Compare fixed-rate electricity plans by applying each plan’s charges to the same months of your own usage, then adding up the bills. A fixed rate does not guarantee a fixed bill, and a low advertised price does not establish which plan costs your home less.
- Compare fixed rate electricity plans on the same usage and time period, not one advertised price.
- Count delivery charges, base charges and credits separately. Do not add delivery twice.
- Monthly totals work for flat-rate calculations; time-of-use electricity plans need your hourly pattern.
- Kilowhiz compares electricity plans using meter readings and identifies estimated usage when readings are incomplete.
How to compare fixed-rate electricity plans using your bills
Start with your usage, not your payment total. Your payment can include an old balance, a deposit or a one-time charge that has nothing to do with the next plan’s recurring cost.
The steps are straightforward:
- Collect the kilowatt-hours (kWh) used in each billing cycle, ideally covering 12 months.
- Get the current Electricity Facts Label (EFL), the plan’s price sheet, for every offer you want to compare.
- Calculate each billing cycle using that plan’s actual charges and credit rules.
- Add the cycle costs over the same period for every plan.
- Check contract length, eligibility and switching costs before choosing.
Kilowhiz’s methodology explains the same calculation, including how it handles missing meter history. You can also do a flat-rate comparison yourself in a spreadsheet. The important part is treating every offer the same way.
Why this matters before renewal
Your renewal notice presents one offer. It does not show what every alternative would cost on your home’s usage.
A comparison based only on last month can miss the months that change the result. Summer cooling, winter heating and quieter spring months do not necessarily qualify for the same credits. A plan that wins in a high-usage month can lose when usage falls.
Compare the cost of the period you will actually buy, not the price of one sample month. Keep your existing contract’s end date beside the calculation so the cheapest-looking offer does not distract you from the cost of leaving your current plan.
What to copy from each bill
Make one row per billing cycle. Copy the usage exactly as it appears, keeping the cycle dates alongside it.
| Field | Why you need it | What not to substitute |
|---|---|---|
| Billing-cycle start and end dates | Keep each comparison on the same usage window | Calendar months that do not match your bills |
| kWh used | Recalculate charges under another plan | The amount you paid |
| Energy and recurring base charges | Understand the current plan’s structure | A total that includes unrelated fees |
| Delivery charges | Include the cost of the poles and wires | An assumption that delivery is always included |
| Credits and their conditions | Check which cycles actually qualify | A promise based on annual average usage |
| Contract end date and termination terms | Evaluate switching separately | The date your next payment is due |
A bill is evidence of your usage and current charges. It is not the price sheet for the plan you are considering. Use the candidate plan’s EFL to rebuild the bill rather than carrying your old energy price into the comparison.
Check whether each charge is per kWh, per billing cycle or conditional on usage. A monthly base charge and a per-kWh energy charge behave differently when your usage changes.
One worked example: the annual average misses the credit
Here is the illustrative home and plan published in Kilowhiz’s methodology, not a live offer or a customer result. The example was checked against that published methodology on October 25, 2026. None of its rates should be used as a current market quote.
The home uses 13,190 kWh over 12 months. The example plan has these terms:
- Energy: 10¢ per kWh.
- Delivery: 7¢ per kWh plus $4 per month.
- Credit: $75 in a month that reaches at least 1,000 kWh.
- No separate base charge.
Taxes and unrelated one-time charges are outside this illustrative calculation. Real offers must be compared on a consistent basis, using the terms that apply to your address.
For a qualifying month, multiply usage by the combined energy and delivery rate, add the fixed delivery charge, and subtract the credit. For a nonqualifying month, do the same calculation without subtracting the credit.
January uses 1,140 kWh:
1,140 × $0.17 + $4 − $75 = $122.80.
February uses 960 kWh:
960 × $0.17 + $4 = $167.20.
February uses less electricity but costs more. The missing credit is larger than the reduction in usage charges.
Add the year, not an average month
The home averages about 1,099 kWh per month. That sounds high enough to earn a credit tied to 1,000 kWh. But the average is not a billing cycle.
In the published example, February, March, April, May, October and November fall below the threshold. The credit lands in only 6 of 12 months.
| Part of the illustrative annual calculation | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy: 13,190 kWh × $0.10 | $1,319.00 |
| Per-kWh delivery: 13,190 kWh × $0.07 | $923.30 |
| Fixed delivery: 12 × $4 | $48.00 |
| Credits actually earned: 6 × $75 | −$450.00 |
| Total for the example year | $1,840.30 |
The home’s annual cost is $1,840.30, or about 14.0¢ per kWh. Assuming the credit landed every month would incorrectly subtract another $450.
