If your fixed-rate electricity contract is about to end, you don't need a paid app to avoid overpaying. In Texas, the free official site Power to Choose and a free broker like EnergyBot let you shop for a new plan yourself in an evening. A paid "watchdog" service like Energy Ogre is mainly worth it if you'd otherwise forget, or if you want someone else to handle every renewal from now on. The catch is that it costs $12 a month or $130 a year, and nobody guarantees it will beat a plan you could find yourself.

This guide covers Texas, since that's where these tools actually work. Most of them only operate in Texas's deregulated ERCOT market.

What "your price guarantee ends" means in Texas

In deregulated parts of Texas, you buy electricity from a retail electric provider (REP), often on a fixed-rate contract that lasts 6 to 36 months. Your per-kWh energy price is locked for that term. The German version of this question is about the end of a Strompreisgarantie. In the US, the same situation is your fixed-rate product expiring.

Texas law spells out what happens next:

  • You get at least three written notices. Under 16 TAC § 25.475(e)(1), your provider must send at least three written notices during the last third of your contract. For contracts longer than four months, the final notice has to arrive at least 30 days before expiration. They come by mail unless you chose electronic delivery. A text message or phone call alone doesn't count as notice, according to HB 16 (2021), which amended Utilities Code § 39.112.
  • If you do nothing, you move to a month-to-month plan. The provider must switch you to a default renewal product. That's a month-to-month plan with a price that can change and that you can cancel any time without a fee (§ 25.475(e)(2)(A)).
  • There's a 14-day window with no early termination fee. The expiration notice must say that no termination penalty applies to residential customers in the 14 days before the end date (§ 25.475(e)(2)(C)). The PUCT also notes that the fee doesn't apply if you're changing service addresses (PUCT, 2025).
  • Your bill shows the end date. Each bill must list your fixed-rate end date in bold, underlined text (HB 16).

The rule was last amended effective January 6, 2022 (Cornell LII). We found no newer transition deadlines.

Our take: The real risk isn't a surprise bill. It's sitting on the month-to-month default price for months because you put off shopping. Every option below solves that same problem. They differ in how much of the work they do for you.

The two approaches: watchdog vs. comparison tool

  • Watchdog (managed service): You pay a membership fee. The service reads your smart meter usage, picks a plan, enrolls you, tracks your end date, and handles future renewals. Energy Ogre is the main option in Texas.
  • Comparison tool or app: It's free. You compare plans, pick one, and enroll yourself. You're still the one who has to remember the next renewal. Power to Choose and EnergyBot fall into this group.

How we compared

  • Research date and market: November 4, 2026, residential customers in the competitive (deregulated) ERCOT areas of Texas.
  • Criteria: cost over 12 months, who tracks your contract end date, whether switching is automatic, how the service makes money, platforms, and regional limits.
  • Sources: first-party websites and the US App Store listing, the Texas Administrative Code, and the PUCT. Claims that only appeared on affiliate or competitor sites were left out or flagged.
  • Not covered: areas served by co-ops or city-owned utilities (for example, Austin), which have no retail choice. We also skipped other states' shopping sites and individual providers' own apps.
  • This is not a hands-on test. We didn't sign up for, install, or use any of these services.

Price and feature matrix (as of 2026-11-04, Texas residential)

Power to Choose EnergyBot Energy Ogre
Cost to you Free Free $12/month or $130/year
12-month cost $0 $0 $144 (monthly) or $130 (annual)
How it makes money State-run (PUCT) Referral fees from providers Member fees only, says $0 from providers
Uses your smart meter data No (you enter your usage) Can pull your past usage Yes, hourly Smart Meter Texas data
Tracks your contract end date No Its page says "we monitor rates," but end-date tracking is not publicly documented Yes, handles renewals
Automatic switching No Not publicly documented Handles switches; app lets you approve switches
Platforms Web (English, plus Spanish at PoderDeEscoger.org) Web (no app documented) Web, iPhone (iOS 15.1+), Android
Coverage ERCOT areas without co-ops or city utilities Texas (FAQ also lists other states, but is inconsistent) Deregulated ERCOT Texas only
Savings guarantee None None None

Sources: PUCT, PUCT 2025 release, EnergyBot FAQ, EnergyBot AdvisorPlus, Energy Ogre, Energy Ogre on the App Store.

Power to Choose: the free official option

What's documented: Power to Choose is the PUCT's official site for comparing retail plans. It's open to customers in the ERCOT region who aren't served by a co-op or a city-owned utility (PUCT 2025). There are two limits to know about. Providers post their own offers and the PUCT doesn't verify them, and providers aren't required to list there at all (PUCT). The PUCT suggests finding your average usage on past bills or at SmartMeterTexas.org and reading each plan's Electricity Facts Label and Terms of Service.

Pros

  • Free, run by the state, and doesn't collect commissions
  • Links straight to each plan's official Electricity Facts Label (EFL)
  • Also available in Spanish

Cons

  • You have to estimate your own usage and check the fine print yourself
  • Not every plan on the market is listed
  • No reminders and no renewal tracking

Good for: budget-minded shoppers who will spend about an hour reading EFLs, and anyone who'd rather not pay a monthly fee. Not a good fit if: you know you'll miss the next renewal window.

