Budget Power Review and Ratings
Last updated:
Budget Power currently holds a Clear Energy Facts Score of 4.1 out of 5. This places them at rank #8 out of 43. Three factors were evaluated: plan quality, pricing transparency, and customer service.
Budget Power: What we like
- True Fixed focus: Their offerings focus exclusively on True Fixed plans, and their Electricity Facts Label (EFL) is straightforward and easy to understand.
- PUCT score momentum (recent improvement): Over the last few months, Budget’s PUCT/Power to Choose complaint score has climbed noticeably (from about 2 up to around 4). That’s a meaningful step in the right direction—especially while they’ve been running an aggressive Power to Choose push with more competitive pricing (which typically leads to more enrollments and more chances for issues).
- Consistently among the cheapest (statewide): Since the start of this year, Budget has consistently ranked as one of the lowest-priced providers across all major Texas TDU areas: Oncor, CenterPoint, AEP North, AEP Central, and TNMP. Making them a strong option if your main goal is a low all-in rate.
Budget Power: What we don’t like
- Account transfers after acquisition complaints: There have been several complaints on review platforms about Budget Power customer accounts being sold to Direct Energy. While customers typically keep the same rate initially, they are then required to work with a different provider, and many report concerns about rate increases at renewal.
- AutoPay enforcement fees: The Terms of Service require customers to pay using Auto-Debit via bank draft or credit card. If any other payment method is used, a $5 fee is charged per occurrence.
- Best fixed rates only accessible through Power to Choose: Certain plans, such as the “No Gimmicks” series, are offered exclusively on the Power to Choose marketplace and are often priced lower than the Budget Power plans listed on the company’s own website, making it harder for customers to identify the lowest available rate.
Ratings for Budget Power
Company review breakdown
Compared against 43 Texas electricity companies rated by Clear Energy Facts.
Top 10 out of 43 companies — one of the best we evaluated.
Cancellation fees
Ranked #12 of 43 companies
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Cancellation fees are about average for the Texas market.
Plans & rates
Ranked #2 of 43 companies
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Rates are very competitive compared with most other companies.
Transparency
Ranked #23 of 43 companies
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Low transparencyDifferent rate between Power to Choose and the company’s website.
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Good transparencySimilar rates in Google sponsored ads and on the company’s website.
PUCT complaint record
Ranked #1 of 43 companies
Based on complaint data reported to the Public Utility Commission of Texas.
How We Rate This Company
- PUCT Rating: This is the official scorecard published by the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT).
- Plan & Rates: We evaluate each company’s electricity rates by giving more weight to clear True Fixed plans and less weight to other fixed-type plans, using average prices across different contract lengths. Companies with lower average rates score higher, and we exclude complex or gimmicky offers that require special equipment (like smart thermostats, EV devices, seasonal pricing, or “highest usage day” rewards).
- Cancellation Fees: We compare each plan’s early termination fee against similar plans from other providers and normalize the data. Lower cancellation fees per contract term result in better scores.
- Transparency: We check how consistently the provider displays prices across the main shopping channels Texans use: Power to Choose, the company’s own website, and Google Ads. If the prices match across these places, the transparency score goes up. If the company advertises one price but charges something different on its site, the score goes down.
- CEF Score: The overall Clear Energy Facts score is a weighted average of these sub-scores, giving you a single number you can use to compare providers side by side.
Data note: Except for the PUCT Rating (which comes directly from the official PUCT scorecard), all CEF scores are calculated using real, up-to-date plan data from each provider. We recalculate these scores regularly using current Electricity Facts Labels and plan details — we don’t guess or use hidden assumptions.
Clear Energy Facts ratings focus on plan structure, transparency, and pricing. They do not include direct customer service scores. For that, we recommend checking recent Google Reviews and other independent sources, and being cautious with “star ratings” shown on sponsored comparison sites.
Budget Power Non Recurring Fees Analysis
This is a comparison of the non-recurring fees for Budget Power. These charges are detailed within the Terms of Service (TOS) and contain critical information regarding penalties for missed payments or other circumstances. Understanding these fees is essential, as some providers enforce harsh penalties while others are more considerate.
This information is updated at the beginning of every quarter. We pull these figures from Oncor TDU plans via Power to Choose or directly from the provider's website. However, a provider's TOS is generally identical across all plans and TDU zones.
| Fee | Budget Power | Market (Median) |
|---|---|---|
| Late Payment Charge | 5% | 5% |
| Insufficient Funds / Returned Payment Fee | $29 | $30 |
| Disconnection Notice Fee | $20 | $19.95 |
| Disconnection + Reconnection Fee | $30 | $50 |
Understanding the Charges
- Late Payment Charge: A penalty applied when a monthly bill is not paid in full by the due date.
- Insufficient Funds / Returned Payment Fee: A fee charged if your payment method is declined or a check bounces due to non-sufficient funds.
- Disconnection Notice Fee: A charge for sending a formal warning letter of intent to disconnect service due to non-payment. This is distinct from the actual disconnection fee.
