caayenne Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 I know this has absolutely nothing to do with homeschooling, but since this board is the know-all source for every subject known to man ;), I thought I'd ask here. My dad (age 60) just lost his job, and he is looking into any way he and my mom can save money. He asked me if I knew anything about any of the electric companies here in Texas. They have always used TXU Energy, but the rate has gone way up as of late. He was specifically wondering about Cirro Energy and Reliant Energy because of low quoted rates, but I thought I'd throw the question out to the Hive to include any electric company anyone specifically recommends. If you would recommend the company you use, what do you like about it? Obviously, I'm specifically asking about Texas, but I know that many of the companies are national or at least regional. Thanks for any help anyone can give!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ondreeuh Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 I'm amazed you have a choice of electric companies. I've only ever lived where there was one provider. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merry gardens Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 LOL--I thought this thread was going to be about the PBS educational children's show "The Electric Company" not real electric companies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheReader Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 Hmmm. We used & loved TXU when we were in Texas....can he ask about negotiating a lower rate? If they know they are about to lose him, they might help him somehow. Maybe a fixed rate plan would help (where he pays the same amount each month, and then if he pays over he has a credit at the end)? Or maybe he can sign up for elderly assistance with his bill? I think they offer that. I don't know anything about Cirro, but we had Reliant prior to TXU. It's been several years ago now. We liked them okay but found them expensive so switched to TXU; I think they do have an overall good reputation. If they are now offering more competitive rates, he's probably safe to switch to them. Just be absolutely sure it's a permanent rate, not an introductory "for the 1st 3 months" rate or something; we had a relative switch to them, read the fine print and realize the rate wasn't going to last, so cancelled and switched back to TXU -- the cancelling/switching back took FOREVER as Reliant didn't want to release them as a customer. Again, this was a few years ago, so hopefully they've improved since then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caayenne Posted July 19, 2012 Author Share Posted July 19, 2012 LOL--I thought this thread was going to be about the PBS educational children's show "The Electric Company" not real electric companies. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caayenne Posted July 19, 2012 Author Share Posted July 19, 2012 Hmmm. We used & loved TXU when we were in Texas....can he ask about negotiating a lower rate? If they know they are about to lose him, they might help him somehow. Maybe a fixed rate plan would help (where he pays the same amount each month, and then if he pays over he has a credit at the end)? Or maybe he can sign up for elderly assistance with his bill? I think they offer that. I don't know anything about Cirro, but we had Reliant prior to TXU. It's been several years ago now. We liked them okay but found them expensive so switched to TXU; I think they do have an overall good reputation. If they are now offering more competitive rates, he's probably safe to switch to them. Just be absolutely sure it's a permanent rate, not an introductory "for the 1st 3 months" rate or something; we had a relative switch to them, read the fine print and realize the rate wasn't going to last, so cancelled and switched back to TXU -- the cancelling/switching back took FOREVER as Reliant didn't want to release them as a customer. Again, this was a few years ago, so hopefully they've improved since then. Thanks so much for all your ideas! I will definitely tell my dad to ask a lot more questions before he switches. We have stayed with TXU as well. I have heard good things about Reliant in the press, but I don't know anyone who uses them, so it's good to hear feedback from a real person. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheReader Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 Thanks so much for all your ideas! I will definitely tell my dad to ask a lot more questions before he switches. We have stayed with TXU as well. I have heard good things about Reliant in the press, but I don't know anyone who uses them, so it's good to hear feedback from a real person. :001_smile: no problem; glad I could help! :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In The Great White North Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 I'm amazed you have a choice of electric companies. I've only ever lived where there was one provider. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonfirmath Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 *hrm* We're about to get TXU Energy as a electricity provider in our new house! never had them. But I noticed they had a gazillion choices of rate plans on their website! Maybe he should look and see if one of them better meet his needs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissad2 Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 I'm amazed you have a choice of electric companies. I've only ever lived where there was one provider. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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