Are You Overpaying for Electricity Service?

KHOU, one of the local television stations here in Houston, ran a story earlier this week stressing the fact that consumers that don't shop around for electricity service end up paying much more than those that do. As electricity prices continue to fall, KHOU found that many people either don't know about the drops or just don't how to take advantage of them.

Electricity deregulation has allowed consumers to choose their electricity provider, which can be a double-edged sword. Those that are proactive with their electricity service can save on their bills, but those that aren't proactive could end up throwing lots of money away. In fact, a utility rate attorney quoted in the story estimated that Houstonians alone are overpaying billions of dollars on their electricity bills each year.

With summer and higher electricity usage just around the corner, this is the perfect time to take charge of your electricity bill. If you're ready to save, here's what you need to do:

• Figure out what you're paying now – Electricity bills can be pretty confusing, even for the most savvy consumer. Check out this primer to figure out what you're paying now.
• Compare your cost to the average for your city – To see how your bill stacks up with the average for your city, head on over to the WhiteFence Index. Even if you're under the average cost, chances are you could be saving even more.
• Compare your options – It used to be that to find the best deal on electricity service, you'd have to look up what providers serve your area and call each provider for rates. Now, when you enter your address on WhiteFence's electricity page, you'll get an easily compareable list of providers and plans in just seconds. As a bonus, when you shop with WhiteFence, you'll find exclusive rates and promotions. For details on how to compare all of your options, check out this guide.
• Order your new service – Electricity prices change every day, so if you find a great deal, make sure you order your service as soon as you've made a decision.

Google Invests in Wind Power

A few months back, we told you about Google’s plans to set up a super-fast fiber-optic network that would make the fastest broadband packages available today look as slow as dial-up does today. Now it looks like they’re aiming at another home service: clean electricity.

Earlier this week, Google announced that they have made their first direct investment in a “utility-scale” renewable energy project, investing almost forty million dollars in a pair of wind farms in North Dakota. Together, these wind farms generate enough electricity to power over 55,000 homes, and that’s just their first investment.

Why would a search engine invest in renewable energy? Over the last few years, Google has grown from a humble search company into to a sprawling enterprise with (amongst other things) their own cell phone platform, their own Web browser, the aforementioned fiber-optic network idea, and lots of interest in philanthropic and renewable energy projects. The company's interest in renewable power goes beyond their own operations, with aims on pushing the whole planet towards sustainability.

Besides this recent investment in wind power, Google has already set up its own power company and a platform for those with smart meters to monitor their electricity usage, in addition to lobbying for clean energy innovation.Clearly, Google is serious about being a part of the coming green energy revolution, putting its money where its mouth is. It'll be fascinating to see how deep Google’s commitment is and how the company will continue to evolve.

In twenty years, what do you think Google will be primarily known for? I’m willing to bet most people won’t just say “it’s a search engine.”

WhiteFence 101: How to Read an Electricity Bill

Electricity bills can be a little complicated at first glance, but I assure you they are full of valuable information and paying attention is worth the time. Here’s an overview of what you’ll find on your bill:

• Account Information – The bill should include your name, account information, address, and an invoice number.

• Amount Due – Your provider will list the amount you currently owe and when it is due. There will be an itemized breakdown of the various items that make up the amount due, so you can see what you are being charged for. They will also probably list when the payment will be considered late and what late charges you will be charged.

Taking Stock of Your Monthly Spending

In dealing with most things in my life, I wouldn't generally consider myself an apathetic person. In fact, I'm fairly on the ball when it comes to taking care of my responsibilities at home, or to my friends. But for some reason, when it comes to money matters, I sometimes adopt a lazy attitude about my finances and how I can be saving more money.

I don't mean being a budget hawk or anything like that, where I'm counting every cent (oh those good ol' college days), but being conscious of where my money is going and where it is being wasted. Really, sometimes money just seems to disappear like picnic baskets in Jellystone Park. Minus the bears, of course.

