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How we score an electricity company
How does The Day Company score an electricity company? Every provider is graded out of 100 on six things anyone can look up. Complaints to the state count for 25 points; contract terms, state fines and price count for 20 each; time in business counts for 10; and the BBB letter grade counts for 5. A score of 90 or more rates Excellent, and under 60 rates Poor. No company pays to be listed, ranked or scored, we take no referral fee from a review, and every company gets the same formula. Each review shows the evidence behind every point.
Built on public data from: Public Utility Commission of Texas, Texas Attorney General, Better Business Bureau, Power to Choose fact labels and the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)
Independent public sources our reviews cite and link. The Day Company isn’t affiliated with or endorsed by any of them, or by any retail electric provider.
What do the 100 points measure?
Six categories, each worth a fixed number of points. A company can earn every point or lose it, and every point traces to a public record you can check yourself, from sources like the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT), the state agency that licenses and polices electricity companies. This page scores electricity providers; solar installers are scored separately.
| Category | Points | What it measures | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Complaints to the state | 25 | How often customers complain, adjusted for how big the company is | PUCT complaint scorecard |
| Fines and penalties | 20 | State enforcement orders in the last 10 years, by size | PUCT orders, Texas AG |
| Contract fairness | 20 | Cancel fee, arbitration, extra fees, a plain plan and the free-cancel window | Terms of service, fact labels |
| Price | 20 | The simplest 12-month fixed plan at 1,000 kWh vs the Texas average | Electricity Facts Labels, EIA |
| Time in business | 10 | Years licensed, plus bill help and audited financials | PUCT license, company filings |
| BBB rating | 5 | The letter grade on the Texas retail-electricity profile | Better Business Bureau |
Add the six for a score out of 100. The bands below turn that number into a rating.
| Score | Rating |
|---|---|
| 90–100 | Excellent |
| 80–89 | Very good |
| 70–79 | Good |
| 60–69 | Fair |
| Under 60 | Poor |
How are complaints scored?
The Public Utility Commission of Texas scores every active provider on its complaints per 1,000 customers over a rolling six months, then sorts providers into five groups of about equal size. Five circles means the lowest complaint rate. We use that size-adjusted rating, not the raw count, because a big company naturally gets more complaints than a small one.
| PUCT scorecard rating | Points |
|---|---|
| 5 of 5 — lowest complaint rate | 25 |
| 4 of 5 | 20 |
| 3 of 5 | 15 |
| 2 of 5 | 10 |
| 1 of 5 — highest complaint rate | 5 |
| Not on the scorecard | 15, and we say so |
The scorecard counts every informal complaint the PUCT investigated, whether or not the company was found at fault. We use the latest release: as of October 4, 2026, that is the September 2026 score, covering March 1 to August 31, 2026. We also show raw complaint counts for context, but they don’t change the score. Source: PUCT complaint scorecard and Customer Complaint Statistics.
How does the BBB grade count?
We take the Better Business Bureau’s letter grade from the Texas retail-electricity profile and turn it into points. Only the letter counts; customer reviews and whether the company is accredited don’t move the score.
| BBB letter grade | Points |
|---|---|
| A+ or A | 5 |
| A− | 4 |
| B+, B or B− | 3 |
| C+, C or C− | 2 |
| D+, D or D− | 1 |
| F | 0 |
| No rating or no profile | 2, and we say so |
Checked on the BBB profile for the Texas retail electricity company. Source: Better Business Bureau.
How do state fines count?
A company starts with all 20 points and loses points for each state penalty in the last 10 years, sized by how big the penalty was. Points stop at zero; they never go negative.
| Each penalty or settlement (last 10 years) | Points off |
|---|---|
| Under $100,000 | −4 |
| $100,000 to $499,999 | −8 |
| $500,000 or more | −12 |
Counts PUCT penalties and Texas Attorney General judgments or settlements from the last 10 years. Floor of 0. A penalty shared with other companies, with no separate per-company amount, counts in full against each named company. Source: PUCT enforcement orders, Texas AG.
How is the contract scored?
Five things in the contract, each worth its own points, read from the company’s terms of service and its fact labels. They add up to 20.
| Sub-rule | Max | How we score it |
|---|---|---|
| Early-cancel fee | 5 | On the simplest 12-month plan: $150 or less = 5 · $151–$200 = 3 · $201–$300 = 1 · over $300 = 0 |
| No forced arbitration | 4 | No arbitration clause and no class-action waiver = 4 · one of them = 2 · both = 0 |
| Extra fees | 4 | 4 minus the number of fees beyond early cancellation, late payment and returned payment. Floor 0. Third-party payment-center fees and deposits don’t count. |
| A simple fixed plan | 4 | At least one 12-month plan with one energy rate and no bill credits, usage tiers or time-of-use pricing. A flat monthly charge is allowed. |
| Free-cancel window | 3 | Beyond the legal 3 business days: 30+ days = 3 · 7–29 days = 2 · 4–6 days = 1 · none = 0 |
An arbitration clause sends disputes to a private arbitrator instead of a court; a class-action waiver stops customers from suing together. Texas rules already let you cancel a new plan within 3 business days of getting its terms, so only extra days earn points. Source: each company’s terms of service and Electricity Facts Labels.
