Houston electric companies: 45 compared by state complaints

You do the choosing. In Houston, a company you pick sells you power and sends your bill. Many Houstonians call it the “light company.” CenterPoint runs the poles and wires, and that part is the same whoever you pick.

The state lists 141 active retail electric providers in all of Texas. Only some sell to homes, and only the ones that post plans show up on Power to Choose. That’s why some well-known names aren’t in the list below. See who’s missing and why.

Sort by the state’s complaint rating, by price at your usage, or by our score. Type your monthly kWh to price every company’s simplest 12-month plan at your own number.

Why isn’t my company listed?

Some companies are licensed to sell in Texas but posted no plans on Power to Choose on Oct 15, 2026. Among them: 4Change Energy and Ambit (both owned by Vistra), XOOM Energy and Stream (both NRG), Town Square Energy (Genie Energy), Tesla Electric, Shell Energy Solutions and Energywell. You can still buy from them on their own sites. Our reviews of 4Change Energy and Ambit Energy cover two of them.

It’s the state’s own report card on complaints. The PUCT counts complaints per 1,000 customers over six months, then sorts companies into five groups of about the same size. Five circles means the fewest complaints.

• It follows the license, not the brand. Cirro Energy and Discount Power share one NRG license, so both show 2 of 5.
• Every complaint counts, whether or not the company was at fault, the PUCT says.
• It changes. The September 2026 edition covers March 1 to August 31, 2026. The state posts a new one every few months.
• New companies aren’t rated. Abundance Energy, SmartEnergy and Texans Choice Power weren’t on the scorecard yet.

For raw complaint counts by company and how to file one, see Texas electricity company complaints. For how we turn the rating into points, see how we score.

Fewer than you’d think. The 45 brands on Houston’s list hold 38 state licenses, and the companies’ own filings fold them into 28 or fewer owner groups. Four parents own 15 of the 45 brands.

The two biggest families carry a lot of weight here. At the end of 2025, companies tied to NRG and Vistra owed 37% and 23% of the $279 million that retail companies owed CenterPoint, its annual report says. Most of these companies are also local: 25 of the 38 licenses list a Houston street address with the PUCT.

It depends on what you want most. These picks come straight from the state’s ratings, the plans’ own fact labels and our public-records scores. No company paid for a spot.

Found a company you trust? Compare its plans with the rest at your exact address, then sign up in a few minutes.

Prices by month and the bill-credit trap are covered in Houston electricity rates.

Outages and meters go to CenterPoint. Bills, plans and moving go to the company you picked. Switching companies doesn’t change who fixes your power.

Big storms test everyone. Hurricane Beryl knocked out power to more than 2.1 million of CenterPoint’s 2.8 million customers in July 2024, CenterPoint’s annual report says. For what to do in an outage, see who to call when the power goes out, and for CenterPoint’s charges, see CenterPoint rates explained.

Most Houston homes can. But the metro area also has co-ops and city-owned utilities, where you can’t shop. Check your ZIP.

Not sure who your utility is? See who is my electric utility in Texas.

Two minutes, five checks. Each one uses a public record or a document the company must give you.

1. 1
   Look up its rating

   Find it in the list above. A 1 or 2 means more complaints per customer than most.

2. 2
   Read the fact label

   Check the price at 500 and 2,000 kWh, not just 1,000. Bill-credit plans can double at low use.

3. 3
   Find the cancel fee

   It’s on the fact label. Some are a flat $150 to $300; others charge per month left.

4. 4
   Check the license number

   A door-to-door seller’s badge must show the company’s PUCT number and a toll-free phone, by state rule.

5. 5
   Know your 3 days

   When you switch, you can cancel within 3 federal business days of getting the terms, with no fee. Move-ins don’t get this.

Switching itself is free, and the state’s site says it happens within seven business days with no lapse in service. More on that: how to switch electricity providers.

Straight answers, from state records and the companies’ own filings.

More city directories: Dallas · Fort Worth · McAllen and the Valley · Esta guía en español

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