The Weekly Volt — This week's Texas electricity rates (April 20, 2026)
This week's Texas retail electricity market: we pulled every fixed-rate plan available through Power to Choose and ranked them by what they'd actually cost at 1,000 kWh of monthly usage. Here's what we found.
Top 5 cheapest in Oncor territory
Effective rates at 1,000 kWh, fixed-rate, 6-36 month terms. Bill-credit plans excluded.
- •#1 CHARIOT ENERGY — "GridPlus 12": 7.5¢/kWh, 12 months, 100% renewable
- •#2 Energy Texas — "The Lone Saver 12": 9.7¢/kWh, 12 months, 100% renewable
- •#3 RHYTHM — "Rhythm Saver 12": 9.7¢/kWh, 12 months, 100% renewable
- •#4 Budget Power — "No Gimmicks 14": 12.0¢/kWh, 14 months, 35% renewable
- •#5 TRUE POWER — "True Value 12": 12.0¢/kWh, 12 months, 15% renewable
Top 5 cheapest in Texas-New Mexico Power territory
Effective rates at 1,000 kWh, fixed-rate, 6-36 month terms. Bill-credit plans excluded.
- •#1 CHARIOT ENERGY — "GridPlus 12": 9.1¢/kWh, 12 months, 100% renewable
- •#2 RHYTHM — "Rhythm Saver 12": 12.4¢/kWh, 12 months, 100% renewable
- •#3 Energy Texas — "The Lone Saver 12": 12.4¢/kWh, 12 months, 100% renewable
- •#4 TRUE POWER — "True Value 12": 13.3¢/kWh, 12 months, 15% renewable
- •#5 Budget Power — "No Gimmicks 14": 13.3¢/kWh, 14 months, 35% renewable
Traps to avoid this week
These plans advertise attractive headline rates but only deliver the low price if your monthly kWh lands exactly at a specific threshold (usually 1,000 or 2,000). Miss by 50 kWh in either direction and your real effective rate jumps by 3-6¢. We rank them separately because almost nobody consistently hits the threshold.
- •⚠ Octopus Energy "Octopus Lite 12 " — advertises 7.3¢/kWh at 1,000 kWh, but rates at other usage levels are very different. Check the EFL.
- •⚠ Octopus Energy "Octopus Lite 12 " — advertises 7.7¢/kWh at 1,000 kWh, but rates at other usage levels are very different. Check the EFL.
- •⚠ AMIGO ENERGY "Power Perks - 12" — advertises 8.9¢/kWh at 1,000 kWh, but rates at other usage levels are very different. Check the EFL.
- •⚠ TARA ENERGY "Value Choice - 12" — advertises 8.9¢/kWh at 1,000 kWh, but rates at other usage levels are very different. Check the EFL.
- •⚠ JUST ENERGY "Smart Choice - 12" — advertises 8.9¢/kWh at 1,000 kWh, but rates at other usage levels are very different. Check the EFL.
Voltcheckr's analyzer detects bill-credit thresholds automatically. Upload your bill and we'll calculate your real effective rate at your actual kWh — not the advertised one.
This is the absolute cheapest fixed-rate plan in Texas this week across every TDU we track. 12-month lock, no bill-credit gotchas, no variable surprises. The 7.2¢/kWh rate applies at 1,000 kWh — verify the EFL before switching to see how it moves at your usage level.
The numbers above are great if you're on the city average — but the real savings depend on YOUR actual usage. Upload your bill and Voltcheckr ranks every plan by what you'd actually pay, not the advertised rate.
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