Chariot Energy reviews 2026: 64/100, 1 of 5 for complaints after a summer surge

Chariot Energy earns 64 out of 100, which we rate “fair.” It gets full marks for fines and for its BBB grade. It loses the most points on complaints to the state, where it sits in the lowest group.

90–100 Excellent80–89 Very good70–79 Good60–69 FairUnder 60 Poor

That puts Chariot 11th of the 25 Texas companies we’ve scored, 3 points behind APG&E and 1 point ahead of Base Power.

Chariot Energy quick facts

Next: why the BBB and the state disagree →

They grade different things. The state’s rating compares complaints filed with the PUCT to each company’s size. The BBB grades businesses with its own formula, and its grade counts for just 5 of our 100 points.

How can one company look so different? The PUCT sorts companies into five groups of about the same size, by complaints per 1,000 customers over six months. Its scorecard says it counts them “irrespective of whether or not the company was determined to be at fault.” So 1 of 5 means many complaints for Chariot’s size, not proof that it did anything wrong. To see where others land, check our Texas complaint rankings or the Houston electric companies list, which shows every company’s state rating.

Call 1-855-524-2746, which Chariot also writes as 855-5CHARIOT. Its terms list hours of 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Central on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays. It’s closed on Sundays and holidays.

Power out? Call the company that owns your lines

Those numbers come from the utilities and the PUCT’s storm contact list, not from Chariot. Chariot also sells in Lubbock, where our Lubbock electricity guide says who to call. For every other area, see our power outage guide.

Bright Nights 12 charges 0¢ for energy from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. Its listed price, 12.3¢ per kWh in Houston, assumes 35% of your power use falls in those 7 hours. If your home used the same power every hour, only about 29% would.

Two things stand out. First, Bright Nights’ daytime rate, 6.63¢ in Houston, is lower than Blaze 12’s single rate of 8.04¢. So at 1,000 kWh, it costs less than Chariot’s plain plan even with little night use. Second, that lower price comes with strings:

1. 1
   Auto-Pay and e-bills

   Bright Nights requires both. If you’re not on Auto-Pay, Chariot adds a $5 fee to each bill.

2. 2
   No solar or batteries

   Homes with solar panels or a battery can’t use Chariot’s time-of-use plans. Its terms let it charge them the plan’s highest rate.

3. 3
   Small homes pay more

   The $9.95 monthly charge weighs more in light months. At 500 kWh, the listed price rises to 13.8¢.

4. 4
   A fee to leave

   Leaving a 12-month plan early costs $15 for each month left, up to $180.

Not sure how much power you use at night? Our guide to free nights plans shows how to find out before you sign.

GridPlus 12 takes $125 off any bill of 1,000 kWh or more. That credit is how it shows 7.0¢ per kWh on Power to Choose in Houston. Use 999 kWh and the credit is gone: the bill jumps from $70.43 to $195.24.

The listed prices show the same swing. In Houston, GridPlus 12 is 20.0¢ per kWh at 500 kWh, 7.0¢ at 1,000 and 13.0¢ at 2,000. So it only pays in months you’re sure to pass 1,000 kWh. The plan check above shows where it wins for you. Our guide to bill-credit plans shows how to test a full year of your own bills.

Chariot listed 6 home plans each in Dallas and Houston on Power to Choose on Oct 15, 2026, all 100% renewable. None was a plain one-rate 12-month plan. That plan, Blaze 12, is sold only on Chariot’s own website.

Why it matters: shop only on Power to Choose and you’ll find a free-nights plan and a bill-credit plan for one year, but not Chariot’s plain plan. All 20 Chariot fact labels we read say “This product is 100% renewable.” Wherever you sign up, read the label for the exact plan you pick.

Before you lock in for a year, see what else your address can get. Price each plan at your own monthly use, not just the 1,000 kWh headline.

Yes, on three plans sold only on its own site. Shine pays the market price when you send power back, capped at 25¢. PowerBank pays a fixed 3¢ and GreenVolt a fixed 7¢, but they carry bigger monthly charges.

Six catches for solar owners

1. 1
   Credits stop when the contract ends

   Chariot’s terms say no buyback credits are issued in months on its default renewal plan. Renew before your end date.

2. 2
   No cash for extra credits

   Credits can pay energy, delivery charges and taxes, but its terms say they have no cash value.

3. 3
   Chariot gets your panels’ certificates

   You give Chariot the renewable energy certificates your panels create at your address.

4. 4
   No free-nights plans

   Homes with solar panels or a battery can’t use Bright Nights or Chariot’s other time-of-use plans.

5. 5
   Big exporters can lose out

   PowerBank and GreenVolt don’t take net exporters, homes that send out more than they use. Chariot can also pause credits for homes it calls net exporters.

6. 6
   Rules can change

   Chariot can end or change its buyback plans with 30 days’ notice. GreenVolt also carries a $150 cancel fee.

Have a home battery? Chariot’s Battery Rewards page offers “up to $60 bill credit every month,” month to month, for systems on its approved list. Its solar buyback page says its Fusion program pays $10 to $40 a month. Get the exact amount in writing. To compare buyback plans across companies, see our Texas solar buyback guide.

More than ever. Texans filed 95 complaints about Chariot with the PUCT from January to September 2026, already more than in any full year. July, August and September alone brought 68.

Want to compare? Our Dallas electric companies list shows the state rating for every company on Oncor’s lines.

