Report: Texas Electricity Complaints At Lowest Point Since Deregulation

Electric consumer complaints have fallen for the fourth consecutive year in Texas and now stand at the lowest level so far recorded under the state’s electric deregulation law, the Texas Coalition for Affordable Power said today in releasing an analysis.

All told, electricity-related complaints filed with the Texas Public Utility Commission have declined nearly 17 percent from the 2012 fiscal year, and are less than half the number from a peak recorded in 2009.

"The decline in customer complaints comes as good news for Texas consumers, and may suggest that the market has matured since the inception of electric deregulation in 2002," said Dr. Randy Moravec, TCAP executive director. "However, Texans still file many more complaints today than they filed prior to electric competition. The data show continuing dissatisfaction relating to billing and customer service. When selecting a retail electric provider, customers should use the powertochoose website to identify complaint ratings for providers in addition to their prices."

TCAP's analysis reveals that electric complaints have declined four years in a row, and in FY 2013 stood at 7,129. TCAP noted that the drop follows a downward trend in Texas electricity prices, which in turn is linked to changes in the commodity price of natural gas — a key fuel for many electricity plants.

TCAP said that the 2013 complaint numbers also are the lowest since 2,062 were filed one year prior to retail electric deregulation in Texas.

TCAP said that the average annual number of electricity-related complaints fielded by the PUC during the four pre-deregulation years in the survey was approximately 1,316. After deregulation, it was 11,111.

Link to TCAP complaint analysis