Frequently Asked Questions

CATEGORY: Texas Energy & Power, LLC How long has TXEP been in business? TXEP began serving customers in April 2004, merely two years after when electricity deregulation in Texas began in January of 2002. Currently, TXEP has customers in Texas and is considered one of the fastest growing retail electric marketers in Texas. Will my chances of power outage be any different if TXEP becomes my retail provider? No. As a TXEP customer, your chances of having an electrical outage do not change. Your electricity is purchased from TXEP, however your Local Energy Delivery Company (CenterPoint, Oncor, AEP, Texas New Mexico Power) will continue to deliver electricity to your business and respond to outages and emergencies 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, just as they do today. Your TXEP bill includes a specific phone number for you to call in the event of an outage. Will TXEP customers be given the same priority for outages as customers of other retail providers? Yes, A specific customer's retail electricity provider (such as TXEP) has no bearing on how the Local Energy Delivery Company (CenterPoint, Oncor, AEP, and Texas New Mexico Power) responds to and/or prioritizes outage and emergency calls. Furthermore, the Local Energy Delivery Companies are still regulated by the Public Utility Commission of Texas. How can I be sure that TXEP is going to be able to get electricity to my business? When you change electricity providers, there is no change in the delivery of electricity to your business. The current Local Energy Delivery Company in your area remains the same and will continue to transmit and distribute electricity to your business, as well as provide any maintenance in the event of an outage. Local Energy Delivery Companies: CenterPoint Energy- Houston area; Oncor Energy- Dallas Ft Worth area; AEP- South Texas and West Texas; Texas New Mexico Power - Various Texas suburbs. In the event of an outage will my service be restored as quickly as it is with my current electricity provider? If your neighborhood experiences an outage, everyone is affected no matter who their provider is. The Local Energy Delivery Company (CenterPoint, Oncor, AEP, and Texas New Mexico Power) who services the outage will not know who your retail electricity provider is. There is no difference in service what so ever. Your TXEP bill will include a specific outage number for you to call in the event of an outage and that number is handled by your Local Energy Delivery Company for your area. This telephone number is different from the one of your electricity company, which is mainly for customer services such as billing questions. Is TXEP financially stable? What happens if TXEP or its REP is out of business? Yes, TXEP and its Rep are financially stable. Even if we were out of business, the Provider of Last Resort (POLR) serves as a back-up electric service provider in the event a retail REP leaves the market for any reason. POLR service is a safety net for customers whose chosen REP is unable to continue service. Is TXEP certified by the PUC? Yes, TXEP's REP is certified to market electricity in Texas markets that the PUC has opened up for competition. How can TXEP offer me lower rates than other providers? TXEP 's cost of doing business is much lower allowing TXEP to pass those savings along to the customer. Additionally, the AREP (incumbent provider) in your area can only offer the "Price to Beat" set by the PUCT while TXEP is allowed to offer rates that are lower. Is the price fixed or does it change? TXEP has consistently grown by being one of the lowest priced electricity providers in Texas and we believe this will continue to drive our success. In the event of rising prices for natural gas, a key fuel used to produce electricity, providers may need to raise electricity prices. TXEP works hard to ensure our rates are among the lowest. During the signed contract term, the price would not be increased. What if other companies of Price to Beat like Reliant lower their price? If such Price to Beat decreases in your service area, TXEP will reduce your contract price by the same percentage as any such decrease. Your acceptance of the price savings wille xtend the term of your electric service agreement by twelve additional months, if TXEP reduces your contact price as a result of a change in the Price to Beat. Do we expect the same energy problems that happened in California to occur in Texas? No, Texas has not experienced any of the problems that happened in California. In fact, Texas is considered a model state for electricity deregulation. If I sign up with TXEP, do I need to notify my current Retail Electricity Provider? No, we will handle the notification and switch process with your current electricity provider. Do not call your current provider to cancel as this may disrupt your service. What markets do you serve? TXEP is currently servicing industrial and business customers in Texas markets open to deregulation and has plans to service areas outside of Texas in the near future. How long does it take to switch my service to TXEP? After you sign-up, service is switched over to TXEP after your next scheduled meter read date