As an example, my wife and I recently noted two areas where we could tidy up our monthly spending. The first was home phone. While having a home phone line can be useful for a variety of reasons (such as home security), we decided recently that we just weren't using it that often and might consider changing our plan. Likewise, our electricity contract just went up last month, so it's time to start looking around for a new rate. Guess which one of those we've done. Neither. I'm not really sure why that is, but I guess it's just easier to retain the status quo than it is to actively search for better deals.

So, here are some easy, non time-consuming things to help take a quick stock of your monthly spending:

5 Easy Ways to Go Green for Earth Day

Tomorrow is Earth Day and all over the world people are getting ready to do their part. Are you ready? Don’t worry, if you’re not sure what you can do to help tomorrow, I’ve put together five quick and easy tips:

• Become a fan of WhiteFence, plant a tree – That’s right, starting tomorrow for anyone that becomes a fan of WhiteFence on Facebook and remains a fan until Arbor Day (April 30^th), we will donate $1 to the Arbor Day Foundation to plant a tree (up to 1,500 trees)! How easy is that?

• Buy a programmable thermostat – Climate control makes up the bulk of many electricity bills (especially down here in Houston). Before the summer heat hits, why not invest in a programmable thermostat? They let you schedule your heating and cooling—so you don’t end up wasting electricity on an empty house—and can lower energy use by 10 percent.

• Dump your incandescent light bulbs – So, you’ve wanted to switch to CFLs for years, but haven’t made the plunge? What better time than Earth Day to make the change? Compact fluorescent light bulbs last much longer than traditional bulbs and can cut energy usage by a whopping 75 percent, making them an easy target for those looking to go green.

• Invest in a smart power strip – Did you know your house is filled with energy vampires? That’s right, lots of your household items draw power even when you’re not using them. Smart power strips let you cut those vampires off when you don’t need them, saving lots of electricity in the process.

• Switch to a green energy plan – Reducing energy use is incredibly important, but let’s not forget about the other side of the coin: where that energy comes from. By switching to a clean energy plan, you can make sure that the energy that you do use is not hurting the planet. To get started, head over to the homepage and enter your address to see if you have the option to switch to a renewable plan.

The Cost of Utilities in the Summer

I'm not sure where all of this blog's readers live, but here in Texas, we are slowly beginning to warm up. Soon, the weather here will transform from something fun and sunny to hot and death-inducing. This will happen seemingly overnight, and us Texans will be very upset about the heat as well as the stifling humidity. This will last until about November, where we will then be shocked by the fact that the Earth can in fact cool down a bit. Rinse and repeat for next year.

As things heat up, so will our home energy costs. Last week, we did a post talking about saving money with windows, and how they can be the biggest energy holes in your entire home.There are other factors that go into your monthly utility bills, such as weather sealing on doors, insulation, electricity/gas, etc. Each of these will affect your final monthly payment either positively or negatively, resulting in what you spend.

Since my post about windows and saving money, I've been wondering about what the summer energy bills are going to look like for my home. While things have been relatively tame during the winter, my wife and I have yet to experience a summer in this home, and I'm starting to wonder what kind of money we're going to have to pay to keep things from getting too hot inside.

So, it made me wonder what all of you pay each month for your summer energy bills. Feel free to answer the poll and discuss in the comments! If you live in a deregulated state for electricity, this might be the time to switch and potentially save before the summer. See if WhiteFence can help.

Windows, Energy Efficiency and Saving Money

We've talked a great deal on this blog about energy efficiency, how to save money on your energy bills and how to save money in general. There are many ways that you can go about cutting your monthly costs, from switching providers to being conscious of your energy habits. However, one of the biggest energy holes in your home happens to be your windows.

Right now my wife and I have single pane aluminum windows in our home, which are some of the worst barriers in terms of energy efficiency. Sitting on our couch watching TV over the winter, we could feel the drafty cold air pouring in on our backs. Apparently, houses lose as much as 30% of their energy through the windows, and replacing them can save about 25-30% in energy costs per year. Over time, that turns into quite a bit of savings.

