The plans on TV are not on the state's comparison site
Texas runs an official plan comparison site, powertochoose.org. None of the plans TXU and Reliant advertise are listed on it.
What TXU sells on txu.com
| Plan | Term | ¢/kWh at 2,000 |
|---|---|---|
| Flex Forward | Month to Month | 19.5¢ |
| Solar Buyback System Flex | Month to Month | 18.5¢ |
| Free Nights & Cool Summer 12 | 12 Months Fixed | 18.2¢ |
| Ultimate Season Pass 12 | 12 Months Fixed | 17.9¢ |
| Ultimate Summer Pass 12 | 12 Months Fixed | 17.8¢ |
| e-Saver 12 | 12 Months Fixed | 16.9¢ |
| Simple Rate 12 | 12 Months Fixed | 16.5¢ |
| Simple Value 24 | 24 Months Fixed | 16.5¢ |
| Saver's Choice 12 | 12 Months Fixed | 14.5¢ |
| Smart 2000 Select 12 | 12 Months Fixed | 10.9¢ |
Captured 2026-08-12, ZIP 75201. 10 plans, including every plan TXU advertises on television.
What TXU lists on powertochoose.org
| Plan | Type | 500 kWh | 1,000 kWh | 2,000 kWh |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smart 1000 Select 12 | Fixed, 12 mo | 22.9¢ | 10.9¢ | 15.5¢ |
Captured 2026-08-12 from powertochoose.org for ZIP 75201. 1 plan.
Free Nights & Cool Summer, Ultimate Season Pass, Ultimate Summer Pass, Saver's Choice, e‑Saver — none of them appear. The state's site cannot compare the plans most Texans have actually heard of.
And the one plan they do list is shaped strangely
Look at the price at each usage level. It is cheapest at exactly 1,000 kWh and roughly twice as expensive at 500. That is a bill credit: a lump sum that pays out only when your usage crosses a threshold, which drags the average price down at one single point on the curve and nowhere else.
On TXU's own site the equivalent plan is named Smart 2000 Select 12 and the credit triggers at 2,000 kWh instead. Same mechanism, retuned for the channel it's sold through.
Reliant, same test
| Plan | Type | 500 kWh | 1,000 kWh | 2,000 kWh |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reliant Power On 12 Plan | Fixed, 12 mo | 16.5¢ | 15.6¢ | 15.2¢ |
| Reliant Power On 18 | Fixed, 18 mo | 16.2¢ | 15.3¢ | 14.9¢ |
| Reliant Power On 24 Plan | Fixed, 24 mo | 16.8¢ | 15.9¢ | 15.5¢ |
| Reliant Power On Flex plan | Variable, 0 mo | 19.2¢ | 18.3¢ | 17.9¢ |
| Reliant Power on 36 Plan | Fixed, 36 mo | 17.1¢ | 16.2¢ | 15.8¢ |
Captured 2026-08-12 from powertochoose.org for ZIP 75201.
Four plain fixed‑rate plans. Truly Free Weekends, Truly Free Nights and Truly Free 7 Days — the plans Reliant advertises — are not among them.