily.

New energy choice markets in the northeast (Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Connecticut) as well as existing deregulated areas such as Texas and Illnois are making some business electricity companies household names as the battle for market share has heated up.

Electricity companies who offer electric service to commercial and industrial clients buy power commitments in advance for the businesses and then sell it back to them in the form of a monthly electric bill.  Essentially these business electricity companies act as banks for large energy users.  As retail electric suppliers, they buy blocks of power on the wholesale market and then sell it to the customer with a retail markup.  This is why electricity companies require businesses to sign electricity contracts that locks them into service with the supplier for the term of the contract.

However, some of these business electricity contracts can be confusing and misleading to executives who are looking at purchasing energy for the first time.  Some of the misleading practices include “passing through” part of the charge to other sections of the bill,  thus making the rate appear lower than it really is.  Also, electricity companies can add unnecessary meter charges that can add up for businesses that have multiple meters.

It is important for businesses to do their due diligence or work with a energy consulting company who has a clear expertise in the field of deregulated electricity.  Electricity brokering companies can compare electricity contracts, rates, and suppliers.

Businesses should be weary of electricity companies offering variable rates that are contract free.  Usually the offer will not guarantee any type of rate allowing the electricity supplier to charge whatever they want in any given month.

Electric choice options are heating up in some markets as we begin to enter the high energy summer season.  Customers who use websites to perform electric price comparisons will give themselves access to the most options and highest electric rate savings.

In Philadelphia, electricity customers of PECO energy are experiencing electric choice for the first time and a surprising number of residential and business customers are power shopping for lower energy rates.  PECO energy default rates are going to rise in the summer which has prompted people to explore electric rate options quicker than some had expected.  Because PECO default rates change on a quarterly  basis initial savings have not been huge, but people are starting to see that locking in a low electric rate can be beneficial as it protects you from future increases.  The other side of that argument is that default rates can go down causing you to be stuck paying a higher electric rate with another electric supplier.  While this a possibility, historic energy prices have shown that rates tend to go up in the summer.  Unfortunately, it will probably take a large energy spike for some people to start looking into their electricity choice options

In Texas, which has enjoyed a competitive electricity market since 2002, thousands of customers who had not previously power shopped saw their electric rates triple in the summer of 2008 due to rising natural gas prices.  Electric customers who had previously locked in low rates were not effected by the increases.  Today the majority of Texas electricity customers are in some type of electric supply contract.

New Jersey electricity customers are also getting low electric rate offers that can protect them from summer rate increases.  Performing an energy comparison of all the offers will allow electricity customers to get the lowest offers with the best promotional offers.  Promotional offers as high as a $75 gift card are available in New Jersey.

PECO energy announced earlier this month that residential electric rates for their customers will increase on April 1, 2011 to 10.16 cents per KWh.  Customers in PECO energy territory recently experience rate hikes to 9.92 cents on January 1 when capped electric rates were lifted and the area became a fully competitive electric market.

With capped rates now lifted, PECO energy will adjust their electric rates for their residential customers every three months.  The rates will be based on the market prices.  It is important for people living in Pennsylvania to understand just how quick electric prices can increase.  There are roughly 1.4 million electricity customers in the PECO area who are now facing electric choice for the first time.

Customers should consider locking in rates so that they do not face the surprise of their electric bill doubling or even tripling in the summer months.  That is precisely what happened to many Texas electricity customers in July and August of 2008 when electricity prices tripled in just a few months, right in time for the summer peak electricity demand season.

There are over a dozen electric rate options for PECO customers looking to compare electric offers.  It is recommended that customers choose a fixed rate to protect themselves from potential increases.

Electric rates in Texas are down to levels that have not been seen since 2002 when the electricity market first became deregulated.  The downward trend in electricity prices has been a result of falling natural gas prices throughout 2010.

Both residential and commercial electric customers are benefiting from the lower electric rates.  Residential customers are signing fixed electric rates in the $0.08 – $0.09 cents per KWh range, where previously they had been as high as $0.17.  If you haven’t checked your electric bill rate in awhile, now would be a good time.  Often if you remain with a provider for a long time without signing a contract, they will gradually raise the rate even if the market does not dictate that to happen.  Your bill should clearly state the rate (cents per KWh) that you are paying.  If the rate is above 9 cents and you are not in a contract, shop for a lower fixed electric rate.

Commercial electricity customers are seeing rates below $0.05 per KWh.  This is a huge drop off from where the electricity market was just two years ago when in was not abnormal to sign a fixed electricity contract above $0.09 per KWh.  The lower electric business rates have allowed many businesses to drastically cut down on their energy costs.

The time and energy that it takes to compare electric rates can be overwhelming for some.  However, with a little research and education, customers in Texas, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, and Connecticut can lower the cost of their electric bill by comparing electric rate offers from electricity companies against the electric rates of the local utility.

