Tara Energy Review and Ratings
Last updated:
Read our Tara Energy Review and Ratings. Tara Energy currently holds a Clear Energy Facts Score of 2.7 out of 5, ranking #33 out of 42. We evaluate plan quality, pricing transparency, and customer service.
Tara Energy: What we like
- Referral program: They offer a referral program where both you and your friend receive a $75 bill credit. This promotion applies only to 12-month or longer postpaid plans. Learn more here.
- Tara Energy is part of the Fulcrum Retail Energy LLC family. Being backed by a larger group can provide greater operational stability and customer service infrastructure compared to smaller providers.
- Wide plan selection: They offer a diverse portfolio of plans, including Fixed-Rate, Bill Credit, Free Nights, Free Weekends, and Seasonal options.
Tara Energy: What we don’t like
- Minimum usage fees: Some plans charge a minimum usage fee when consumption falls below a specific threshold (for example, 400 kWh). This threshold is often set just below the 500 kWh disclosure level. While the fee is listed in the EFL, it is not reflected in the advertised 500 kWh rate, which can lead to higher-than-expected bills for low-usage customers.
- Deceptive short-term pricing: For short-term plans listed on Power to Choose (such as Sustainable Home Bundle – 3), the company charges a high one-time fee (for example, $49.99) but only spreads 1/12th of that cost into the advertised rate. This lowers the displayed price to rank higher in search results, even though customers pay the full fee over a 3-month contract. Because of this math, these plans often fail our validation filters.
- Low transparency: They show different plans and prices depending on how customers reach their site (for example, via Google-sponsored ads versus the regular website), making it difficult to determine which rate is truly the best offer.
- Best fixed-rates only accessible through Power to Choose: The most competitive plans are typically offered exclusively through the Power to Choose marketplace and are not clearly listed on the company’s main website. While these plans may redirect back to the provider’s site, they are often hidden or only accessible through the marketplace funnel.
- Complex EFLs: Their Electricity Facts Labels (EFLs) are harder to interpret than those of many other providers, as charges and fees are not consistently broken down in clear, table-style formats.
- Mobile app issues: Although a mobile app is available for account management and usage tracking, it has received poor reviews on app stores due to frequent bugs and technical issues that frustrate users.
Ratings for Tara Energy
Company review breakdown
Compared against 42 Texas electricity companies rated by Clear Energy Facts.
This company performs poorly in our overall evaluation.
Cancellation fees
Ranked #14 of 42 companies
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Cancellation fees are about average for the Texas market.
Plans & rates
Ranked #34 of 42 companies
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Rates are higher than average compared with other companies.
Transparency
Ranked #38 of 42 companies
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Low transparencyDifferent rate between Power to Choose and the company’s website.
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Low transparencyDifferent price in Google sponsored ads vs the company’s website.
PUCT complaint record
Ranked #7 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.
Tara Energy Non Recurring Fees Analysis
This is a comparison of the non-recurring fees for Tara Energy. 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 | Tara Energy | Market (Median) |
|---|---|---|
| Late Payment Charge | 5% | 5% |
| Insufficient Funds / Returned Payment Fee | $25 | $30 |
| Disconnection Notice Fee | $25 | $19.95 |
| Disconnection + Reconnection Fee | $25 | $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.
Tara Energy Plans & Current Rates (Apr 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 Tara Energy plans
We’ll use your ZIP only to find the Transmission & Distribution Utility (TDU) for your address.
Does Tara Energy have True Fixed rate plans?
Yes — we found 2 True Fixed plans (Check Provider's website for a full list of plans):
True Fixed
Listed on Power to Choose
Ranked #29 of 36 True Fixed plans in this TDU & term range
Small apartment: Winter months usually use 500 kWh or less (no electric heater). Summer months are usually between 750 and 1,000 kWh.
Medium home: Winter months usually use 750 kWh or less (no electric heater). Summer months are usually between 1,250 and 2,000 kWh on average.
| 250 kWh | 500 kWh | 750 kWh | 1,000 kWh | 1,250 kWh | 1,500 kWh | 1,750 kWh | 2,000 kWh | 2,250 kWh | 2,500 kWh |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $42.03 | $79.82 | $117.62 | $155.41 | $193.21 | $231.00 | $268.80 | $306.60 | $344.39 | $382.19 |
True Fixed
Listed on Power to Choose
Ranked #27 of 43 True Fixed plans in this TDU & term range
Small apartment: Winter months usually use 500 kWh or less (no electric heater). Summer months are usually between 750 and 1,000 kWh.
Medium home: Winter months usually use 750 kWh or less (no electric heater). Summer months are usually between 1,250 and 2,000 kWh on average.
| 250 kWh | 500 kWh | 750 kWh | 1,000 kWh | 1,250 kWh | 1,500 kWh | 1,750 kWh | 2,000 kWh | 2,250 kWh | 2,500 kWh |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $42.03 | $79.82 | $117.62 | $155.41 | $193.21 | $231.00 | $268.80 | $306.60 | $344.39 | $382.19 |
Does Tara Energy 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 Tara Energy 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 Tara Energy 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 Tara Energy have Bill Credit plans?
We don’t currently list any Bill Credit plans for this provider in this TDU.
Tara Energy vs. The market
We don't have direct comparisons to other companies at this moment.
Transparency Review in Detail
Transparency
Ranked #38 of 42 companies
Customer Service Review in Detail
PUCT complaint record
Ranked #7 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.
Common questions about Tara Energy
- Is Tara Energy a good electricity company?
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Based on our independent analysis, Tara Energy currently holds a Clear Energy Facts Score of 2.7 out of 5. This places them at rank #33 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 Tara Energy have True Fixed rate plans?
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Yes. Tara Energy currently offers True Fixed rate plans. The cheapest True Fixed rate that we have validated is Basics PTC - 36 at about 15.5¢/kWh around 1,000 kWh with a 36-month term in the Dallas service area. Use the ZIP search above to see the latest True Fixed options available for your area.
- Does Tara Energy offer Free Nights or Free Hours plans?
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We do not currently find any Free Nights / Free Hours plans from Tara Energy.
- Does Tara Energy offer Free Weekends plans?
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We do not currently find any Free Weekends plans from Tara Energy.