How is price scored?
Every plan in the Texas competitive market has an Electricity Facts Label (EFL), a standard one-page price sheet. We take the company’s simplest 12-month fixed plan, average its EFL price at 1,000 kWh across Dallas (ZIP 75201) and Houston (ZIP 77002), and compare that to the Texas average. Cheaper than average earns more points.
The math. Write the plan’s average price as a percentage of the Texas residential average, rounded to a whole percent. Then:
Points = 20 − (percent − 90) ÷ 2
Round to the nearest point, with halves rounding down, and cap the result between 0 and 20. So a plan at 90% of the average or below earns the full 20, and one at 130% or more earns 0. Example: a plan at 95% of the average works out to 17.5, which rounds down to 17.
The Texas average. We use the Texas residential price from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the federal agency that tracks energy prices, in its Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A. For this batch of reviews that figure is 15.88¢ per kWh (July 2026), so every review stays comparable; we state the month on each page.
If Dallas has no plan. When Power to Choose lists no 12-month fixed plan from the company for Dallas (ZIP 75201), we score price on Houston alone and say so in that review’s evidence table.
| Plan price vs Texas average | Points |
|---|---|
| 90% or less | 20 |
| 98% (e.g. 15.5¢) | 16 |
| 106% (e.g. 16.9¢) | 12 |
| 120% | 5 |
| 130% or more | 0 |
Prices come from each plan’s Electricity Facts Label and include delivery, not taxes. Source: Electricity Facts Labels; EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A, July 2026 data released September 24, 2026.
How does time in business count?
Years since the company got its Texas retail license, plus two small add-ons for signs of stability.
| Measure | Points |
|---|---|
| Licensed 20+ years | 6 |
| Licensed 10–19 years | 4 |
| Licensed 5–9 years | 2 |
| Licensed under 5 years | 0 |
| Runs its own bill-help program | +2 |
| It or its parent publishes audited financials | +2 |
Years counted from the PUCT retail-license date, the same “Date Licensed” the PUCT lists on its complaint scorecard. Source: PUCT license record; company and parent filings.
What does a real score look like?
Here is the exact same formula applied to TXU Energy and Reliant Energy, category by category. The numbers come straight from their full reviews.
| TXU Energy — 80/100, Very good | Max | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Complaints | 25 | 25 | PUCT scorecard 5 of 5 |
| BBB rating | 5 | 5 | A+ |
| Fines and penalties | 20 | 16 | One $91,500 penalty (−4) |
| Contract fairness | 20 | 12 | Cancel fee 5, arbitration 0, extra fees 0, plain plan 4, window 3 |
| Price | 20 | 12 | 16.9¢ average = 106% of the Texas average |
| Time in business | 10 | 10 | 25 years (6) + bill help (2) + audited parent (2) |
| Total | 100 | 80 | Read the full TXU review |
| Reliant Energy — 62/100, Fair | Max | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Complaints | 25 | 20 | PUCT scorecard 4 of 5 |
| BBB rating | 5 | 1 | D+ |
| Fines and penalties | 20 | 0 | Four penalties, $1.15M total (−12 −8 −8 −4, floored at 0) |
| Contract fairness | 20 | 15 | Cancel fee 5, arbitration 4, extra fees 2, plain plan 4, window 0 |
| Price | 20 | 16 | 15.5¢ average = 98% of the Texas average |
| Time in business | 10 | 10 | 25 years (6) + bill help (2) + audited parent (2) |
| Total | 100 | 62 | Read the full Reliant review |
Both scored October 3, 2026, against the July 2026 Texas average of 15.88¢/kWh.
Why can you trust the score?
We don’t survey customers, collect star ratings or weigh our own opinion. Every point comes from a record the state, the BBB or the company itself publishes.
No one pays to be listed
No company pays to be listed, ranked or scored.
No referral fees
We earn no referral fee from a review. A review is not a sales page.
One formula for everyone
Every company gets the same six categories and the same point rules.
Public records only
We publish the rules here and link each company’s own documents, so you can check our math.
When a review names a company, it’s because that company is the subject, not because it bought a spot. For how we research, date and correct every page, see our editorial standards.
What about solar installers? This formula is for electricity providers. Solar installers are scored on a separate formula, which we’ll publish before our first installer ranking.
Think a score is wrong?
Email us with the subject line “Correction.” Include the review, the figure or score you think is wrong, and a link to a primary source that contradicts it.
