FAQ

Simply put, in addition to being easy to use and free for Texas households in deregulated electricity markets, EnerWisely uses the most comprehensive and unbiased analytics to find the plan that matches your unique consumption and goals.  Our calculation engine does the math and estimates total costs, taking into account your real usage and all the details of each plan available to give you a Real Cost that reflects your unique consumption habits. It is also the only service available to find not only electricity plan savings, but also energy, efficiency and environmental savings to maximize your gains.

What is more, EnerWisely continues supporting your journey towards your energy goals with progress reports, personalized insights to continue optimizing your energy usage, and reminders about when your plan expiration is approaching.

EnerWisely`s calculation engine uses -with your authorization- the data corresponding to your last 12 months of electricity consumption to generate your Energy Fingerprint, a personalized assessment of your consumption trends, habits and goals. Our calculation engine does its math and estimates costs, taking into account all the details of each plan available to give you a Real Cost that reflects your unique consumption habits. EnerWisely also calculates the polluting emissions for each plan, and after entering the matching criteria reflecting the energy goals that matter to you, EnerWisely calculates a Matching Score that indicates the compatibility between your unique Energy FingerPrint and each plan available.

EnerWisely is the only service available to find not only electricity plan savings, but also energy, efficiency and environmental savings to maximize your gains.

Your energy data is your electrical consumption and generation information or, simply put, the amount of electricity you used and generated during a given time period. The kilowatt hour (kWh) is the most commonly used unit of measure to explain the amount of electricity consumed over time.

Your electric meter data belongs to you and cannot be released without your expressed approval.  As the owner of your meter data, you have the choice of giving authorization to Quantum New Energy (EnerWisely` parent company) to act as your agent to set up your Smart Meter Texas account and access and use your Smart Meter data. This data is used to provide the personalized energy intelligence services provided in the EnerWisely portal that will help you better understand your energy consumption profile and optimize your energy usage. Quantum New Energy and EnerWisely will not share your individual meter data with any third parties.

No. However, all active electricity retail providers (REP`s) certified by the Public Utility Commission of Texas are invited to join EnerWisely. We continue expanding our network of energy partners that share our vision for transparency and consumer empowerment, and the number of electric plans and providers in our marketplace will continue to grow.

No, most homes in Texas already have Smart Meters installed by their utility companies. So there is not any additional equipment required.

A smart meter is a type of electricity meter that has continuously available, remote, communication and information storage capability. It records and stores your energy data in 15-minute intervals and communicates that energy information back to your electric utility company. Unlike traditional electric meters that only measure total consumption, Smart Meters show when the energy was consumed.

Smart Meter Texas is an interface for access to smart meter information in the state. The site stores energy data recorded by digital electric meters (commonly known as ‘smart meters’) and provides secure access to that data to customers and authorized market participants. Most homes in Texas already have Smart Meters installed by their utility companies, but not everybody has a Smart Meter Texas account to access their energy data. We at EnerWisely – with your authorization- help you access your energy data to find the all the savings hidden in it.

In the case that you forget your password, simply enter your username (the email you signed up with) on the “Login” page and click “Forgot My Password.” Afterwards, you should receive an email from us with a link to reset your password.

EnerWisely regards the confidentiality, security, and protection of your personal and financial information with the highest priority. We use 128-bit encryption to protect the transmission of your data to our site and are compliant with The US Department of Energy DataGuard Energy Data Privacy. For more information, please visit our Privacy Policy page.

As of right now, EnerWisely`s portal is available in deregulated areas in the state of Texas. We will be expanding the coverage of our consumer facing portal nationwide in the near future.

As of right now, EnerWisely`s services are free for Texas Households in deregulated electricity markets. As we continue expanding and introducing new capabilities, new service levels will become available.

EnerWisely’s personalized energy intelligence services are currently free for Texas’ households in deregulated electricity markets.

EnerWisely uses real data and math to determine the compatibility between each plan details and the consumer energy goals. We don’t promote plans or manipulate the calculations.

Consumers who order their electricity plans through EnerWisely do not pay fees of any kind to us. The chosen electricity provider pays a fee to Quantum New Energy, EnerWisely’s parent company.

As of right now, EnerWisely`s services are only free for Texas Households in deregulated electricity markets. Energy Brokers can obtain paid licenses to use our proprietary patented technology.

PowertoChoose.com is the electric choice website of the Public Utility Commission of Texas. It is a great source of information, however, there are some caveats. For each plan, they only show the advertised cost per kWh at three standardized consumption levels (500, 1000 and 1500kWh) and don’t allow to account for a user’s real consumption, which rarely is a constant average over time. This is a huge oversight that might lead to very inaccurate cost assumptions, and unfortunately, is the common approach used not only by PowertoChoose but also by most comparison sites.

PowertoChoose is mainly a neutral source of information, and while it offers a great set of filters to support your screening process, without doing any calculations that take into account all the plan details to calculate your actual total cost, all the heavy lifting and the confusion is left for you to figure it out. Finally, PowertoChoose limits the number of plans of any one given type (fixed, variable, and indexed) that a REP may post on their website

If you’d prefer a free, fully personalized and comprehensive way to cut through the clutter with unbiased analytics, then use EnerWisely.com instead to find the plan that matches your unique consumption and goals.

Simply put, in addition to being easy to use and free for Texas households in deregulated electricity markets, EnerWisely uses the most comprehensive and unbiased analytics to find the plan that matches your unique consumption and goals.  Our calculation engine does the math and estimates total costs, taking into account your real usage and all the details of each plan available to give you a Real Cost that reflects your unique consumption habits. It is also the only service available to find not only electricity plan savings, but also energy, efficiency and environmental savings to maximize your gains.

