HomeHow we score
How we score electricity and solar companies
How does The Day Company score companies? Every company gets a score out of 100, built only from public records and its own documents. Electricity companies are scored on state complaints (25 points), the contract, state fines and price (20 each), time in business (10) and the BBB grade (5). Solar companies have their own formula, led by their legal record (30) and warranty terms (25). A score of 90 or more rates Excellent, and under 60 rates Poor. No company can pay to be listed, ranked or scored.
Built on public data from: the Public Utility Commission of Texas, Power to Choose fact labels, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the Texas Attorney General and other state attorneys general, court records, the Better Business Bureau, NABCEP, state licensing boards and each company’s own contracts and warranties
Independent public sources our reviews cite and link. The Day Company isn’t affiliated with or endorsed by any of them, or by any electricity or solar company.
How is every score made?
Four steps, the same for every company. No step involves a payment, a sales call or a star rating.
Gather the records
State complaint ratings, fines, court cases, BBB grades and the company’s own contracts and warranties.
Apply one formula
The same point rules for every company in that industry. No extra points for anyone.
Show the proof
Each review lists every point a company earned or lost, and links the record behind it.
Re-check and log
When a new record turns up, we re-score and date the change in the review’s changelog.
What do the 100 points measure?
For electricity companies, six categories, each worth a fixed number of points. Every point traces to a public record you can check yourself. Many come from the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT), the state agency that licenses and polices electricity companies. Solar companies have their own formula, further down.
| 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 penalties and settlements in the last 10 years, by size | PUCT orders, Texas Attorney General |
| 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, for electricity and solar companies alike.
| 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 rates every active provider on its complaints per 1,000 customers over the last six months. It sorts providers into five groups of about the same size, and five circles means the fewest complaints. We use this rating, not the raw count, because a big company gets more complaints just by being big.
| PUCT scorecard rating | Points |
|---|---|
| 5 of 5, the lowest complaint rate | 25 |
| 4 of 5 | 20 |
| 3 of 5 | 15 |
| 2 of 5 | 10 |
| 1 of 5, the 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 at fault. The examples on this page use the September 2026 score, which covers March 1 to August 31, 2026. Each review names the release it used. Reviews also show raw complaint counts for context, but those don’t change the score. Source: PUCT complaint scorecard and Customer Complaint Statistics.
How does the BBB grade count?
We turn the Better Business Bureau’s letter grade for the company’s Texas electricity business into points. Only the letter counts. Customer reviews and BBB accreditation 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. It loses points for each state penalty in the last 10 years, and bigger penalties cost more. Points stop at zero.
| 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. A penalty shared with other companies, with no separate amount for each, counts in full against each company named. We search every name a company uses, including its legal name and any other name on its PUCT license. For example, Cirro Energy’s legal name is US Retailers LLC. When a penalty is about to pass the 10-year mark, the review says when the score will change. Penalties against a parent company’s power plants or wholesale trading arms don’t count, because they don’t involve home customers. The review still mentions them. Source: PUCT enforcement orders, Texas Attorney General.
How is the contract scored?
Five things in the contract, each worth its own points. We read them from the company’s terms of service and its fact labels, and 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. If the fee is charged per month left, we score the most you could owe. |
| 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 company fees beyond early cancellation, late payment and returned payment, such as disconnection, reconnection, phone-payment, paper-copy or non-refundable deposit-alternative fees. Floor 0. Refundable deposits, third-party payment-center fees, utility charges passed through at cost and collection costs with no set amount 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. Counts only if the scored plan’s fact label or the terms grant it. |
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. We average its EFL price at 1,000 kWh in Dallas (ZIP 75201) and Houston (ZIP 77002), then compare that to the Texas average. Cheaper than average earns more points.
The math. Write the plan’s average price as a percent 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 keep 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 the current reviews that figure is 15.88¢ per kWh (July 2026), so every review stays comparable. Each review states the month it used.
If Dallas has no plan. Sometimes Power to Choose lists no 12-month fixed plan from the company for Dallas (ZIP 75201). Then we score price on Houston alone and say so in the review’s evidence table.
If there’s no simple 12-month plan. We still score the company’s simplest 12-month fixed plan, even if it has a bill credit or an add-on, and say so in the review. That company also misses the 4 contract points for a simple fixed plan.
| 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 or funds a bill-help program | +2 |
| It or its parent publishes audited financials | +2 |
Years count from the PUCT retail-license date, the same “Date Licensed” the PUCT lists on its complaint scorecard. A bill-help program counts when the company’s own terms of service say it runs or funds one. Source: PUCT license record; company and parent filings.