Electricity customers attempting to compare electric rates should look at a few key elements for every offer:

1. Is the electric rate fixed or variable.  A fixed rate will secure the electric rate for a set period of time as stated in the electricity contract.  Variable electric rates will usually have low introductory offers, but will contain to guarantee as to how high the rate can go.

2. Meter charge.  A large meter fee (anything above $5) can make a rate appear low when really the electric company is just charging you more in another area of the bill.  The average size house uses about 1000 KWh a month.  A rate of $0.09 per KWh will equal a $90 bill.  Adding a $10 meter charge would be the equivalent of adding a whole penny ($0.01) to the rate.  So a $0.09 cent rate with a $10 meter charge is the same as a rate of $0.10.

3. Is any proportion of the energy you buy derived from green energy sources? Some people are only concerned about the price, but if you are interested in helping you environment you can request a portion of your energy to be generated from green energy (usually wind power).  There are 100% wind power electric contracts available, but usually you will be rate that is a little higher.

These are three of the main things to consider when taking the time to compare electric rates.

For a list of pre-screened electric rate offers, visit our ELECTRICITY PRICES section to find low electric rates in your state.

States that have decided to deregulate, or restructure, their electricity utilities are giving their consumers the opportunity to lower their electric bills.  Misunderstanding how to lower the electric bill has been a problem for some of these electric rate payers.

As a simple review, the electric bill is divided into two main sections; the delivery (lines and wires) section and the retail supply section.  The delivery section is the portion of the bill, usually between 20-30% of the total charge, that is paid to the utility company for delivering the power through the lines and wires.  These charges are still regulated by the state.

The energy charge, also called supply charge, makes up the majority of the bill and is the section that has been deregulated.  It is here where customers can lower their electric bill by finding an alternative electric company that will supply electric power at a lower price per kilowatt hour than the current default electric rate that the incumbent utility offers.

Most default rates are set for a specific period of time.  You can lower your electric bill by finding out how long the default rate will be at a certain amount per kilowatt hour and then finding an alternative provider who will offer a lower electric rate for that period.  For example, the default rate for customers who are served by the utility PPL in Pennsylvania is $0.10402 per kilowatt hour for the entire year of 2010.  Locking in a fixed rate of $0.09 per kilowatt for any period in 2010 will give the customer a lower electric bill by 13.5% off of the energy supply portion of the bill.  It might be wise to lock in a low electric rate for a period that goes beyond the expiration of the current default rate if you think energy prices are headed up.

States where you can currently lower your electric bill against the utility default rate include Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New Jersey, Maryland and Delaware.  There are also saving available in Texas if you have not shopped the competitive electric market within the past two years.

Texas residential customers who have had their contracts expire could be paying too much on their monthly bills.  Nearly every competitive electric provider who offers term contracts has a clause built in that causes customers to stay with the provider after the contract has expired at rates determined by the supplier.  The business strategy for the electric providers is that a large enough percentage of their market share will forget to sign a new contract allowing them to up the rates to a premium.

Two summers ago, electric rates in Texas for twice as high as they are today due to higher natural gas prices.   Customers who signed fixed electric rate contracts during that time became customed to paying a high electric rate.  As these contracts expire, providers continue to charge the high rates hoping that their customers have forgotten that they can now shop for a lower rate.

If it has been awhile since you shopped the electricity competitive market we encourage you to see if your contract has expired.  Just because you are still receiving a bill from an electric provider you chose last year does not mean that you are still on contract.

For the lowest Texas residential electric rates today, email us with your city name and ask for rates.  As of this week, fixed rates have been found below $0.09 per kwh.  Many Reliant and TXU customers are paying over $0.15 per kwh.

The National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center is expecting a rough Hurricane season in 2010 that may have a negative effect on retail electricity prices.  Electric rates in the majority of competitive electric markets have a direct correlation with natural gas prices.  Bad hurricane seasons result in a decline in natural gas production that eventually pushes electric prices up for consumers.

The Climate Prediction Center estimates an 85% chance for an above normal hurricane season with only a 10% of a near normal season, and a 5% of a below normal season.  They are estimating 166 (Bcf) of natural gas shut in production which may cause electric prices to increase across the country.

The hurricane season is between June 1 and November 30.  Most utilities have default rate structures that cause their default customers to pay higher rates in the summer as oppposed to the rest of the year.  With those two factors added to the fact that at the moment fixed electric rate contracts have been low (10-30% lower than default rates depending on your location and energy consumption patterns), now is an idea time to look into locking in a low fixed electric rate. 

If you are currently on a floating rate you would also want to think about locking into a fixed rate as the floating rate will be affected by a bad hurricane season.  Customers in Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and Texas should get off of default rates on lock into a competitive fixed electric rate.