What is more, EnerWisely continues supporting your journey towards your energy goals with progress reports, personalized insights to continue optimizing your energy usage, and reminders about when your plan expiration is approaching.

Electric companies are required to provide an Electricity Facts Label for each plan. This fact sheet contains standardized information about the plan’s rates, fees, and contract terms. For the best way to compare electricity plans in Texas, use our Energy MatchMaker service.

In the state of Texas, a Retail Electric Provider (REP) is a company that sells electricity to consumers. Your REP is the company that sends you your monthly electric bill.

An Electric Utility Company is a company that transmits and distributes electricity to a specific premise (your home or business). Your electric utility company is responsible for:

• Maintaining the poles, wires, and meter that deliver and measure the electricity consumed by your home or business
• Reading your meter and providing the information to your REP
• Restoring service when there is a power outage

It is a document provided by Electricity providers showing pricing information and contract terms in a standardized format so that you can compare offers.

The Terms of Service Agreement informs you of the company’s contract terms and conditions. Along with your Electricity Facts Label, the Terms of Service Agreement are your contract with your REP.

All electricity plans levy the same Transmission and Distribution Utility (TDU) charges, which your REP bills on your TDU’s behalf. Sometimes the REP will “bundle” the energy and TDU charges into a single, combined rate. Other times they’ll keep the Energy charges unbundled and “pass through” the TDU charges without markup. Neither way is inherently better, as long as you always compare plans by total cost as EnerWisely does.

No two electricity consumers are alike. Home features, life situations, lifestyles, preferences, and usage habits make each person unique, meaning that there is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. We believe that there are no good or bad plans but rather poor fits between plans and users. That is why our objective at EnerWisely is to not only help unbiasedly calculate each plans total cost, integrating all their specific details and your actual energy data, but also to generate your comprehensively personalized Energy  FingerPrint incorporating your lifestyle, goals and the things that matter to you when selecting an electricity plan. We help you cut through the clutter and the confusion and help you find plans sure to satisfy your needs and wants.

Anytime you want, but if you’re not willing to pay an early termination fee, then switch no earlier than 14 days before your contract expiration date. Your REP must list the contract expiration date on your monthly bill at least 30 days or one billing cycle in advance. If you have questions about your current contract expiration date, call your REP.

EnerWisely will assess if there are any early cancelation fees associated with your plan selection and will take it into consideration to calculate your net annualized savings, if you provide the name of your current electricity plan and the expiration date of your current contract when using our service.

Once you order your electricity service with EnerWisely we will store the details of your electricity plan, including its expiration date. As long as your EnerWisely account remains active, you can always access your plan details and expiration date in your profile page, and we will also send your reminders when your plan expiration date is approaching.

You should either renew your service with your current service provider or select a new provider before your contract ends in order to prevent being automatically switched to a month-to-month, variable rate plan.

When switching providers, you do not have to notify your current one. However, make sure that you aren’t breaking any existing contracts in order to avoid penalties. To check, review your Terms of Service agreement for details.

After you sign a new contract, you will receive a mailer from ERCOT, Texas` electric grid operator, confirming your switch. Once you receive the confirmation, you will have three business days to change your mind. The switch to your new provider will happen automatically within seven business days. Also, there will be no lapse in your service. You will receive your first electric bill from your new electric company on the following billing cycle.

Note that customers can choose a new plan or electric company at any time (there may be penalties if you break an existing contract with your current electric company earlier than 14 days before your contract expiration date).

You can access your plan details in Profile section of your Energy Dashboard. Your Energy Dashboard will be the first page you land on every time you log back into your account. For more information, such as billing questions, contact your retail electricity provider.

Your electricity delivery service will not be interrupted because of your plan switch. Your new supplier will directly take care of the logistics with your former supplier and your local utility.

Slamming is an illegal practice consisting of switching your electric service provider without your permission. When using EnerWisely, you must confirm that you are the person authorized to place an electricity plan order for the given service address.

Cramming is the illegal practice of adding charges to your electric bill for additional services without your permission.

Billing disputes should be directed to your electric company. If disputes cannot be resolved, please contact the Public Utility Commission of Texas Customer Hotline toll-free at 1-888-PUC-TIPS (1-888-782-8477)

Depending on the amount of electricity you use and the fuel use to generate the electricity you consume there will be a level of carbon emissions released to the environment.  Electricity generated by renewable resources has the lowest level of associated polluting emissions.

Renewable energy is power generated from naturally replenishing resources that aren’t depleted when used, such as wind or solar power. Renewable energy can help the environment by reducing the global warming emissions associated with the consumption of other forms of energy.

Fossil fuels, including coal, oil, and natural gas, are non-renewable resources that formed from organic material over the course of millions of years. Fossil fuels are currently the world’s primary energy source, and accounted for 80% of the total energy consumption in the US.

Actions such using electricity plans with high or full renewable energy content can lower your carbon footprint. Reducing your consumption of energy also can lower your carbon footprint. Identifying electricity leaks, understanding your consumption patterns, and understanding the factors that contribute to your energy consumption efficiency are essential to the process of optimizing your energy consumption, and EnerWisely is here to help you identify, track and achieve your energy goals.

Carbon footprint refers to the amount of carbon dioxide and other carbon compounds that an individual, group, or organization lets into the atmosphere in a certain time frame. It is important to understand and reduce your carbon footprint in order to slow down the greenhouse effect, which traps heat from the sun and warms the Earth.