What does a real electricity score look like?
Here is the 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 | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Complaints | 25/25 | PUCT scorecard 5 of 5 |
| BBB rating | 5/5 | A+ |
| Fines and penalties | 16/20 | One $91,500 penalty (−4) |
| Contract fairness | 12/20 | Cancel fee 5, arbitration 0, extra fees 0, plain plan 4, window 3 |
| Price | 12/20 | 16.9¢ average = 106% of the Texas average |
| Time in business | 10/10 | 25 years (6) + bill help (2) + audited parent (2) |
| Total | 80/100 | Read the full TXU review |
| Reliant Energy: 62/100, Fair | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Complaints | 20/25 | PUCT scorecard 4 of 5 |
| BBB rating | 1/5 | D+ |
| Fines and penalties | 0/20 | Four penalties, $1.15M total (−12 −8 −8 −4, floored at 0) |
| Contract fairness | 15/20 | Cancel fee 5, arbitration 4, extra fees 2, plain plan 4, window 0 |
| Price | 16/20 | 15.5¢ average = 98% of the Texas average |
| Time in business | 10/10 | 25 years (6) + bill help (2) + audited parent (2) |
| Total | 62/100 | Read the full Reliant review |
TXU was scored October 2 and Reliant October 3, 2026. Both were re-checked October 5 against the September 2026 complaint scorecard, with no change, using the July 2026 Texas average of 15.88¢ per kWh. The same formula scored APG&E (67), Payless Power (60), Discount Power (55) and 4Change Energy (52) on October 14, 2026, and BKV Energy (82), TriEagle Energy (74), Chariot Energy (64), Base Power (63), Amigo Energy (54), Just Energy (52) and Ambit Energy (41) on October 15, 2026, and Veteran Energy (63), Tara Energy (61), Atlantex Power (57) and Acacia Energy (48) on October 16, 2026.
How are solar companies scored?
Solar panels can cost more than a car and last for decades, so solar companies get their own 100-point formula. It leans hardest on what protects you after the sale: the company’s legal record, its written warranties, honest prices and who actually puts the system on your roof. Every point comes from a public record or the company’s own documents.
| Category | Points | What it measures | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Complaints, lawsuits and state actions | 30 | Government actions and class actions over how solar was sold, anywhere in the U.S. in the last 5 years, plus any BBB complaint-pattern alert | State attorneys general, courts, BBB |
| Contract and warranty terms | 25 | The written workmanship, roof-leak and equipment warranties, the production guarantee, warranty backup if the company closes, and any court claims about fees or contracts | The company’s warranty documents and contracts, court records |
| Price transparency | 15 | Its own published prices, loan and dealer fees shown up front, and tax-credit claims that match current law | The company’s price pages and website |
| Who installs | 12 | Whether the company’s own crews install your system, or partner companies do | The company’s own words, quoted and linked |
| Time in business | 7 | Years since the company says it was founded | The company’s own pages; state filings, labeled as such |
| Certifications | 6 | An active NABCEP-certified installer, and installer certifications from equipment makers | NABCEP, equipment makers |
| BBB rating | 5 | The company’s BBB letter grade | Better Business Bureau |
Each company gets one score that follows it to every state we cover. The same rating bands apply: 90 and up is Excellent, and under 60 is Poor. A company gets a score only when every category is checked. Customer star ratings, advertising and search rankings don’t count, because they’re easy to buy or fake.
Complaints, lawsuits and state actions · 30 points
Every company starts with 30 points and loses points for each matter below, down to a floor of 0.
| Each matter (last 5 years) | Points off |
|---|---|
| Lawsuit, settlement or consent order from a government agency | −10 |
| Class action over how solar was sold, pending or settled | −10 |
| Investigation demand alone, with no lawsuit | −5 |
| BBB complaint-pattern alert on the company’s profile | −8 |
We count matters anywhere in the U.S., filed or resolved in the last 5 years, against the company or a brand it owns now. When an investigation leads to a lawsuit, only the lawsuit counts. A lawsuit is an allegation. An investigation demand is a request for records, not a finding of wrongdoing. Every review says so. Some matters are shown in the review but not scored: matters that don’t involve selling solar to homeowners, such as workplace-safety citations, and matters from before a company bought a brand, when it didn’t take on that brand’s past debts and claims.
