Switching electricity providers in Texas is one online form and a few days of waiting. Nothing at your house changes: the same wires, the same meter, the same company fixing outages. The only thing that changes is who sends the bill. Here is the whole process, start to finish.
What you need before you start
- Your service address, exactly as it appears on your current bill.
- Your ESI ID, a 17-digit number (22 at CenterPoint addresses) printed on every Texas electricity bill (look for “ESI ID” or “ESIID”). It identifies your meter, not you, and it stays the same when you switch. Providers can usually look it up from the address, but having it avoids a mismatch.
- Identification. Providers run a credit check and may ask for a deposit. If you have paid your current provider on time for the last year, ask them for a letter of credit; Texas rules say it counts as satisfactory credit and the deposit is waived.
- Your contract end date and fee, if you are still under contract. See when to switch for the 14-day fee-free window.
Step 1: Pick the plan on your own usage
Don’t pick by the advertised price. Price each plan on your last 12 months of usage and choose the lowest total. WattaWatt does this for every plan it tracks from a photo of your bill, with the math shown. Before you enroll, read the plan’s Electricity Facts Label once; everything the provider promised is on it.
Step 2: Enroll on the provider’s site
Enrollment happens on the provider’s own website, not on comparison sites like this one. You’ll choose a start date: “switch as soon as possible” or a specific day. Pick a day inside the last 14 days of your current contract if you have one. You’ll get the Terms of Service and the EFL by email; keep them.
Step 3: The switch happens on its own
Your new provider submits the switch to ERCOT, the grid operator, which notifies Oncor and your old provider. A standard switch usually takes effect within a few days, on the date you chose if you chose one. There is no outage and no visit. If you have a smart meter, which nearly every Oncor home does, the handover is a remote meter read.
You don’t need to call your old provider to cancel. The switch ends your old service on the switch date, and the old provider sends a final bill for the days up to it. Calling to cancel yourself can actually cause trouble, since a cancellation processed before the switch can leave a gap.
Three business days to change your mind
Texas rules give you a right of rescission on a switch: three federal business days after you receive the Terms of Service to cancel the new contract at no cost, for any reason. It applies to switches, not to moving into a new address.
Step 4: Check the first bill
When the first bill arrives, compare it against the EFL: the energy charge times your kWh, the base charge if any, Oncor’s delivery charges, and any credit or fee. Bills are occasionally wrong in the first month, usually from a proration across the switch date. If the numbers don’t match, call the provider; the EFL is the contract.
Step 5: Set a reminder for the end
The expensive mistake isn’t choosing a slightly worse plan. It is letting a good plan expire onto a holdover rate. Note the new end date now, or let WattaWatt email you 45 days before it.
Common questions
Will I have two bills during the switch?
One final bill from the old provider for the days before the switch, then regular bills from the new one. They don’t overlap.
Does switching affect my outage service?
No. Oncor restores power and maintains the lines regardless of who you buy from. Report outages to Oncor, not your provider. See what Oncor does and charges.
What if my current provider offers me a renewal?
Renewal offers often cost more than the same provider charges new customers. Price the renewal on your 12 months like any other plan. If it wins, take it; loyalty isn’t a factor in your favor here.