TXU Energy Review

Quick Facts

Is TXU Energy good? TXU Energy has the widest plan variety in Texas—free nights, seasonal passes, solar buyback, EV charging—but you’ll pay 15-25% more than budget providers for the same electricity on the same grid.

• Parent Company: Vistra Corp (NYSE: VST)
• Years in Texas: 24 (REP since Jan 2002; roots back to 1882)
• Best For: Homeowners who want plan variety and 24/7 support
• Avoid If: You shop on price—TXU almost never wins on rate alone
• Deposit Required: Conditional (soft credit check; waivers available for age 55+, personal guarantee, and more)

Company Overview

TXU Energy is the biggest name in Texas electricity—and the most expensive among major providers. They charge 15-25% more than competitors for identical power on the same grid [ComparePower rate analysis, 2.5M+ enrollments]. Same wires. Same electrons hitting your meter. You’re paying for TV commercials, a large customer service operation, and the name your parents probably had.

Vistra Corp [NYSE: VST] owns TXU, along with Dynegy, Ambit Energy, and Energy Harbor. Vistra is one of the largest power companies in the country, with generation assets and retail brands across multiple states. TXU isn’t going anywhere—and that financial stability is real. But stability costs you roughly $200-$400 per year compared to mid-tier providers like Gexa or Frontier [ComparePower rate analysis].

One thing worth understanding: TXU sells you electricity. Oncor, CenterPoint, AEP, or TNMP delivers it. When your power goes out, TXU can’t restore it—that’s the utility company’s job, regardless of who sends your bill.

Where TXU Operates

TXU serves all four deregulated utility territories in Texas: Oncor (Dallas-Fort Worth), CenterPoint (Houston), AEP Texas (Corpus Christi, parts of South Texas), and TNMP (scattered areas across the state). If you’re in a deregulated area, TXU is almost certainly available.

Austin and San Antonio run municipal utilities. TXU can’t sell there, and neither can anyone else on this site.

Plan Types Offered

TXU has more plan variety than any other Texas provider. That’s genuine—but the variety also makes it easy to pick the wrong plan for your usage pattern.

Fixed-Rate Plans (Simple Rate 12) Lock in a rate for 12 months. The straightforward option—and TXU’s plainest plan now that the old Clear Deal lineup has disappeared from txu.com and the rate boards. As of August 2026, Simple Rate 12 lists at 17.2 cents/kWh in Dallas and 16.2 cents in Houston [TexasElectricityRatings]. ETFs on TXU’s fixed plans run $150-$395 depending on term length. These are the plans where you can do an apples-to-apples rate comparison with other providers—and TXU usually loses.

Variable-Rate Plans (Flex Forward) Month-to-month with no contract and no ETF. Rate changes every billing cycle based on market conditions. Useful as a bridge while you shop, but not a long-term play.

Free Nights & Solar Days (closed to new signups since June 2026; TXU now pitches “Free Nights & Cool Summer” instead) Nighttime energy charges are free (TDU and other charges still apply). During the day, TXU purchases solar renewable energy credits to match your daytime usage. The catch: the daytime rate is significantly higher to compensate for free nights. Works well if you genuinely shift heavy usage to nighttime hours. At 1,000 kWh, rates in the ComparePower marketplace run around 18-22 cents/kWh all-in. Full teardown: our TXU Free Nights & Solar Days review.

Live Your Free TXU’s most creative plan. Each month, the system automatically checks whether you’d save more with free nights, free days, or free weekends—and gives you whichever option saves you the most. Sounds great in theory. In practice, the base rate is high enough that the savings rarely beat a simple fixed-rate plan from a budget provider.

Free Pass Your 7 highest-usage days each month are free (9 in summer), picked automatically after the fact. TXU is currently pushing this one hard through direct mail with a $50 “check” that isn’t a check. The rate on the other 21+ days covers the giveaway. We took the mailer apart line by line in our TXU Free Pass review.

