Switching electricity providers in Houston

The mechanics are simple and take about ten minutes. The part worth getting right is what you switch to, and whether now is the right time to do it at all.

Time to switch: Usually one billing cycle
Cost to switch: Nothing
Service interruption: None
Cancellation window: Three business days after enrolling

Switching is the easy part. Every year plenty of Houston households switch successfully into a plan that is worse than the one they left, because they compared the wrong number.

What actually happens when you switch

You enrol with a new retail provider. That provider submits a switch request through ERCOT to CenterPoint Energy. On your next scheduled meter read, the account transfers. Your old provider sends a final bill for usage up to that date and closes the account.

Nobody visits your home. No equipment changes. Your meter, your wires and your outage response all stay with CenterPoint, exactly as before. If the power goes out during a storm you still call CenterPoint, and no provider gets priority restoration regardless of what any sales pitch implies.

Check these three things before you switch anything

Your contract end date. If you are inside the last 30 to 60 days, you can lock a new rate now that starts when the old one ends. If you are a year out, the calculation is different.
Your early termination fee. Look at your Terms of Service document. If leaving costs more than the switch saves over the remaining term, wait.
Whether you are already out of contract. If your term expired and you did nothing, you are on a month-to-month holdover rate with no termination fee at all. You can move immediately, and you almost certainly should.

The traps in the plan you switch to

Texas plans are engineered to look good at the three usage levels shown on the Electricity Facts Label. Away from those levels, several common structures behave very differently:

Bill credit plans. A large credit applies only when monthly usage crosses a threshold. Land just below in a mild Houston spring month and the effective price can be several times the advertised average.
Tiered rates. The rate changes by usage band. These can be reasonable, but the advertised average only describes a household sitting in one particular band.
Free nights or free weekends. The free hours are paid for in the other hours. Good for a home that is genuinely empty during the day; expensive for a home where someone works from home.
Introductory rates that expire. A short promotional period followed by a variable rate. The expiry date is the number that matters, not the promotional rate.
Minimum usage fees. A flat charge in any month you use less than a threshold — punishing for a small apartment or a home that is empty for part of the year.

When switching is not the answer

Sometimes the right advice is to stay. If you are early in a fixed contract at a rate that was competitive when signed, and leaving costs a termination fee, the arithmetic frequently does not support moving. We say so — we would rather tell you to wait six months and call back than sign you into something for the sake of it.

Call 832-573-8546 and we will read your current plan before you do anything.

Switching questions

How do I switch electricity providers in Houston?

Pick a plan, enrol with the new provider, and they handle the rest with CenterPoint. You do not need to contact your old provider — the switch request cancels the old service automatically on the changeover date. There is no fee to switch and no interruption.

Do I need to tell my current provider I am leaving?

No. The new provider submits the switch through the utility and your old account closes on the changeover date. You will receive a final bill from the old provider covering usage up to that point.

What is an early termination fee and how do I find mine?

It is a charge for leaving a fixed-rate contract before the end date, typically a flat amount or an amount per remaining month. It is stated in your Terms of Service document and often on your bill. It is the first thing worth checking, because it can make an otherwise good switch not worth doing yet.

Can I switch if I owe money to my current provider?

An outstanding balance does not block a switch, but it does not disappear either — you still owe it, and an unpaid balance can affect your deposit requirement with the new provider. If you are behind, say so up front; there are better and worse ways to handle it.

How long before my contract ends should I start looking?

About 30 to 60 days. Providers will let you lock a new rate ahead of your end date so the new plan starts the day the old one finishes, with no gap and no month on a variable holdover rate.

Is there a "cooling off" period after I sign up?

Yes. Texas rules give residential customers three federal business days after enrolment to cancel a switch without penalty. After that the contract stands.

Switch once, and switch to the right thing

We read what you are on now, take it to the providers we hold agreements with, and tell you whether it is worth moving. If it is not, we say so.

Compare my options Call 832-573-8546

No cost, no obligation. Monday–Friday, 8:00am–6:00pm CT.