Comparing Commercial Electricity Rates in Texas
Determining the best commercial electricity rates in Texas can be a time-consuming chore, as many providers do not publish their per-kilowatt hour rates online. Before deregulation, commercial utilities began offering customized plans to small businesses, and after deregulation, many providers have continued to do so. While a custom-tailored plan may seem to benefit a small business, the end result is that a small business is forced to take the time to get specific quotes from a number of different companies, rather than being able to simply compare rates online, as residential customers are able to do. While the Public Utilities Commission requires providers to publish per-kilowatt hour electricity rates for residential customers, there is no such requirement for commercial rates.
So how do you determine the best commercial electricity rate for your area? For starters, there are four companies who do publish their commercial rates for small business electricity accounts, and this is a good place to start. These four are:
- Amigo Energy
- Reliant Energy
- Kinetic Energy
- Bounce Energy
Starting with rates from these four companies, you can get some idea of your cost of energy and begin to lay our your business energy plan. Next, determine your energy plan requirements to decide which type of rate will best work for your business. You will obviously save on your monthly electric bill with a locked in, long-term rate; however that does not always work well for some business owners. You also can take advantage of a low, introductory variable rate, which is usually good for around six months. This will help lower your initial start-up business expenses; however the continuing rate may not be terribly favorable.
Another consideration in determining electric plans is whether or not you wish to support green energy efforts in your area. Many electricity providers offer green or renewable energy plans, which take advantage of electricity provided by a variety of renewable energy sources. The kilowatt-hour price of energy from these sources is generally a bit more expensive; however for a number of ethical as well as promotional reasons, many companies will wish to take advantage of these resources.
Whatever your choice for electricity providers, rates, terms and energy sources, you always have a choice in the great State of Texas, largely due to the deregulation of the electricity industry. Understand Business electric prices in Texas and choose wisely to make the best of all of your many options.