Contract and warranty terms · 25 points
| Sub-rule | Max | How we score it |
|---|---|---|
| Workmanship warranty | 7 | In writing: 10 years or more = 7 · 5–9 = 5 · 2–4 = 3 · none = 0 |
| Production guarantee | 4 | The company’s own written promise of how much electricity the system will make. A panel maker’s output warranty doesn’t count. |
| Equipment warranties | 4 | The makers’ panel, inverter and battery warranties, in writing |
| No fee or contract claims in court | 4 | Lost if a counted lawsuit, settlement or class action involved contract prices or fees |
| Roof-leak warranty | 3 | In writing, for leaks where the system attaches: 10 years or more = 3 · 5–9 = 2 · 1–4 = 1 · none = 0 |
| Warranty backup | 3 | Its warranty papers say the workmanship warranty is insured or backed by a third party, so it still pays if the company closes. A company’s own promise alone doesn’t count. |
A current written document earns full points. An older document, or one limited to another state, earns half, rounded down. Why backup counts: when an installer closes, its own workmanship, roof-leak and production promises usually end with it. Panel and inverter warranties stay with their makers.
Price transparency · 15 points
Most solar companies won’t show a price until a salesperson visits. These points reward the ones that do, and the ones that are honest about fees and tax credits.
| Sub-rule | Max | How we score it |
|---|---|---|
| Its own published prices | 6 | Real prices or a price per watt, posted by the company where anyone can read them. Market averages, monthly-payment teasers and prices shown only after you enter an address don’t count. |
| Loan and dealer fees shown up front | 5 | Publishes its loan terms and fees, or says how dealer fees are built into the price |
| Tax-credit claims match current law | 4 | No current page tells homeowners who buy that they can still get the 30% federal credit, which ended after 2025, or builds that credit into prices and payments. Old, dated blog posts don’t count against it. |
Who installs · 12 points
| What the company’s own words show | Points |
|---|---|
| Its own crews: it says it does the installs itself and never says partners do | 12 |
| Mixed: its own words say partner companies install in some places | 6 |
| Partner installers or dealers only | 0 |
| Not stated | 0 |
Why it counts: when the company that sold you the system also installs it, one company answers for the work. There’s no handoff to blame when a roof leaks or an inverter dies. The crew that wired your roof works for the company you call. When a partner does the install, ask who that partner is, check its license and find out who handles repairs.
Every review quotes the company’s own words, 10 words or fewer, and links the page they came from.
Time in business · 7 points
| Years in business | Points |
|---|---|
| 10 or more | 7 |
| 5 to 9 | 5 |
| 2 to 4 | 3 |
| Under 2 | 0 |
We use the founding year the company states. When we only have a state registration date, the review labels it that way. Long-running companies have closed too, so years alone carry only 7 points.
Certifications · 6 points
| Certification | Max | How we score it |
|---|---|---|
| NABCEP certification | 4 | At least one active NABCEP PV Installation Professional working for the company, in any state. Sales-only credentials don’t count. |
| Equipment-maker certification | 2 | Listed or certified by a panel, inverter or battery maker as an installer. |
BBB rating · 5 points
| BBB grade | Points |
|---|---|
| Any A | 5 |
| Any B | 4 |
| Any C | 3 |
| Any D | 2 |
| F | 0 |
| Not rated | 3 |
A BBB grade mostly shows how a company handles complaints filed with the BBB. It already counts time in business and government actions, so it carries only 5 points. We score the main or headquarters profile and show any others in the review.
Licenses: required, not scored
Solar wiring is electrical work, so states require a license to do it. We treat that as a must-have, not a bonus. A company is ranked in a state only if it holds an active electrical contractor license there, or a seller registration and licensed installers. Every review links to the company’s own license list, so you can check your state. Our state rankings check each state’s licensing board the week those guides go live.
Who gets ranked
- One national score per company.
- A state’s ranking includes only companies with an active electrical contractor license there, or registered sellers that use licensed installers.
- Companies that are bankrupt, closed or appear closed aren’t ranked anywhere. We still score them, so you can see the record.
- Ties share a rank.