No. We found no PUCT penalty, violation notice or settlement under any of Chariot’s names. We also found no Texas Attorney General action in 2,410 of its news releases from July 2016 to October 2026.

1. October 9, 2018174 Power Global Retail Texas registers with the Texas Secretary of State.
2. March 4, 2019The PUCT grants retail electric provider certificate 10260 (Docket 49030).
3. May 23, 2019The PUCT approves the name Chariot Energy. That year, Chariot signs a deal with its parent for credits from the Oberon solar project near Odessa.
4. February 2021After Winter Storm Uri, the Attorney General sends demands for records to 12 named companies. Chariot isn’t one of them. On March 1, Chariot asks the PUCT to waive an ERCOT market rule, then later withdraws the request.
5. May 6, 2022A second business name, Tristar Energy, becomes active. We found no plans sold under it.
6. January 25, 2024A customer files the older of the two formal complaints still open today. It’s an allegation, not a ruling.
7. February 11, 2026The PUCT approves a corporate restructuring that took effect October 31, 2025. Chariot’s letter of credit doubles to $1.5 million, and customer deposits are held in a separate account.
8. July 18, 2026Chariot’s parent buys Powervine Energy, which sells power outside Texas.
9. September 2026The PUCT’s scorecard rates Chariot 1 of 5 for complaints from March to August 2026.
10. March 4, 2029Chariot reaches 10 years licensed, worth 2 more points on our scorecard.

How we checked: we searched the PUCT’s case files by company name, filing party and case title. We tried 174 Power Global, Chariot, Tristar Energy and its sister company Pumpjack Power. We found license filings, routine state projects and the two customer complaints. Chariot’s name also shows up in a 2026 case about another company’s alleged violations, but only on a form about money that company had to give up. It isn’t a penalty against Chariot. For the Attorney General, we read the title and summary of every news release since July 2016. A case named only deep inside a release could slip past that check.

Hanwha Energy of South Korea owns it, through two U.S. companies. Chariot’s legal name is 174 Power Global Retail Texas, LLC. Hanwha Energy’s audited 2025 report shows each step.

1. 1
   Hanwha Energy’s shareholdersKim Dong-kwan 50%, Kim Dong-won 20%, Kim Dong-seon 10%, others 20%
2. 2
   Hanwha Energy CorporationSejong, South Korea · founded December 18, 2007 · a clean audit opinion from EY Han Young for 2025
3. 3
   Hanwha Energy USA Holdings CorporationIts U.S. arm · owns 100% of the next company
4. 4
   174 Power Global Retail CorporationA holding company · 85% owned by Hanwha’s U.S. arm at the end of 2024, 100% at the end of 2025
5. 5
   174 Power Global Retail Texas, LLC, doing business as Chariot EnergyPUCT certificate 10260 · its license also lists the name Tristar Energy

Your deposit is kept apart. When the PUCT approved Chariot’s new corporate setup on February 11, 2026, it approved Chariot doubling its letter of credit from $750,000 to $1.5 million. A letter of credit is a bank’s promise to pay if a company can’t. Chariot also holds customer deposits and prepayments in a separate cash account.

Chariot’s own pages say it was founded in 2019 and is affiliated with Hanwha Group. In Kyu Park is its president and CEO, per its PUCT license. We couldn’t find who held the other 15% of 174 Power Global Retail Corporation at the end of 2024. The audited report shows only the share, and the ownership chart in the PUCT case is blacked out.

On its 12-month plans, leaving early costs $15 for each month left, up to $180. Its terms also list fees to disconnect, reconnect and pay by phone, plus $5 a bill if you skip Auto-Pay on a plan that needs it.

Changed your mind? Chariot’s terms let you cancel a new contract without a fee until midnight of the third federal business day after you get it. Its rights sheet counts Saturdays in those 3 days, so the window can close sooner than you think.

Deposits. Chariot says, “We do not deny service based on your credit score.” Its terms waive deposits with a credit letter, for customers 65 and older, for people who are medically indigent and for victims of family violence. Its FAQ adds active military. For more ways to skip a deposit, see our no-deposit electricity guide.

Not in the way it sounds. Every Chariot plan is 100% renewable on paper, backed by renewable energy certificates. Your power still comes off the same Texas grid as everyone else’s. Here’s what Chariot’s own papers say.

What’s a renewable energy certificate? It’s a record that a set amount of power came from a renewable source, like a solar farm. Chariot’s terms say it makes sure “the appropriate amount” of them is retired. You’re paying to support renewable power, not getting the exact power a farm makes.

Which solar farm? Chariot’s site names one: the 180-megawatt Oberon project, on 1,200 acres in Ector County near Odessa, developed by its parent. In 2019, Chariot signed a deal with its parent for Oberon’s certificates. Its certificate page names no farm and no registry. We also found no Green-e claim, an outside certification, on the 42 pages of its site we checked.

Two more facts for balance. On Chariot’s own site, its Dallas Blaze 12 plan card says “100% Grid Solar,” while the fact label says only “100% renewable.” And in March 2026, Hanwha’s U.S. arm agreed to buy a 324-megawatt natural gas plant in West Texas.

Both score higher on the same formula: Rhythm Energy 73 and Green Mountain Energy 70, vs. Chariot’s 64. APG&E sits just above Chariot at 67.

For aditional choices, our Houston and Fort Worth lists show every company in each area with its state complaint rating.

Short answers from state records and Chariot’s own documents.

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