Many of you are posting online about your most recent power bills doubling or even tripling.
25News talked with a Central Texas energy insider who explains some helpful suggestions to help prevent future higher power bills ahead of any additional winter weather.
Watch Bobby's story here:
TG Ermoian is president and founder of Texas Energy Aggregation. He said there are two factors to keep in mind if your power bill was recently higher than normal.
- How many kilowatt hours you used?
- How much you pay per kilowatt hour — which can vary from company to company.
TG said even if your bill is double or triple following the recent winter weather we saw at the end of January, your power company isn’t going to haggle or budge on pricing but your best choice is to switch companies if you’re not still under contract.
He said, “the power companies won’t like me saying this but they never give returning customers the best deal. They give new customers the best deal to acquire you.”
Keep in mind, your contract end date can be found on your bill and TG said you can shop for the best rates on powertochose.org.
TG said it’s important to know your usage and how much you pay for it when shopping around.
He added, “look at how many kilowatt hours you use every month, that’s right there on your bill. Take the money that you pay — divide it by the kilowatt hours, that’s your actually cost per kilowatt hour.”
TG suggests your next contract should be based on your comfort level with future energy rates and he added — “the prices are always moving upwards or downwards. If you’re optimistic sign a shorter-term contract. If you’re less optimistic about energy rates go for a longer term rate. Lock it in and don’t worry about it for a few years.”
Families with lower incomes may be able to get assistance, click here to learn more.
