Value Choice - 12
TARA ENERGY · 12-month contract · fixed rate · AEP Texas Central delivery area
At 1,000 kilowatt hours a month spread across a Texas year, this plan costs $2,128 over twelve months — an average of $177.33 a month, or 17.7¢ per kilowatt hour all in. That makes it the 161st cheapest of the 166 plans sold in AEP Texas Central territory.
These figures are estimated. We could not read TARA ENERGY’s fact label cleanly enough to trust a line-by-line reconstruction, so the rate structure here is solved from the three prices Power to Choose publishes. It reproduces those three points exactly but may miss a condition that only bites at other usage levels. Read the label yourself.
Cost at your usage
1,000 kWh a month on average
A year on this plan
$2,128
$177.33 a month · 17.7¢ per kWh
advertised9.4¢really17.7¢
- Loses its $125 bill credit in months under 1,000 kWh (your Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Oct, Nov, Dec).
- We could not read this plan’s fact label cleanly, so these numbers are reconstructed from its three published prices.
a month this plan works against you
| Energy charge · 780 kWh × 21.6¢ | $168.48 |
|---|---|
| Base charge · every month regardless of usage | $3 |
| AEP Central delivery · included in the energy charge | $0 |
| No $125 credit · needs 1,000 kWh, you use 780 | not earned |
| What you would actually pay | $171.48 |
Every month at 1,000 kWh
| Month | Estimated bill | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | $171.48 | missed the credit |
| Feb | $154.20 | missed the credit |
| Mar | $149.88 | missed the credit |
| Apr | $154.20 | missed the credit |
| May | $193.08 | missed the credit |
| Jun | $150.16 | |
| Jul | $223.60 | |
| Aug | $223.60 | |
| Sep | $158.80 | |
| Oct | $201.72 | missed the credit |
| Nov | $162.84 | missed the credit |
| Dec | $184.44 | missed the credit |
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 | 22.2¢ | 22.2¢ | $111 | $1,332 |
| 1,000 kWh a month | 9.4¢ | 9.4¢ | $94 | $1,128 |
| 2,000 kWh a month | 15.5¢ | 15.5¢ | $310 | $3,720 |
What is actually in this plan
The fine print, in plain English
- Base charge
- $3 every month before you use any electricity at all. Over a year that is $36.
- Energy charge
- 21.600¢ per kilowatt hour, the same at any usage.
- Bill credits
- $125 off your bill in months you use at least 1,000 kWh.
- Minimum usage fee
- None.
- AEP Central delivery charges
- Included in the energy charge above. AEP Central still charges roughly $3.33 a month plus 5.7843¢ per kWh; the retailer has folded it in rather than billing it separately.
- Early termination fee
- $175 if you leave before the end of the 12-month term. Worth comparing against what you would save by switching.
- Notes from the label
- fact label was read but did not reproduce the published prices rate solved from the published prices using the bill credits the retailer states in writing
The alternatives
Five plans that cost less than this one
Same territory, same 1,000 kWh a month, same method.
- #1Sustainable Living Bundle - 5 — JUST ENERGY$108.66/mosaves $824.05 a year
- #2Sustainable Home Bundle - 5 — TARA ENERGY$108.66/mosaves $824.05 a year
- #3Bright Nights 10 — CHARIOT ENERGY$108.66/mosaves $824.05 a year
- #4Sustainable Lifestyle - 5 — AMIGO ENERGY$108.66/mosaves $824.05 a year
- #5No Gimmicks 11 — Budget Power$109.10/mosaves $818.77 a year
One month, itemised
August on this plan
The hottest month, at 1,000 kWh a month average. Every line here comes from the fact label or the AEP Central tariff.
| Energy charge · 1,600 kWh × 21.6¢ | $345.60 |
|---|---|
| Base charge · every month regardless of usage | $3 |
| AEP Central delivery · included in the energy charge | $0 |
| Bill credit · 1,000+ kWh | −$125 |
| What you would actually pay | $223.60 |
Figures computed August 7, 2026 from the plan’s own Electricity Facts Label and published AEP Texas Central 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.