Texas REP Launches Plans With No Monthly Minimum Usage Fee

Discount Power, a Volterra Energy company, announced that it has launched in Texas several residential electric products with no monthly fee, named the Value Plus plans.

The Value Plus plan is offered as a fixed rate for 12, 18, or 24 months, at Oncor, CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric, AEP Texas Central, AEP Texas North, and Texas-New Mexico Power.

At Oncor, the Value Plus 12 and 24 plans, fixed for 12 months and 24 months, respectively, offer an average all-in rate (all rates quoted at 1,000 kWh usage) of 9.2¢/kWh, reflecting an energy charge of 9.03¢/kWh, and a pass-through of TDU non-volumetric charges of $2.19 per month.

At Oncor, the Value Plus 18 plan, fixed for 18 months, offers an average all-in rate of 9.1¢/kWh, reflecting an energy charge of 8.93¢/kWh, and a pass-through of TDU non-volumetric charges of $2.19 per month.

A $5 fee applies to payments not made using auto-pay. A $2 fee applies if the customer elects to not use e-billing where required.

The 12-month and 18-month products include an early termination fee of $120. The 24-month product includes an early termination fee of $149.

A no-monthly-fee fixed rate with 100% renewable power is also offered for 12 or 24 months.

For a limited time, customers that use the promo code POWER50 to enroll will receive a $50 bill credit on their first monthly statement, and will also be entered into Discount Power’s Winter 2015 Sweepstakes, with a grand prize of a $600 airline voucher.

Chief Executive Officer of Discount Power, Neville Ravji, stated, "In big cities, such as Houston and Dallas, a large portion of the residents are living in apartments or small homes that do not consume considerable amounts of electricity. The catch is that while they are on the lower spectrum of energy use, they are being penalized for this through a monthly minimum usage fee. This also impacts people living in larger homes during certain months of the year. It is certainly not fair and we have heard this from consumers. So, we are offering the Value Plus plans."