That is why averaging the usage first gives the wrong answer. Apply the rules to each cycle first. Average the resulting cost only after you have added the year.
Rebuild each candidate plan on those same rows
Keep the usage column unchanged when you compare offers. Change only the plan terms: the energy rate, recurring charges, delivery treatment and credit conditions.
For each candidate, your spreadsheet needs a separate cost column calculated from the EFL. Do not label the lowest advertised rate the winner before calculating the other months.
Check these four drivers:
- Credits: Count a credit only when that billing cycle meets its conditions.
- Fixed charges: Include recurring charges even in low-usage cycles.
- Delivery: Check whether the quoted price already includes it before adding it.
- Time windows: If the energy rate depends on the hour, monthly kWh alone cannot establish the result.
A fixed-rate label does not necessarily mean one simple energy rate at every hour. Inspect the EFL for time-of-use pricing and conditions rather than assuming the label removes them.
Do not add delivery twice
A displayed average price and an energy-only charge are not interchangeable. An average price can already incorporate delivery and recurring charges at the stated usage.
If you multiply that average by usage and then add delivery again, you overstate the cost. Use either the complete charge formula or a clearly applicable all-in figure, never a mixture of both.
Do not compare different contract periods as one year
An offer that lasts less than a year does not establish the cost of the months after it expires. You would need another plan for those months, and its future price is unknown.
Compare short offers over their actual term, using the matching usage period. For longer offers, keep the next shopping date and termination terms visible alongside the cost comparison. A lower projected cost does not erase a contract commitment.
What fixed rate does—and does not—protect
Power to Choose’s Plan Options guidance describes fixed-rate plans as having a set rate for the contract period, with exceptions that include changes to delivery fees and certain charges outside the provider’s control. That guidance was checked on October 25, 2026.
A fixed rate is not a promise that every bill will match. Your usage still changes, conditional credits still have conditions, and permitted charge changes can affect the total.
Read the EFL and contract together. The EFL helps explain the price calculation; the contract explains the commitment you are making. Save the documents you actually relied on rather than assuming today’s website will preserve the same offer indefinitely.
What to check at home before you choose
Before accepting a renewal or enrolling elsewhere, check:
- Do you have a full year of usage, or are some months estimated?
- Are both offers priced for the same address and delivery area?
- Have you counted every recurring charge once, without omissions or duplication?
- Did each credit earn its place in the calculation?
- Does the comparison cover the same months and contract period?
- Is any early-termination cost included separately in your switching decision?
- Has your home changed enough that last year is no longer a useful guide?
An added electric vehicle, a new pool or a changed work schedule can alter the result. Keep that scenario separate from the historical calculation. Do not quietly substitute an imagined future for measured usage.
Where an assessment helps—and where it stops
Kilowhiz is built for Texas households comparing electricity plans on their own usage rather than a sample household. Kilowhiz prices verified plan terms against meter readings and marks estimated months when the record is incomplete.
There are limits. A history-based calculation assumes your coming usage resembles the history being priced unless a separate scenario says otherwise. A calculation using estimated usage is not equivalent to one using a complete meter record, and a current quote is not a guarantee that an offer remains available later.
Kilowhiz is an independent analytics service, not an electricity provider. It charges to reveal its recommended plan, and some providers pay when a household enrolls through a partner link; its stated policy is that payment does not move a plan’s ranking. Check the current fee and payment disclosure before proceeding.
FAQ
Can I compare fixed-rate electricity plans with one bill?
One bill lets you compare that billing cycle, not a full year. Use more history before drawing an annual conclusion, especially when credits depend on monthly usage.
Does a fixed-rate electricity plan mean the bill never changes?
No. Usage changes the bill, credit conditions can change the effective price, and permitted delivery or other charge changes can affect the total.
Should I compare the advertised price at 1,000 kWh?
Use the 1,000 kWh figure as one reference point, not your annual answer. Recalculate each plan on your own billing-cycle usage.
Are delivery charges included in electricity rates?
Check the EFL and the figure being quoted. An advertised average price can already include delivery; adding it again would count it twice.
Can monthly bills compare free-nights plans accurately?
Monthly totals cannot show how much electricity you used in a plan’s free hours. Time-of-use comparisons need the usage pattern within the month, not just its total.
What if I do not have 12 months of usage?
Compare the period you have and identify any estimated months explicitly. Do not present a partial or modeled year as a complete year of measured usage.
One last thing
The smallest bill in your folder is not necessarily the best test of a plan. A low-usage month that misses a credit can reveal more than a summer month that earns it easily.
Keep the low months in the comparison. They are part of the year you are buying.