Minimum electrical usage tricks? (Houston, Center: apartment, house, calculator)

[thisgrub4u]

So I have spark energy which I'm happy with, but this month we only used 980kw, so 20kw short of getting a $60 discount. Would have cut our bill in half. Seems like 1000kw usage is the 'magic' number to get the best power rates. We live in an apartment and when the AC is going, we'll always be above 1000kw. Now that temps are going down we will be under 1000kw. So I either shop for a new plan (I just had a 6 month contract) or I waste electricity to keep our usage up.

Also need to monitor it closer, Spark Energy only gives a monthly usage that I have found. I found a website where I can sign up and enter my meter information into it to get 'real-time' usage readings, just have to figure out what our meter number is.

I would prefer not to just waste electricity, but it certainly seems the power companies want us to do just that. Or they are preying on people who will be conscious of the environment by saving electricity and charge them more for doing so.

So what does everyone do?

[right]

Seems like a really stupid way to waste electricity. With all of the 'Critical Power Events' declared by ERCOT during the summers, these type of plans should not be allowed to be sold since they encourage wasting electricity, especially in a small apartment!

[predatorprey]

I don't sign up for those plans.

[Aliana926]

My friend has the same plan as you and I plugged in his usage for 2 months with my current electric carrier, and he's always pay about $20 more than I do, even with the $60 discount. Spark is not always the cheapest. So, I think it's time you switch to another electric company. I used to be with Spark 2 years ago and I haven't looked back.

Your meter number is on your monthly statement.

[Lowexpectations]

I'd never get the 1k plan in an apartment

[thisgrub4u]

Constructive responses.

Being from out-of-state this concept is new to me, hence the 6 month plan and every month but this one we hit 1k (2nd floor apartment with a seemingly undersized ac unit) so seems I choose the right plan. Given all the 'providers' I'm sure Spark isn't always the cheapest, just as I assume the other guys aren't always the cheapest. It's meant to be a competitive market and I'm fully aware of that.

My observation is that 500/1000/2000 are the cut-offs and if you hug the lines it's grey. I've compared my bill and associated costs with other provider rates and they are similar in pricing. It significantly changes if you cross the 1k barrier. My contract is up in November which seems to be an ideal time to shop around.

[predatorprey]

You should roughly know your typical usage for your household for each season

When I sign up for the electric plans, my primary focus is the cost per kWh at the 500 usage level. Check for base fees and if they sunset after specific usage amounts.

[Ghost Town]

Last month I paid $60.5 for the electricity (Reliant energy) for a small size two-story house that is bigger than apartment though. The usage was around ~450 kW if I remember correct. In August I paid about ~$65. Large portion of my electricity bill is Centerpoint energy charge ($25) that is a rip off and not related to my energy usage at all. I turn off AC any time when I am not at home. I love heat, so when I come back after work, 85 degrees inside in summer months is not a problem for me. My favorite temperature inside is 78-79 degrees. People who love cold, have to pay a lot more. But if you love heat and live in Houston, you can reduce your electricity bill substantially.

[pnc66]

On the Power to Choose website you can set your estimated usage at 500-1000 kWh and choose plans based on that. We seem to hug the 850-1000 kWh line most of the year except July, August, and September, and sometimes in January or February if it's unusually cold. Make sure you read the Special Terms, Fact Sheet, and Terms of Service documents carefully - that's where they'll list the "Gotcha's" and "Surprise! Your rate isn't as low as it appears" stuff. I had a very hard time finding any plan that didn't somehow penalize you for going below a certain usage threshold. So if you're not wasting electricity, you pay more. That doesn't make sense to me. For everyone who said they don't get those plans, what plans did you find that didn't penalize you? Honestly I couldn't find but a couple of them from Discount Power, and their rates were slightly higher at the time. Still it's better than paying a significantly higher rate for using less electricity and/or some sort of an extra fee.

Definitely shop around each time your contract ends. In my experience, the power companies will offer their best rates to new customers and higher rates at renewal time to their existing customers. Some will lower them if you can and ask, others won't. When signing up for a new plan, try not to time it so you'll be shopping again in late spring through the summer - the rates seem to be the highest then.

Not that it matters, but you're not really getting your electricity from different providers. Centerpoint owns the lines and is who actually supplies the electricity. You're just choosing who to pay your bill to each month.

[sonic0boom]

My Green Mountain plan does not have any minimum usage fees. There is a bit of a sliding scale on the rate based on usage (if i hit 1000 kWh, the rate goes down a little less than a penny). I found an online calculator and if i did it right, 1000 kWh usage based on the 500 kWh rate and the 1000 kWh rate is a $9 difference. That's a far cry from an automatic $60 fee.

Anyway, there are certainly plans out there without that minimum fee. When i searched for a new plan this past January, that was on my list of criteria. It certainly reduced the number of plans available, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.