National, regional or one state
How we define national: we call a company national when its own website says it sells home solar in more than 5 states. Companies in 2 to 5 states are regional. We count states from each company’s own service-area pages and recheck them at every update.
Every company gets one review on our solar company reviews site, labeled national, regional or the one state it serves. Each state’s ranking, like our Texas solar company ranking, links to those reviews.
How this differs from most review sites
Many solar rankings mix in customer star ratings, product menus and financing choices, and some barely count lawsuits. Many are also paid by the companies they rank. We score what protects you after you sign, from public records, and no company can pay to be listed, scored or ranked.
What we show but don’t score
Customer star ratings, BBB complaint counts and topics, how often a company answers complaints, products, payment options and how many states it serves. Star ratings are easy to buy or fake. Raw complaint counts aren’t adjusted for company size. And a long product menu doesn’t make an installer better.
What does a real solar score look like?
Here is the solar formula applied to Freedom Solar and Momentum Solar. Both use their own crews and hold A+ BBB grades. Their legal records, warranties and certifications are what set them 19 points apart.
| Freedom Solar: 82/100, Very good | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Complaints, lawsuits and state actions | 30/30 | No counted lawsuits, settlements or investigation demands, and no BBB pattern alert |
| Contract and warranty terms | 18/25 | 25-year workmanship (7), equipment warranties (4), no fee or contract claims (4), 10-year roof-leak (3); no production guarantee or warranty backup (0) |
| Price transparency | 4/15 | Honest tax-credit claims (4); no published prices or up-front loan fees (0) |
| Who installs | 12/12 | Its own crews |
| Time in business | 7/7 | Founded 2007 |
| Certifications | 6/6 | NABCEP-certified installer (4) and equipment-maker certifications (2) |
| BBB rating | 5/5 | A+ |
| Total | 82/100 | Read the full Freedom Solar review |
| Momentum Solar: 63/100, Fair | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Complaints, lawsuits and state actions | 20/30 | One class action over sales calls, settled in 2025 (−10) |
| Contract and warranty terms | 13/25 | Workmanship (3) and production guarantee (2) at half credit, from an older or state-limited document; equipment warranties (4); no fee or contract claims (4); no written roof-leak warranty or backup (0) |
| Price transparency | 4/15 | Honest tax-credit claims (4); no published prices or up-front loan fees (0) |
| Who installs | 12/12 | Its own crews |
| Time in business | 7/7 | 17 years |
| Certifications | 2/6 | Enphase Platinum installer (2); no NABCEP-certified installer found (0) |
| BBB rating | 5/5 | A+ |
| Total | 63/100 | Read the full Momentum Solar review |
Both reviews were last updated October 7, 2026. A lawsuit is an allegation, and each review links the case so you can read it yourself.
Can you score a company yourself?
Yes. Pick a formula, fill in what you know, and the tool adds up the points the same way we do. It opens with TXU Energy and Freedom Solar filled in, so you can see how their scores add up.
80of 100Very good
TXU Energy, as filled in
82of 100Very good
Freedom Solar, as filled in
A self-check, not one of our published scores. The tool doesn’t save what you enter. Our reviews also give half credit when terms appear only in an older document or one limited to another state.
Why can you trust the score?
We don’t survey customers, collect star ratings or sell spots. Every point comes from a record the state, a court, the BBB or the company itself publishes.
No one pays to be listed
No company can pay to be listed, ranked or scored.
Money never moves a score
Scores come only from the formula on this page. No payment of any kind can change one.
One formula per industry
Every electricity company gets the same six categories, and every solar company the same seven.
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 companies? They’re scored on their own formula, built the same way: public records and the company’s own documents only. See the solar formula.
What do we check that others skip?
Many comparison sites rank the companies that pay them. No company can pay for a spot or a score here, so we dig for the things that don’t sell. Every review follows these six habits.
Every name, checked
We search state records under a company’s brand, its legal name and every other name on its license. Penalties often sit under the legal name.
Owners named
Each review names the parent company and its sister brands, so you know when two brands that look diferent are really one company.
Score changes flagged
When a penalty is about to age out, or a new state rating is due, the review says when the score could change.
Primary sources only
We cite the state, utilities, courts, consumer watchdogs and companies’ own documents, never sites that get paid when you sign up.
Investigations aren’t verdicts
We report open investigations, score them lightly and say plainly that they aren’t proof of wrongdoing.
