No Contract Advantage
Ranchero Power · 1-month contract · variable rate · CenterPoint Energy delivery area
At 1,000 kilowatt hours a month spread across a Texas year, this plan costs $1,169.93 over twelve months — an average of $97.49 a month, or 9.8¢ per kilowatt hour all in. That makes it the cheapest of the 169 plans sold in CenterPoint Energy territory.
Your number
What a year costs at your usage
Move the slider or pick 500 / 1,000 / 2,000 kWh — the year total, the effective rate, and whether a bill credit still applies all recompute here. You do not have to go back to the comparison.
1,000 kWh a month on average
A year on this plan
$1,169.93
$97.49 a month · 9.8¢ per kWh
advertised9.7¢really9.8¢
- The rate is variable, so this price is only what they charge this month.
your most expensive month
| Energy charge · 1,600 kWh × 2.2312¢ | $35.70 |
|---|---|
| Base charge · every month regardless of usage | $4.95 |
| CenterPoint delivery · 1,600 kWh × 6.5333¢ | $104.53 |
| CenterPoint delivery · monthly fee | $4.90 |
| What you would actually pay | $150.08 |
fact label read October 2, 2026
Every month at 1,000 kWh
| Month | Estimated bill | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | $78.21 | |
| Feb | $71.20 | |
| Mar | $69.45 | |
| Apr | $71.20 | |
| May | $86.98 | |
| Jun | $120.28 | |
| Jul | $150.08 | |
| Aug | $150.08 | |
| Sep | $123.79 | |
| Oct | $90.48 | |
| Nov | $74.71 | |
| Dec | $83.47 |
The published comparison points
Checking our arithmetic against theirs
Power to Choose makes every retailer publish an average price at exactly 500, 1,000 and 2,000 kilowatt hours a month. Those are the three numbers we recompute from the fact label; when ours land on theirs we know we have read the label correctly. They assume flat usage every month, which is why they differ from the seasonal figures above.
| Usage | They advertise | We compute | Monthly bill | A year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500 kWh a month | 10.7¢ | 10.7¢ | $53.67 | $644.04 |
| 1,000 kWh a month | 9.7¢ | 9.8¢ | $97.50 | $1,170 |
| 2,000 kWh a month | 9.3¢ | 9.3¢ | $185.14 | $2,221.68 |
What is actually in this plan
The fine print, in plain English
- Base charge
- $4.95 every month before you use any electricity at all. Over a year that is $59.40.
- Energy charge
- 2.231¢ per kilowatt hour, the same at any usage.
- Bill credits
- None. Nothing to qualify for and nothing to lose.
- Minimum usage fee
- None.
- CenterPoint delivery charges
- $4.90 a month plus 6.5333¢ per kilowatt hour, added on top. This is your utility’s charge for the poles and wires and is the same whichever retailer you choose.
- Early termination fee
- None — this is a month-to-month plan.
The alternatives
The next five cheapest plans here
Same territory, same 1,000 kWh a month, same method.
- #2Variable Advantage — SOUTHERN FEDERAL POWER LLC$97.49/mocosts $0 more
- #3Ranchero Cheapskate - 3 — Ranchero Power$105.49/mocosts $96 more
- #4SoFed Try Us Out Now - 3 — SOUTHERN FEDERAL POWER LLC$105.49/mocosts $96 more
- #5SmartGreen 3 — SMARTENERGY HOLDINGS LLC$106.18/mocosts $104.26 more
- #6Frontier Power Saver 3 — FRONTIER UTILITIES$106.43/mocosts $107.25 more
One month, itemized
August on this plan
The hottest month, at 1,000 kWh a month average. Every line here comes from the fact label or the CenterPoint tariff.
| Energy charge · 1,600 kWh × 2.2312¢ | $35.70 |
|---|---|
| Base charge · every month regardless of usage | $4.95 |
| CenterPoint delivery · 1,600 kWh × 6.5333¢ | $104.53 |
| CenterPoint delivery · monthly fee | $4.90 |
| What you would actually pay | $150.08 |
fact label read October 2, 2026
Figures computed October 5, 2026 from the plan’s own Electricity Facts Label and published CenterPoint Energy delivery charges. We are not the retailer and cannot sell you electricity; confirm the rate on the label before you sign anything. How we count.