which will take approximately 30-45 days. Do you provide natural gas service? Currently, we do not offer natural gas services. Do you have any service charge? Yes, the Meter Service charge is based on the usage. If your demand is under 50 KW, then the Meter Service charge is $8; if your demand is above 50 KW, then the charge is $15. What are the components of the TXEP REP's electricity bill? The price to be paid by you to TXEP's REP basically includes four parts: a) the fixed energy supply prices; b) pass through of all charges TXEP's REP incurs from the TDSP, ERCOT, and the PUCT with respect to your Electricity and service. c) a fixed, minimum monthly service charge of $8.00 for each meter or Electric Service Identifier ("ESI ID"); d) all applicable Taxes as well as any late fees or penalties that are applicable pursuant to the agreement. Is there any local phone number I can call if I experience a service interruption or electrical emergency? Yes, you can call TXEP's REP at 713-465-6200 (for UCE) or 1-866-839-2782 when you experience outage. CATEGORY: GENERAL ELECTRICITY QUESTIONS What is deregulation? Deregulation is the opening of a market to competition in a previously regulated industry. The electricity industry is now deregulated in Texas, giving customers the opportunity to purchase their energy from the retail electricity provider of their choice while using the same distribution lines of the existing energy delivery companies. Deregulation is occurring nationwide on a state-by-state basis. This gives Texans the right to choose their electricity company. What is an AREP or incumbent provider? An AREP is an Affiliated Retail Electric Provider also known as an incumbent provider. An AREP is a company who offers electric services for a defined area (Reliant in Houston, TXU in Dallas/Ft. Worth, CPL in South Texas, WTU in West Texas, and First Choice in various Texas suburbs) and charges a "Price to Beat" rate set by the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT). What is a "Price to Beat"? A "Price to Beat" is the rate the AREP (incumbent provider) must offer in their defined service area and is set by the PUCT. TXEP is a competitive retail electricity provider and can offer lower rates in all service areas in Texas. What is a REP? A REP is a Retail Electric Provider (also known as a Competitive Retailer). A REP is a company who offers competitive retail electric services and is certified by the Public Utility Commission of Texas. What is an Energy Delivery Company? The Energy Delivery Company in your area is the company responsible for the delivery of electricity to your business or business, responsible for maintaining the poles and wires and responding to emergencies and power outages. No matter who you buy your electricity from, the local energy delivery company in your area provides these services. Local Energy Delivery Companies: CenterPoint Energy- Houston area; Oncor Energy- Dallas Ft Worth area; AEP- South Texas and West Texas; Texas New Mexico Power - Various Texas suburbs. Who do I call if my power goes out? You call your Local Energy Delivery Company. Their number is located on your monthly electricity bill. What is an ESI-ID? ESI-ID (22 digits) stands for "Electric Service Identification". This is a unique number that identifies the port of electric service. This number is different than your account and meter number. Your Retail Electricity Provider can research this number by providing a service location, or previous account or meter number. If customers have a previous electric bill on hand for their service address, the ESI-ID should be listed on this bill What is a Kilowatt-hour? Electricity use is measured by a meter that records kilowatt-hours. A kilowatt hour is 1,000 watts of electricity used for one hour. CATEGORY: BILLING How will I be billed? You will be billed by TXEP's REP for recurring charges for the electricity you use and a monthly customer base charge. When will I receive my first bill for electricity from TXEP's REP? Depending on your billing cycle, you should receive your final bill from your current provider within 30-45 days. Following that, you should receive your first bill in approximately 35-40 days. Is the price per kWh affected by how much electricity I use or when I use it? No. The kWh price is a simple flat rate and will not vary by the amount of your usage or the time of usage. Most electricity providers have higher seasonal rates and charge you more as you use more. How are taxes calculated? All taxes that appear on your bill will adhere to, and be consistent with the tax laws in your area. Some companies may charge you on special taxes. Do you charge a monthly fee? Your bill will include a monthly customer base charge, which is lower than all incumbent providers' monthly service charge. This fee is for ongoing costs associated with customer care, billing and other operational processes. What are my payment options? Your payment options are check, automatic banking transfer, and credit card payment. Is there a set-up charge? No, there is no set up charge when you signup with TXEP's REP. For more questions, please call us at 713-782-8869 and 713-782-8849, or e-mail us at info@txep.us.