RSSTexas Is America’s Blueprint for Electric Deregulation
Dec 12
Texas dergeulation, Electricity, home, savings, Texas No Comments
Monopolies aren’t good for customers, just companies. That’s true of electric companies, too. With monopolies, customers are simply left to put up with what they’ve got in front of them, service from one company. This gives companies all the advantage, and none of the difficulty. It also lets them drive prices up such that they can make profits without having to provide significant value to consumers.
Because of this, electric companies have been reined in such that deregulation laws in Texas have been put in place as of 2002. Now, most citizens in Texas can choose the providers they want for their electricity. That gives more competition, which puts customers in control once again. Deregulation means better customer service, a chance to use renewable energy sources instead of the “same old, same old” nonrenewable, bad for the environment sources, and better pricing as well.
That wasn’t always the case. Before deregulation was part of the landscape, a single utility provided service to an area and performed all duties, such as transmission, distribution, and sales. Consumers were left “holding the bag,” and had to put up with what they got, whether it was truly good value or not. However, deregulation has now changed this, so that one company handles distribution and transmission, but other companies handle billing and sales. Customers now have choice, so that they can choose the providers they want to provide service to them. The Public Utility Commission provides oversight for the entire process, so that pending problems are addressed immediately before they become overwhelming.
Approximately three fourths of today’s Texas citizens can choose their own utility providers, which means that they also control what they pay, to some extent. They can choose where they get their power from and what level of service they want as well. Businesses and private consumers alike benefit from this, because when businesses receive this kind of value, their customers also benefit.
That’s because when businesses get the ability to choose who provides their electric service, this means lower utility costs and better service for them — and that means lower costs for them, too. That means those businesses can pass their cost savings onto their customers.
Even with deregulation improvement, of course, about one fourth of Texas’ electric consumers don’t enjoy the benefits of deregulation and competition. Large cities such as San Antonio and Austin don’t have deregulatory benefits, and electric cooperatives are also exempt from deregulation.
Even so, electric utility providers are still performing positive changes. Renewable energy sources continue to be experimented with, implemented where possible, and continually developed. For example, wind farms are springing up statewide and are one way of providing completely renewable and clean energy that can be converted for electrical needs.
If you are a citizen of Texas and you live somewhere where deregulation is enforced, make sure you use it and utilize its benefits. Choose your provider by shopping around for the company that’s best going to suit you and your family’s needs. Many websites, like ChooseEnergy.com, also provide tools whereby you can choose a company by comparing between companies with real-time pricing data. This allows you to shop around just by going online and comparing different companies with ease.
Once you’ve done your research and have chosen an electric provider that will meet your needs, at the best possible price, place an order with the company and they will send you information on what your rights as a customer. You will also get a terms of service agreement from your new provider. There is no need to contact your old provider, because your new provider will handle the change of service and you will simply get a notice that your service has been changed in your mail. Your next meter reading is when the change of service will actually take place.
It should be noted that your new company will not be assuming responsibility for sending you your final bills from the old company, so make sure you address those and get them taken care of. Other than that, though, the change is completely seamless and automatic. You simply choose your new provider, and the wheels are set in motion so that you can enjoy the benefits of going with an electric provider you’ve chosen.
About the author: Jerry Dyess has been specializing in the Texas Electricity market segment for many years and written articles on Texas Electric prices.
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