We check the source. If it confirms the error, we fix the review, re-run the score and record the change in that page’s changelog. If the source supports what we published, we reply with the citation.
We re-check plan prices monthly, and re-score a company whenever the PUCT publishes a new complaint scorecard, a new penalty order appears, or a BBB grade changes. Every change is logged in the review’s changelog.
Questions about how we score
Tap a question to see the answer.
Do companies pay to be listed or ranked?
No. No company pays to be listed, ranked or scored, and we earn no referral fee from a review. Every company is graded on the same public-records formula on this page.
What does the score actually measure?
Six things anyone can look up: complaints to the state (25), the contract terms (20), state fines in the last 10 years (20), price against the Texas average (20), time in business (10) and the BBB letter grade (5). Not customer surveys or our own opinion.
Why use the PUCT scorecard instead of the raw complaint count?
Because a bigger company naturally gets more complaints. The PUCT scorecard measures complaints per 1,000 customers over a rolling six months and sorts providers into five groups of about equal size, so the comparison is fair across sizes.
How do you turn a BBB grade into points?
A+ or A = 5, A− = 4, B range = 3, C range = 2, D range = 1, F = 0, and no rating or no profile = 2. Only the letter grade counts; customer reviews and accreditation don’t.
What counts as a fine or penalty?
A PUCT penalty or a Texas Attorney General judgment or settlement in the last 10 years. We subtract 4, 8 or 12 points by size, down to a floor of 0. A penalty shared with other companies counts in full against each named company.
How is price scored, and against what average?
We average the simplest 12-month fixed plan’s price at 1,000 kWh across Dallas and Houston, or use Houston alone if Dallas lists no such plan. We write that as a percent of the Texas residential average from the EIA’s Electric Power Monthly (Table 5.6.A) and apply the formula on this page. For this batch the average is 15.88¢/kWh (July 2026).
How often do you re-score a company?
We re-check plan prices monthly, and re-score whenever the PUCT publishes a new complaint scorecard, a new penalty order appears, or a BBB grade changes. Every change is dated in the review’s changelog.
Does a high score mean a company has the cheapest plan for me?
No. The score rates the company, and price is only 20 of the 100 points, measured on one simple plan. The best plan for you depends on your ZIP code and how much electricity you use, so compare current fact labels on Power to Choose before you sign.
How do I report an error?
Email [email protected] with the subject “Correction,” and include the review, the figure you think is wrong, and a link to a primary source that contradicts it. If it checks out, we fix it and log the change.
What do these terms mean?
Plain-English definitions of the words this page and our reviews use most.
- Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT)
- The state agency that licenses electricity companies, handles customer complaints and fines companies that break its rules.
- Power to Choose
- The PUCT’s official website for comparing electricity plans in the parts of Texas where you can choose your provider.
- Electricity Facts Label (EFL)
- A standard one-page sheet every plan must have. It shows the average price at 500, 1,000 and 2,000 kWh, plus the contract length and fees.
- kWh (kilowatt-hour)
- The unit your electricity use is measured and billed in. Plan prices are quoted in cents per kWh.
- Bill credit
- A discount a plan applies only when your monthly use hits a set level, such as 1,000 kWh. Use less and you lose it, so your price per kWh can jump.
- Time-of-use plan
- A plan whose price changes by time of day or day of week, such as free nights paired with higher daytime prices.
- Early-cancellation fee
- What a plan charges if you leave before the contract ends. The amount is printed on the plan’s fact label.
- Arbitration clause
- A contract term that sends disputes to a private arbitrator instead of a court.
- Class-action waiver
- A contract term that stops customers from joining together in one lawsuit.
Sources
Show all 7 sources
- Public Utility Commission of Texas, Retail Electric Provider Complaint Scorecard: the September 2026 score, covering complaint rates from March 1 to August 31, 2026 (complaints, license dates)
- Public Utility Commission of Texas, Customer Complaint Statistics: complaint counts for each retail electric provider (complaints)
- Power to Choose: each plan’s Electricity Facts Label (contract, price)
- U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A: the Texas residential average price, July 2026 data released September 24, 2026 (price)
- Public Utility Commission of Texas: enforcement orders and retail-license records (fines, time in business)
- Office of the Texas Attorney General: judgments and settlements (fines)
- Better Business Bureau: letter grades (BBB rating)
Each review also links that company’s own terms of service and fact labels.
How to cite: The Day Company Editorial Team, “How we score an electricity company,” The Day Company, updated October 4, 2026. https://theday.company/how-we-review
Changelog · last updated October 4, 2026 · 1 update
- October 4, 2026: page published. The full 100-point public-records formula for electricity providers, with the rating bands and TXU and Reliant scored as worked examples.
Scores rate companies, not individual plans, using public records on the date shown in each review. They are not advice to pick a provider. Plan prices and terms change, so check the current Electricity Facts Label on Power to Choose before you sign.