- Disconnection + Reconnection Fee: We bundle these two fees together for clarity. Because some providers charge a high disconnection fee but no reconnection fee (or vice versa), viewing them as a combined total provides a clearer picture of the true cost to restore power.
Note: Please use these values strictly as a reference. Providers often use wording such as "up to" in their terms, meaning actual amounts can vary at the company's discretion.
TDU Charges: The fees listed above are exclusive to the retail energy provider. On top of these, you may incur charges by the TDU (e.g., Oncor, CenterPoint) for physical disconnections or reconnections. TDU charges are pass-through costs and remain exactly the same regardless of which energy provider you use.
Budget Power Plans & Current Rates (Mar 2026)
Note: CEF selects plans based on value to the customer. For this review, we aim to avoid redundancy and shorter-term plans. we also generally exclude complex seasonal plans that usually offer poor value, high-rate fixed plans, and high-rate bill credit plans. For a complete list of available plans and terms, always check the provider's website. We display the latest update date for each plan, showing when the EFL and its information were collected. CEF verifies rates twice per week. Always check the provider’s website for the most current EFL and rates.
Enter your ZIP to check Budget Power plans
We’ll use your ZIP only to find the Transmission & Distribution Utility (TDU) for your address.
Does Budget Power have True Fixed rate plans?
Yes — we found 9 True Fixed plans (Check Provider's website for a full list of plans):
True Fixed
Listed on Power to Choose
Ranked #4 of 67 True Fixed plans in this TDU & term range
True Fixed
Listed on Power to Choose
Ranked #7 of 67 True Fixed plans in this TDU & term range
True Fixed
Listed on Power to Choose
Ranked #11 of 67 True Fixed plans in this TDU & term range
True Fixed
Listed on Power to Choose
Ranked #2 of 40 True Fixed plans in this TDU & term range
True Fixed
Listed on Power to Choose
Ranked #2 of 36 True Fixed plans in this TDU & term range
True Fixed
Ranked #39 of 67 True Fixed plans in this TDU & term range
True Fixed
Ranked #20 of 40 True Fixed plans in this TDU & term range
True Fixed
Ranked #21 of 36 True Fixed plans in this TDU & term range
True Fixed
Ranked #46 of 67 True Fixed plans in this TDU & term range
Does Budget Power have Fixed - Tiered Plans?
They don’t currently list any Fixed - Tiered plans on their website or on Power to Choose for this TDU.
Does Budget Power have Free Hours plans?
They don’t currently list any Free Nights / Free Hours plans on their website or on Power to Choose for this TDU.
Does Budget Power have Free Weekend plans?
They don’t currently list any Free Weekend plans on their website or on Power to Choose for this TDU.
Does Budget Power have Bill Credit plans?
We don’t currently list any Bill Credit plans for this provider in this TDU.
Budget Power vs. The market
We don't have direct comparisons to other companies at this moment.
Transparency Review in Detail
Transparency
Ranked #23 of 43 companies
Customer Service Review in Detail
PUCT complaint record
Ranked #1 of 43 companies
In this section we focus on the company’s customer service, using the official complaint data from the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT).
1. PUCT scorecard rating. This score shows how this provider compares to other Texas electricity companies based on the number of customer complaints the PUCT receives about them.
2. What the PUCT scorecard means. The PUCT publishes a scorecard that rates Retail Electric Providers based on their complaint history. It compares a company's market share to its share of complaints filed with the state. Companies that resolve issues before customers feel the need to contact the PUCT receive higher ratings (5 Power Circles), while companies that frequently force customers to escalate issues receive lower ratings.
If a company does not have a PUCT rating (or we show “No rating”), it usually means there is not enough historical data for the PUCT to calculate a score. This typically happens when a company is new to the market or has a customer base too small to be statistically compared to larger providers.
Summary of Real Customer Reviews
At Clear Energy Facts we encourage people to leave reviews on platforms where everyone can read them and companies can respond publicly. From all the options available, we’ve found that Google tends to have some of the most consistent review practices and is a widely trusted source for real customer feedback.
The analysis below is based primarily on Google reviews from roughly the last 12 months, so the information reflects recent customer experiences rather than very old history.
The service provides competitive rates and helpful phone support, alongside reports of accounts being sold to other providers, falsified usage charges, and difficulties with account administration.
Common questions about Budget Power
- Is Budget Power a good electricity company?
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Based on our independent analysis, Budget Power currently holds a Clear Energy Facts Score of 4.1 out of 5. This places them at rank #8 out of 43 retail electricity providers we track in Texas. This rating reflects a combination of their plan value, customer service history, and pricing transparency.
- Does Budget Power have True Fixed rate plans?
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Yes. Budget Power currently offers True Fixed rate plans. The cheapest True Fixed rate that we have validated is No Gimmicks 15 at about 12.9¢/kWh around 1,000 kWh with a 15-month term in the Dallas service area. Use the ZIP search above to see the latest True Fixed options available for your area.
- Does Budget Power offer Free Nights or Free Hours plans?
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We do not currently find any Free Nights / Free Hours plans from Budget Power.
- Does Budget Power offer Free Weekends plans?
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We do not currently find any Free Weekends plans from Budget Power.