Fixed in the open
Every correction and re-score is dated in the page’s changelog, so you can see what changed and when.
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 electricity plan prices every month. We re-score a company when 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 can pay to be listed, ranked or scored. Every company is graded on the same public-records formula on this page, and no review is a paid placement.
What does an electricity company’s score measure?
Six things anyone can look up: complaints to the state (25 points), 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 star ratings.
Why use the PUCT scorecard instead of the raw complaint count?
Because a bigger company gets more complaints just by being big. The PUCT scorecard counts complaints per 1,000 customers over the last six months. Then it sorts providers into five groups of about the same size. That makes the comparison fair for big and small companies.
How do you turn a BBB grade into points?
For electricity companies: A+ or A = 5, A− = 4, any B = 3, any C = 2, any D = 1, F = 0, and no rating or no profile = 2. For solar companies: any A = 5, any B = 4, any C = 3, any D = 2, F = 0, and not rated = 3. Only the letter grade counts, not customer reviews or accreditation.
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 company named.
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 compare that to the Texas home average from the EIA’s Electric Power Monthly (Table 5.6.A) and apply the formula on this page. For the current reviews, the average is 15.88¢ per kWh (July 2026).
How often do you re-score a company?
For electricity companies, we re-check plan prices every month. We re-score when the PUCT publishes a new complaint scorecard, a new penalty order appears or a BBB grade changes. Solar scores change when a review update finds a new record, such as a lawsuit, a new warranty document or a BBB grade change. 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. Compare current fact labels on Power to Choose before you sign.
How do you score solar companies?
With their own 100-point formula: complaints, lawsuits and state actions (30), contract and warranty terms (25), price transparency (15), who installs (12), time in business (7), certifications (6) and the BBB grade (5). Each company gets one score that follows it to every state we cover.
What if a solar company doesn’t publish its prices?
It loses the 6 points for its own published prices, and the review says so. We never guess a price from a sales quote. It can still earn up to 9 of the 15 price points by showing loan and dealer fees up front and keeping its tax-credit claims honest.
Does an open investigation hurt a company’s score?
For a solar company, some. An investigation demand alone costs 5 points, half of what a lawsuit costs, because it’s a request for records, not a finding of wrongdoing. A government lawsuit, settlement or consent order, or a class action over how solar was sold, costs 10. For electricity companies, only finished penalties, judgments and settlements count.
Do you check every name a company uses?
Yes. We search state records under the brand name, the legal company name and any other name on its license. Penalties are often filed under the legal name. For example, Cirro Energy’s legal name is US Retailers LLC.
Do penalties against a parent company count?
Only when they involve the retail company or a name on its license. Penalties against a parent company’s power plants or wholesale trading arms don’t count, because they don’t involve home customers. The review still mentions them, so you can judge for yourself.
Why don’t you count customer reviews or star ratings?
Because they’re easy to fake and hard to check. We count records anyone can verify, like state complaint ratings, penalties, court cases and the company’s own contract terms. A review may show star ratings for context, but they never change a score.
Do you score or rank solar companies that went bankrupt?
We score them, but we don’t rank them. Companies that are bankrupt, closed or appear closed aren’t ranked anywhere, but the score shows their record. Our solar bankruptcy guides explain what happens to warranties, loans and leases.
What makes a solar company national?
Its own website says it sells home solar in more than 5 states. A company in 2 to 5 states is regional, and a company in one state is labeled with that state. All of them are reviewed on our national solar reviews site.
Why does it matter who installs a solar system?
When the company that sold you the system also installs it, one company answers for the work. Own crews earn 12 points, a mix of own crews and partners earns 6, and partner-only or unstated installs earn 0.
Is a solar company’s score the same in every state?
Yes. Each company gets one national score. Licenses don’t change the score; they decide where a company is ranked, which is only in states where it holds an active license.
Why doesn’t a license earn points?
Because it’s required, not a bonus. A company needs an active electrical contractor license in a state, or a seller registration and licensed installers, to be ranked there at all. Each review links to the company’s own license list.
Does a solar company have to be registered with Texas to be ranked?
Not to be scored. To be ranked in Texas, a company needs an active Texas electrical contractor license, or a Texas seller registration and licensed installers. Like a license, a registration decides where a company is ranked, not its score.
What is warranty backup?
