Texas electricity · Evidence guide
Why does my electricity bill not match the advertised rate?
How usage levels, credits, fixed charges, delivery, and billing periods can make a Texas electricity bill differ from a headline cents-per-kWh number.
Last reviewed 2026-08-21 · Readiness: READY
30-second answer
The answer depends on the full formula.
An advertised rate is usually a reference calculation, not a promise that every bill will equal that number. Your bill reflects the plan's actual formula at your usage: energy charges, recurring fees, TDU delivery charges, and any credit or fee conditions that applied that month.
Compare the EFL formula with the bill's exact kWh and line items. If the formula, contract documents, or billing period is missing, the honest answer is NEEDS_INFORMATION—not that the provider is automatically wrong or that you should automatically switch.
Key facts
What is known—and on what basis
Reference points
Texas EFLs disclose average prices at standardized usage levels, including 500, 1,000, and 2,000 kWh.
Bill result
The household's realized cost depends on the actual billing period, usage, represented charges, and conditions that applied.
Different denominators
An EFL average price and a bill-level effective rate may include different cost components; label the numerator before comparing them.
Why
Why the general answer can reverse
Fixed monthly charges spread across fewer kWh in low-usage months, so the effective cents per kWh can rise even when the underlying energy charge stays the same. Usage-based tiers and minimum-use rules can change the formula again.
A bill credit can make the reference price look especially low at a qualifying usage level. Miss the threshold or leave the qualifying window and the credit may disappear. The result is a cliff, not a smooth price curve.
A partial billing period, estimated meter read, adjustment, deposit, late fee, or prior balance can also make total amount due different from the recurring electricity price represented on an EFL. Those items should be separated before evaluating plan quality.
Evidence
What to check in the actual situation
- The exact EFL version and its average-price table at 500, 1,000, and 2,000 kWh.
- The bill's service dates, kWh, energy charge, base or recurring fees, TDU delivery charges, credits, taxes, adjustments, and prior balance.
- The credit window, minimum-usage rule, tiers, and time-of-use windows in the EFL and TOS.
- Whether the advertised number came from the same plan version and TDU territory as the bill.
Decision framework
When each Eyebiss label could apply
| Label | Condition |
|---|---|
| KEEP | Supported current-plan economics remain competitive for the household after all represented charges and constraints are included. |
| WAIT | A known timing boundary, such as contract expiration, makes later reconsideration better supported than action now. |
| SWITCH | Complete, current evidence shows a better household outcome after fees, remaining term, and comparable plan mechanics are included. |
| NEEDS_INFORMATION | The bill, EFL, contract, usage history, location, or current alternative evidence is missing, stale, or conflicting. |
Worked example
A reference rate can be accurate and still miss your month
Consider a hypothetical plan with a recurring base charge and a credit that begins at 1,000 kWh. The EFL's 1,000 kWh average can correctly include the credit, while a 930 kWh bill correctly excludes it.
- Reconstruct recurring cost at 930 kWh using the disclosed energy, delivery, and fixed charges.
- Apply no credit if 930 kWh is outside the stated eligibility window.
- Divide that supported recurring cost by 930 kWh and compare it with the bill—not with the 1,000 kWh reference alone.
Edge cases
Where the answer needs more care
- Solar export credits, demand charges, prepaid daily fees, and non-recurring balances need separate treatment.
- An unreadable or multi-statement PDF can cause the wrong period to be selected; use one complete statement and preserve unknown fields.
- A city or ZIP can cross service territories, so the advertised TDU assumptions may not match the service address.
Sources
Evidence used on this page
- PUCT Substantive Rule 25.475: General Retail Electric Provider Requirements and Information DisclosuresPublic Utility Commission of Texas
The contract documents include the TOS, EFL, and YRAC. The rule defines fixed-rate and variable-price products. The EFL uses standardized price disclosures, including specified usage levels. Contract-expiration notices must describe termination penalties and applicable timing.
Retrieved 2026-08-21 · Texas · primary source · freshness highConsumers should verify the current rule and their own TOS, EFL, YRAC, and expiration notice before acting. - Power to Choose User GuidePublic Utility Commission of Texas
Power to Choose is an official PUCT resource for comparing competitive electricity plans. Its plan filters include usage, contract term, minimum-usage fees or credits, tiered rates, and time-varying pricing. Household electricity usage varies seasonally.
Retrieved 2026-08-21 · Texas · primary source · freshness mediumA plan listing is not a household-specific recommendation and must be read with its contract documents. - How Eyebiss reasons from electricity evidenceEyebiss
Eyebiss preserves official facts, observations, calculations, analysis, inference, and unknowns as distinct provenance classes. Eyebiss may abstain when evidence is missing, stale, or conflicting.
Retrieved 2026-08-21 · Texas · primary source · freshness highThis methodology describes the public knowledge architecture and does not claim live statewide market coverage.
Check your actual situation
Reconcile the rate with the bill evidence
Upload a supported bill to reconstruct the effective cost. Eyebiss uses the bounded public-market snapshot only when exact applicability and evidence gates pass, and otherwise abstains.