Direct Energy Review and Ratings
Last updated:
Direct Energy currently holds a Clear Energy Facts Score of 3.3 out of 5. This places them at rank #22 out of 42. Three factors were evaluated: plan quality, pricing transparency, and customer service.
Direct Energy: What we like
- Highly rated mobile app: Their mobile app is one of the best rated in the Texas electricity market, with excellent user reviews. Customers can make payments, set up AutoPay, contact customer service, link EV data and smart thermostats, and track electricity usage.
- Generous referral program: They offer a referral program where both you and your friend receive a $100 bill credit after signing up. Learn more here.
- Unique 12-hour Free Nights plan: They offer a 12-hour Free Nights plan that provides free electricity overnight, which is longer than most competing free-hours plans. However, daytime rates are typically higher, making this plan best suited for customers who can shift usage to nighttime hours. We recommend reviewing your Smart Meter Texas data and comparing historical usage before enrolling. This plan is especially popular among customers with solar panels or home battery systems that can offset higher daytime rates.
- Improved Transparency: In early 2026, Direct Energy began offering plan pricing on its website that more closely matches the offers listed on Power to Choose. This improvement reduces pricing discrepancies across platforms and makes it easier for customers to identify competitive plans without needing to compare multiple sources.
Direct Energy: What we don’t like
- Call center payment fee: A $4.95 fee applies if a customer chooses to make a payment through a call center agent instead of using self-service options.
- Mixed recent customer reviews: Although the company maintains an overall Google rating around 4 stars, reviews from the past 12 months show a more balanced mix of positive and negative feedback. Common complaints reference customer support issues and significant rate increases after contracts expire.
- High cancellation fees: Their early termination fees are significantly higher than the market average.
- Below-market competitiveness: Their current plans are generally less competitive than those offered by most providers, including the plans they list on the Power to Choose marketplace.
Ratings for Direct Energy
Company review breakdown
Compared against 42 Texas electricity companies rated by Clear Energy Facts.
Average score compared with other companies we evaluated.
Cancellation fees
Ranked #38 of 42 companies
-
Cancellation fees are higher than most other companies.
Plans & rates
Ranked #37 of 42 companies
-
Rates are higher than average compared with other companies.
Transparency
Ranked #1 of 42 companies
-
Good transparencySimilar rates on Power to Choose and the company’s own website.
-
Good transparencySimilar rates in Google sponsored ads and on the company’s website.
PUCT complaint record
Ranked #6 of 42 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.
Direct Energy Plans & Current Rates (Jan 2026)
Note: CEF selects plans based on value to the customer. For this review, 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 Direct Energy plans
We’ll use your ZIP only to find the Transmission & Distribution Utility (TDU) for your address.
Does Direct Energy have True Fixed rate plans?
Yes — we found 4 True Fixed plans (Check Provider's website for a full list of plans):
True Fixed
Listed on Power to Choose
Ranked #22 of 39 True Fixed plans in this TDU & term range
True Fixed
Listed on Power to Choose
Ranked #26 of 39 True Fixed plans in this TDU & term range
True Fixed
Ranked #51 of 65 True Fixed plans in this TDU & term range
True Fixed
Ranked #32 of 39 True Fixed plans in this TDU & term range
Does Direct Energy have Fixed - Tiered Plans?
Yes — we found 2 Fixed - Tiered plans (Check the provider’s website for the full list):
Fixed - Tiered
Fixed - Tiered
Does Direct Energy have Free Hours plans?
Yes — we found 2 Free Nights / Free Hours style plans (Check Provider's website for a full list of plans):
Free Hours (Day/Night)
Free Hours (Day/Night)
Does Direct Energy have Free Weekend plans?
Yes — we found 1 weekend-free style plan (Check Provider's website for a full list of plans):
Free Days & Weekends
Does Direct Energy have Bill Credit plans?
Yes — we found 1 bill-credit style plan (Check Provider's website for a full list of plans):
Usage Credit Plan
Transparency Review in Detail
Transparency
Ranked #1 of 42 companies
Customer Service Review in Detail
PUCT complaint record
Ranked #6 of 42 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.
Customer experiences with the company vary, with reports citing both helpful customer service and low bills, as well as experiences of high charges, communication problems, and unhelpful support.
Common questions about Direct Energy
- Is Direct Energy a good electricity company?
-
Based on our independent analysis, Direct Energy currently holds a Clear Energy Facts Score of 3.3 out of 5. This places them at rank #22 out of 42 retail electricity providers we track in Texas. This rating reflects a combination of their plan value, customer service history, and pricing transparency.
- Does Direct Energy have True Fixed rate plans?
-
Yes. Direct Energy currently offers True Fixed rate plans. The cheapest True Fixed rate that we have validated is Auto Pay Texas 24 at about 15.7¢/kWh around 1,000 kWh with a 24-month term in the Dallas service area. Use the ZIP search above to see the latest True Fixed options available for your area.
- Does Direct Energy offer Free Nights or Free Hours plans?
-
Yes. Direct Energy offers Free Nights / Free Hours plans. An example is Twelve Hour Power 24.
- Does Direct Energy offer Free Weekends plans?
-
Yes. Direct Energy offers Free Weekends plans. An example is Free Power Weekends 24 Auto Pay.