EnergyBot: free broker with usage matching

What's documented: EnergyBot is free because providers may pay it a referral fee. It says it isn't paid more for recommending one plan over another (EnergyBot FAQ). It can look up your meter ID from your address and pull your past usage to compare plans. Its Texas AdvisorPlus page describes three steps: "Connect to your utility," "We monitor rates," and "Sit back and save." It says it will "help you switch" when a better option shows up, at no cost, with "Cancel anytime" (EnergyBot AdvisorPlus). The page doesn't say whether switches happen automatically or need your OK, and it doesn't mention tracking your contract end date. Energy Ogre, a competitor, claims that EnergyBot doesn't track end dates (Energy Ogre, July 2026). Treat that as a competitor's claim, not a verified fact. EnergyBot's FAQ also gives conflicting answers about which states it serves for homes, so check your ZIP code.

Pros

  • Free, and matches plans to your real usage instead of the three standard levels
  • You can opt into rate monitoring

Cons

  • Paid by providers, so its incentives aren't fully neutral
  • How automatic it is and how it handles renewals isn't clearly documented
  • No mobile app documented

Good for: people who want help with usage matching without paying a fee. Not a good fit if: you need a guarantee that someone will act before your contract ends.

Energy Ogre: the paid watchdog

What's documented: Membership is $12 a month or $130 a year. It includes plan selection, enrollment, market monitoring, renewals, and switching. Energy Ogre says it compares your smart meter data against plans that include private rates not posted on public sites. It says it may even work out whether paying an early termination fee to switch mid-contract would save you money. It serves only the deregulated parts of Texas and doesn't promise a specific amount of savings (Energy Ogre). The company cites average member savings of $954–$974 per year from its own internal figures, which haven't been independently verified (Energy Ogre).

The US iPhone app is free to download and works on iOS 15.1 or later. Version 3.2 was released in October. You can view contracts, usage, and payments, approve plan switches, and move from monthly to annual billing. It's rated 4.1 out of 5 from 316 ratings. Some reviewers complain about plan matches and having to email to cancel (App Store). The developer reports that payment info, contact details, and your user ID are linked to you. Apple hasn't verified those privacy details.

Pros

  • Takes the job off your plate for good, not just for this renewal
  • Paid by members instead of providers, which reduces conflicts of interest
  • Uses your hourly smart meter data and has an app on iPhone and Android

Cons

  • Costs $130–$144 a year, whether or not it beats what you'd find yourself
  • No savings guarantee, and some reviews mention clumsy cancellation
  • Texas only

Good for: busy households that have defaulted to month-to-month rates before, or that don't want to read EFLs. Not a good fit if: you already shop carefully at each renewal, or you use little electricity, since the fee eats into any savings. If you sign up, add it to your list of recurring charges. Our guide on auditing app subscriptions with budget apps shows how.

Hypothetical savings scenario and break-even

This is an illustrative example, not a measured or guaranteed result. Rates are assumptions, so check your own EFLs.

Assumptions: You use 1,000 kWh a month (12,000 kWh a year). The month-to-month default rate is 4¢/kWh higher than a new 12-month fixed plan you could find. Energy Ogre costs $130 a year, billed annually.

1. The cost of doing nothing:

  • 3 months on the default rate: 3 × 1,000 × $0.04 = $120 extra
  • 12 months on the default rate: 12 × 1,000 × $0.04 = $480 extra

2. Shopping yourself on Power to Choose or EnergyBot: $0 in fees. If you switch during the 14-day no-fee window, you avoid the $480 entirely.

3. Energy Ogre vs. shopping yourself: Both avoid the default rate. The fee only pays off if Energy Ogre finds a cheaper plan than you would.

  • Break-even: $130 ÷ 12,000 kWh ≈ 1.08¢/kWh better than your own pick
  • If it beats your pick by 0.5¢: 12,000 × $0.005 = $60 in savings, minus $130, leaves you $70 worse off
  • If it beats your pick by 2¢: $240 minus $130 leaves you $110 ahead

4. Energy Ogre vs. forgetting entirely: Compared with 12 months on the default rate, $480 minus $130 leaves you $350 ahead.

Takeaway: For someone disciplined, the free tools usually win. A watchdog mainly protects you from your own procrastination. A free calendar reminder about 45 days before your end date does much of the same job. Our article on whether notes apps can replace paid budget apps explains how to build that kind of reminder system.

Practical checklist when your contract ends

  • Find your end date on your bill, where it's printed in bold and underlined.
  • Download your usage history from SmartMeterTexas.org.
  • On each EFL, compare the average price at your usage level, not just the 1,000 kWh headline price.
  • Set the new plan to start within the last 14 days of your current contract so you don't pay an early termination fee.
  • If a new provider offers to pay your early termination fee, read the terms first, as the PUCT advises.

Conclusion

When your fixed-rate price ends, the month-to-month default is what costs you money, and Texas law gives you plenty of notice to avoid it. Power to Choose and EnergyBot are free and do the job if you act within your 14-day window. Energy Ogre makes sense if the $130–$144 a year buys you peace of mind and you're likely to forget future renewals. It can't guarantee better prices than you'd find yourself, and it only works in Texas.

References