Contract ending
My electricity contract is ending. What should I do?
When your Texas electricity contract ends, pick your next plan before the end date. In the last 14 days, you can switch with no cancellation fee.
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The last third of your contract
Notices start to arrive
At least 3, marked "Contract Expiration Notice".
At least 30 days before the end
The last notice arrives
It shows your end date and what happens if you do nothing.
14 days before the end
Switch with no cancellation fee
From here to the end date, leaving costs no fee.
After the end date
If you do nothing
You move to a month-to-month plan. Its price can change with each bill.
Not to scale. From the Public Utility Commission of Texas rules (16 TAC §25.475), for a home's fixed-price contract longer than four months.
The 14-day window
If your contract has a cancellation fee, your notices must say so. Under Texas rule 16 TAC §25.475, you can leave without paying it in the last 14 days.
But a switch can take up to 7 business days. So start early in the window, not in its last few days.
Your electricity provider is the company that sells you power and sends your bill. When you switch, your new provider handles the paperwork for you.
Your provider has to warn you
Before a fixed-price contract ends, your provider must send you at least 3 notices. Look for Contract Expiration Notice on the envelope or in the email subject line.
The last one arrives at least 30 days before the end date, with that date in bold, underlined print.
Never got a notice? Then your provider must keep you on your old contract's terms until it sends one.
What happens if you do nothing?
Your power stays on, but you move to your provider's month-to-month plan. Its price can change with every bill.
By rule, a month-to-month plan has no cancellation fee. You can leave any time, but until you do, you pay a price you never chose.
Doing nothing does not turn off your power. It just picks your next price for you, and it is typically higher.
Should you take the renewal offer?
Your notice may include a renewal offer from your provider. It is one option, not the only one.
Your last notice must also include the label for the month-to-month plan. That is the price you will pay if you do nothing, so compare it too.
Compare both with the other plans in your ZIP, using your own usage. Before you sign, read the plan's Electricity Facts Label, its official price sheet.
Changed your mind after signing up? For a switch, you have 3 federal business days to cancel with no fee. The clock starts when you receive the Terms of Service.
More than two weeks left?
Leaving early usually means paying a cancellation fee. It only makes sense if the savings are bigger than the fee.
Should you switch now?You could save about $15/mo.
Based on your latest bill, switching now is estimated to save about $152 for the remaining term, after the $150 cancellation fee.
Your rate now14.2¢
New plan's rate11.2¢
Average price per kWh for your usage over the next 10 months.
- Stay on current plan
- $1,429
- Total cost for next 10 months
- Switch now
- $1,127
- Total cost for next 10 months
- Fee to leave
- $150
- Your current plan's cancellation fee
- Estimated savings
- $152
- About $15 a month
All numbers are estimated for your usage.
Your bill analysis
Provider
Example Energy
Current plan
Sample Saver 12
Your current rate
14.2¢ / kWh
Contract end date
Jun 30, 2027
Illustrative, not a current offer. An example home using 1,100 kWh a month on a 14.2¢ bill, moving to a plan estimated at 11.2¢, with a $150 cancellation fee.
Upload your latest bill, and we estimate whether switching now or waiting will likely cost you less.
Beat the end date
Start shopping when the first notice arrives.
Use the no-fee window
Switch in the last 14 days, and allow a week for it to go through.
Use your own usage
Compare plans on what your home uses, not on an ad's 1,000 kWh.
Line up your next plan
Enter your usage and see which plan is likely to cost your home the least.
Find my best planSources (2)
Articles are general information for Texas electricity shoppers. Every cost Power Rate Check shows is an estimate, and the Electricity Facts Label is the provider's official price document — read it before you sign.