Choosing an Electricity Provider in Abilene, Texas

Established in 1881, Abilene, Texas had a population of 116,484 as of 2008. Popular for its splendid art and museum culture, the county seat of Taylor County, Texas has a rich, Old West legacy, fueled by the oil industry, cattle ranching and the railroads. Prior to deregulation, the only place to get your electricity in Abilene was from WTU. Today, businesses and residents of Abilene have a right to choose their electric company and rates, from 41 different electric companies listed on the local Yelp page as being providers of Abilene electricity.

Responsibility for maintaining electric poles and wires as well as delivering electricity and responding to emergency outages still falls to your local wires company. The only component that actually changes with your provider choice is your customer service and billing. In order to compete for your business, Abilene electricity providers offer a variety of benefits including lower prices, added customer service perks and or renewable energy options. Explore all of the different options to find the one that's right for you.

As with the rest of the State of Texas, there are three basic types of electricity plans available in Abilene: fixed rate, indexed rate and variable rate. With some exceptions, a fixed rate will remain the same throughout the length of the contract, while a variable rate can rise or fall every month according to the means selected by the provider. An indexed rate is linked to a formula specified by the provider.

Fixed Rate versus Variable

By choosing a plan with a fixed rate, you can be sure that your price will not change during the period of the contract, however if market prices go down you may not be able to take advantage of them until the expiration of your contact. Variable and indexed rate plans provide an immediate benefit from dropping market prices, but will also rise with rising natural gas and electricity prices. Each type of plan has a different type of kilowatt-hour rate, along with contracts ranging from one month to several years.

Some of the benefits offered by the various providers range from super low promotional, limited time "welcome bonus" rates, bill credits, gift cards and free online credit card payment options, to rate caps or price protection on variable rate options, auto-pay discounts, short-term contracts, month-to-month contracts, waived cancellation fees and cash back rebate plans.

In comparing providers and plans, make sure you understand how and under what conditions your rate can go up and by how much, as well as your contract limitations, cancellation fees and penalties.