Ultimate Season Pass 50% off during peak winter and summer months. TXU claims average savings of $450/year based on a 2024 customer survey. Good for homes with electric heat that see big seasonal swings in usage. Less useful if your usage is steady year-round. We interrogate that discount in our TXU Season Pass review.

Solar Buyback For homeowners with rooftop solar panels. TXU credits you for excess energy you send to the grid and rolls over unused credits to future months. Can offset up to 100% of energy charges.

Saver’s Discount / Smart Deal / Smart Edge Fixed-rate plans with automatic bill credits when you hit certain usage thresholds. The Smart Deal runs 12, 24, or 36 months—the 36-month version carries the $395 ETF—and it isn’t one flat rate, either. The August 2026 Houston fact sheet shows a tiered energy charge: 12.3 cents up to 1,200 kWh, a half-price 6.2-cent band from 1,201 to 2,000, then back up to 12.9 cents past that. The “discount” marketing makes these plans sound cheaper than they are—always compare the all-in rate at your actual usage level. We reviewed the two biggest: Smart Deal ($50 credit at 1,200+ kWh) and Smart Edge ($50 credit at 800+ kWh).

Green Energy Options

TXU has one of the broader green plan lineups in Texas:

• GreenUp: An add-on you can put on any plan. TXU offsets 100% of your usage with renewable energy credits. Available at signup or through MyAccount.
• Free Nights & Solar Days: 100% solar RECs cover your daytime usage. Free energy charges at night.
• Solar Buyback: For homes with panels. Earn credits for excess generation sent to the grid.
• Solar Club: A membership-style plan that supports Texas solar farms without needing your own panels.
• EV Plans: 100% renewable plans designed for electric vehicle home charging.

The marketplace data shows TXU plans range from 9% to 100% renewable content depending on the plan. If you want green energy, TXU gives you real options—just expect to pay more than a budget provider’s green plan.

Deposit Requirements

TXU runs a soft credit check after you select a plan. If your credit history is clean, no deposit. If it’s not, deposit amounts vary based on your bill history and home size—TXU doesn’t publish a fixed dollar amount.

Ways to avoid or reduce a deposit:

• Age 55 or older (deposit waived)
• Victim of family violence with a prescribed letter (deposit waived)
• Medically indigent with proof of status (deposit waived)
• Personal guarantee from a current TXU customer in good standing (no cash deposit)
• Split the deposit into two equal installments

If you do pay a deposit, TXU refunds 100% plus interest (set by the PUCT) as a bill credit after 12 months of on-time payments.

TXU does not offer prepaid or pay-as-you-go plans. If your credit makes the deposit a dealbreaker, you’ll need to look at providers like Payless Power or Reliant’s Flex Pay.

Customer Service: The Real Story

TXU’s customer service is better than most Texas providers. That’s partly because they staff a 24/7 operation—and partly because higher rates fund more support headcount.

Worth knowing:

• Residential phone support is available 24/7 at 866-278-4898 [verified on txu.com contact page]
• The TXU Energy mobile app tracks real-time usage, sends alerts, and handles bill pay
• Live chat connects to humans who can resolve issues
• Email support available through their contact form
• 60-day Total Satisfaction Guarantee lets you switch plans for free if you picked the wrong one

The catch:

• TXU’s renewal team starts outreach 60+ days before your contract ends. The “exclusive renewal offers” are usually 5-10% higher than rates available to new customers on the open market. Always counter-shop on ComparePower before renewing.
• Every phone call is a potential upsell: home warranties, protection plans, smart home devices. TXU also sells home insurance products—expect the pitch.
• Their website aggressively pushes you into their own shopping experience rather than letting you compare rates independently. That’s by design.

The bottom line: TXU’s 24/7 support and mobile app justify maybe $5-$10/month of their price premium. If you value plan variety and a polished customer experience over saving $200-$400/year, TXU delivers. If you just want the cheapest electricity on the same grid, you’re overpaying for the brand.