Unfortunately, windows don't come cheap, especially if you live in a house with quite a few of them. As a result, trying to make the right decision about the types of windows you need can be overwhelming. My wife and I listened to a two hour spiel from a window salesman last night, so we know this first hand. Here are some factors to consider when replacing your windows...

Why Electricity Deregulation Matters

Here in Houston, like most parts of Texas, we have the power to choose our electricity provider. Despite having the option to switch providers in our area, most people I talk to around here either don’t know we are deregulated or don’t think switching providers is worth their time. Deregulation is actually a great opportunity for consumers, so I thought I’d help spread the word and take a minute here to explain why it’s worth knowing about and taking advantage of.

First, what is electricity deregulation? In a nutshell, deregulation takes a market served by one provider and opens it up for competition from multiple providers. Electricity delivery is still handled by the same ‘poles and wires’ company, but you buy electricity from a Retail Electricity Provider (REP) that handles customer service and billing. It’s as simple as that.

So why bother switching? Here are the top reasons electricity deregulation is good for you:

• Pay less for electricity – This is obviously the biggest benefit to energy deregulation. When providers compete for your business, you end up paying less for electricity service.

• Find renewable energy options – If being green is important to you, you have a much better chance of finding a green energy plan in a deregulated market.

WhiteFence Provider Highlight: TXU Energy

As consumers, the best thing we can do to help ourselves save money at home is to be informed. By knowing more about the utilities or services we can order and who is providing them to us, we can make better choices that add up to long term savings. That's why we've decided to start highlighting our providers more regularly, to bring you cool facts or interesting things you might not have known about them before.

Since we're edging closer to Summer, we're about to hit that time of year where electricity rates start climbing again. I know that for me, my recent low rate contract expired, so I'm currently on the lookout for a new electricity provider. I thought it would be fitting that for our first provider highlight, we took a look at one of the great electricity options you can find through WhiteFence.

This week's provider highlight? TXU Energy! If you are a Texas resident on the hunt for electricity, then you have no doubt heard of TXU Energy. Here are some features that might have gone overlooked in your most recent search for great electricity rates...

• TXU Energy iThermostat - This Web-enabled tool allows you to manage your air conditioner while you are not at home. Since the AC unit is typically the biggest energy hog in the entire house, this can really help you keep the costs of cooling your home much more affordable. The best part of all is that you can access this tool online and adjust it when you are at work or even on the road.


• TXU Energy Resident's Choice^SM - A current TXU Energy special, this plan is an online-only deal with auto recurring payment, making your monthly billing easier and stress-free.

In addition to these two bonuses that TXU Energy offers, you can get up to a $50 prepaid card when you order. Stay tuned, because more provider highlights will be coming in the near future.

Installing a Programmable Thermostat at Home

If the weather where you live is as volatile as it has been lately in Houston, then you may understand the pain of always having to fiddle with the thermostat in your home. I know that in my previous apartment unit, the thermostat was hard to read, which resulted in a temperatures that I was never quite satisfied with. The unit in our house is better, though it is also old and not always accurate. Through all of this, I've learned that if there's anything that can mess with both electricity and natural gas bills, it's a fickle thermostat.

One way to save money on those monthly bills is through the installation of a programmable thermostat. That way, you can manage when your heating/cooling is running during hotter or colder periods of the day, effectively cutting off the wasted energy when you are not at home or sleeping. This can cut your energy bill substantially, and is well worth the the time it takes.

Luckily for us, the guys over at Microsoft Hohm have put together a handy video that demonstrates the installation process for a programmable thermostat. We've written about Hohm before, so if you've never been there, it's definitely worth checking out to see how you can find some savings each year. In the meantime, check out the video.

So, who out there has a programmable thermostat in their own home? What have your experiences been? Tell us in the comments!