Insurance or a third party that keeps a company’s workmanship warranty paying if the company closes. When an installer shuts down, its own promises usually end with it, so backup earns 3 points.
Can a company get its score changed?
Only with a record. Any company can send us a correction with a primary source, and we check it like any other report. If the record supports a change, we re-score and log it in the review’s changelog. No company can pay for a different score.
Can I quote or share your scores?
Yes. Quote any score or rule with credit to The Day Company and a link to the page you used. For the formulas, link this page. The How to cite line below shows the format.
How do I report an error?
Email info@theday.company with the subject “Correction,” and include the page, 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.
- Class action
- One lawsuit brought for a whole group of customers. Its claims are allegations unless a court rules on them.
- Consent order
- An agreement, approved by an agency or a court, in which a company agrees to steps the government requires. It often comes without an admission of wrongdoing.
- Civil Investigative Demand (CID)
- An order from a state attorney general that makes a company hand over records during an investigation. It isn’t a finding of wrongdoing.
- BBB complaint-pattern alert
- A notice the Better Business Bureau posts on a company’s profile when it sees the same kind of complaint again and again.
- Workmanship warranty
- A solar company’s promise to fix problems caused by its own installation work, such as loose wiring or a roof leak.
- Production guarantee
- A written promise that a solar system will make a set amount of electricity, with a payment or repair if it falls short.
- Roof-leak warranty
- A written promise to fix leaks where the solar system is attached to your roof, for a set number of years.
- Warranty backup
- Insurance or a third party that keeps paying a company’s workmanship warranty if the company closes.
- Own crews
- Installers who work for the solar company itself, rather than a partner company it hires.
- Price per watt
- A solar system’s price divided by its size in watts. It lets you compare quotes for systems of different sizes.
- TDLR
- The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, which licenses electricians and electrical contractors in Texas.
- NABCEP
- The North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners, which certifies solar installers who pass its exams.
Sources
Show all 11 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, settlements and investigations (fines, solar legal record)
- Better Business Bureau: letter grades and complaint-pattern alerts (BBB rating, solar legal record)
- North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP): solar installer certifications (solar certifications)
- Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, License Search: electrical contractor licenses (who gets ranked in Texas)
- Internal Revenue Service, Residential Clean Energy Credit: the 30% credit for homeowners who buy solar, which ended after 2025 (solar price transparency)
- U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, EDGAR: audited financial statements (time in business)
Each review also links that company’s own terms of service, fact labels, warranties and contracts, plus the court records and state filings behind its score.
How to cite: The Day Company review team, “How we score electricity and solar companies,” The Day Company, updated October 16, 2026. https://theday.company/how-we-score
Changelog · last updated October 16, 2026 · 6 updates
- October 16, 2026: linked four more electricity company reviews scored with this formula: Veteran Energy (63), Tara Energy (61), Atlantex Power (57) and Acacia Energy (48). No published score changed.
- October 16, 2026: linked seven new electricity company reviews scored with this formula: BKV Energy (82), TriEagle Energy (74), Chariot Energy (64), Base Power (63), Amigo Energy (54), Just Energy (52) and Ambit Energy (41). No published score changed.
- October 14, 2026: linked four new electricity company reviews scored with this formula: APG&E (67), Payless Power (60), Discount Power (55) and 4Change Energy (52). Reworded one key number so it stays true if we add partner links. No published score changed.
- October 12, 2026: moved to theday.company/how-we-score; the old address forwards here. Updated the solar formula on this page to the version behind every solar score published since October 7, 2026: complaints, lawsuits and state actions (30), contract and warranty terms with roof-leak and warranty-backup rules (25), price transparency (15), who installs (12), time in business (7), certifications (6) and the BBB grade (5). Licenses now decide where a company is ranked instead of adding points. Added a score-it-yourself tool, solar worked examples and charts, and made clear that no company can pay to be listed, ranked or scored. No published score changed.
- October 5, 2026: added the solar installer formula (100 points, seven categories); clearer electricity rules for per-month cancel fees, which fees count as extra, plans with no simple 12-month option, bill-help programs, penalty searches under every company name and how a parent company’s penalties are handled; and a new section on the standards every review follows. No published score changed.
- 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 or solar systems. Each is calculated with the formulas on this page from the public records listed in that review, on the date shown. They are not advice to pick a provider or installer. Plan prices, quotes and terms change, so check the current Electricity Facts Label or contract before you sign.