Frequently Asked Questions
What's involved in switching energy companies?
Great question. Most people think it's difficult and time consuming to switch, but our no hassle, no hidden fee structure makes it super simple. In fact, you don't even need to contact your current provider. We'll handle that for you.
How to switch - this will only take about five to ten minutes in total
- Consider your current situation - There may be a termination fee from your current provider so please check on that. If so, consider your potential savings to come on over to Kinetic. Many people recoup that cost in the first few months through the savings they experience.
- Get started - Go to our home page and choose residential or commercial. Information for contacting Kinetic will be available for commercial customers. Residential customers may proceed with the remaining enrollment steps described below.
- Plans - Enter your zip code to find the plans that are available and choose the perfect plan for you.
- Service address and verification - Enter your service address or ESI ID number (unique meter location identifier) to verify plan availability
- Account information and acknowledgements - Enter your account information, choose whether you will be "switching" or "moving" and read through and agree to the terms and conditions.
- Credit check - a quick credit check will be performed to determine if a deposit will be required.
- Billing information - enter your billing information.
- Completion - confirm your order and we'll handle the rest.
It's that simple and the savings will start shortly.
1. Can retailers distinguish themselves in terms of the quality of electricity or in terms of reliability?
2. What factors should I use to evaluate my existing or potential retail provider?
Sign Up Questions
1. Why won't your website show me any offers for my location?
2. Why does the price you offer vary by TDSP and can I choose the lowest one?
3. What is an ESI ID?
4. Can I sign up without providing my social security number?
5. Can I elect to receive a paper bill rather than an email?
6. Can I sign up without providing a credit card or bank account information?
7. What is the difference between a "switch" and a "move-in"?
8. Are there any fees associated with signing up?
9. Do I need to notify my current electricity provider that I am switching?
10. Are there any fees associated with terminating my contract?
Contact Information
1. If I experience a power outage who should I call?
2. If I have other questions regarding my Kinetic service who should I contact?
General Questions
1. Can retailers distinguish themselves in terms of the quality of electricity or in terms of reliability?
Regardless of the electric provider you select, there is no difference in the power you receive at your home or business. Electricity flows along the path of least resistance. While each retailer is responsible for procuring power from the various sources of power supply in the state, it is highly unlikely that the exact electrons they purchase are the same ones you consume. Furthermore, if the electric provider you select fails to procure sufficient power to meet the demand of its customers, the system operator (ERCOT) will procure additional supply to ensure that the available supply of power equates to the forecasted demand on a system wide basis. Therefore, you will continue to receive the electricity you require regardless of the provider you select assuming there are no disruptions in the transmission and distribution lines that deliver the power to your home or business.
One possible exception to this would be a provider who is willing to add additional onsite generation at your location to ensure additional reliability. However, for most customers this is cost prohibitive for the retail provider to pursue given the current technologies available.
2. What factors should I use to evaluate my existing or potential retail provider?
There are 3 primary factors one should consider when evaluating a retail provider.
Price: Electricity is a fungible commodity - there is no way to distinguish one provider's electricity from the electricity of another provider. There is no difference in color, size, smell, etc. Therefore, assuming two companies offering to sell electricity are identical with respect to the other two factors identified below, one should always choose the provider with the lower price. Our goal is to ensure that our pricing reflects current wholesale market prices.
Financial Stability: Recent history has shown that some retail providers lack the financial wherewithal to survive until the contract has expired. Often the result is that many customers who believed they were saving money by selecting a low-price provider end up having to replace their contract at the prevailing market conditions when their provider goes under. These failures could be due to many possible factors:
o The price the retailer is offering is below wholesale prices and therefore impossible to hedge at a profit unless prices decrease.
o The retailer lacks the expertise to properly hedge their retail obligations in the wholesale market.
o The retailer lacks adequate capital to procure the supply necessary to meet their customer obligations.
o Any combination of the above.
It is important to note that this lack of stability has not been limited to just the smaller players. The capital requirements of any given retailer are largely determined by the quantity and size of the customers they are obligated to serve. In other words a retail provider with a given amount of capital and a limited number of customers could be much more financially stable than a company with ten times the capital but 100 times the number of customers.
As an active participant in the Texas wholesale power market we are very aware of the day to day changes in wholesale power prices. We are also experienced in the various alternatives of hedging retail obligations. Additionally, operating a successful wholesale business allows us to right-size our retail commitments to our available capital rather than irresponsibly chasing market share as the only means of profit potential. The combination of these attributes will allow us to be your retail provider now and in the years to come.
Customer Service: Customer service is something you hope you never need to contact but if the situation arises where you need to have a question answered, you want the experience to be as pleasant as possible. A small discount in price between one provider and another cannot justify hours of time wasted trying to resolve a billing error.
We have invested significant efforts in designing our proprietary billing system to be as efficient as possible thus minimizing the potential for mistakes. Additionally we have spent significant time training our customer service representatives to resolve most routine issues. Finally we have instructed them that if the matter is something they are not prepared to answer that they should verify the customer's information and we will have someone more knowledgeable return the call no later than the next business day.
Sign Up Questions
1. Why won't your website show me any offers for my location?
Kinetic is only able to provide electric service in areas of Texas that are open to competition. Therefore, there are two possible reasons why we might be unable to show you a price for electricity:
- You might be located in an area not open to competition. Such areas include city operated utilities such as Austin and San Antonio as well as most electric cooperatives.
- Alternatively, if you currently buy power from Reliant, TXU, Direct, or any of the other competitive retailers, with some rare exceptions, you should be able to choose Kinetic as your supplier. The most likely reason we are unable to offer a price at this time is we are unable to locate your service address in our database of ERCOT meters. Please check to ensure that your address has been entered correctly.
2. Why does the price you offer vary by TDSP and can I choose the lowest one?
There are two primary reasons that prices vary by transmission and distribution service provider (TDSP) area. Wholesale energy prices vary regionally based on the supply and demand characteristics of that particular region. Additionally each TDSP allocates its unique costs to it customers. The combination of the two can result in large price discrepancies between areas. Unfortunately, we can only offer you the prices associated with the TDSP area in which you are located.
ESI stands for electric service identifier. It is a unique number assigned to a particular meter and service location. It is referenced when retail providers, the system operator, and transmission and distribution service providers communicate regarding the electric service at a given location.
4. Can I sign up without providing my social security number?
Unfortunately you must provide your social security number to enable us to conduct a credit evaluation. No one will be turned down for service based on credit; however potential customers who do not meet our minimum credit threshold will be required to post a deposit. If a deposit is required you will be paid interest on your deposit if it is held longer than 30 days and your deposit will be paid back in full if you decide to cancel and do not have an outstanding balance.
5. Can I elect to receive a paper bill rather than an email?
In an effort to streamline our operations and maximize the savings for our customers we are only offering electronic billing at this time. If receiving a paper in the mail is of importance to you please check back periodically to see if we have adjusted our policies.
6. Can I sign up without providing a credit card or bank account information?
In an effort to streamline our operations and maximize the savings for our customers we are currently requiring automated payments. If the ability to pay your monthly bill with a check is of importance to you please check back periodically to see if we have adjusted our policies.
7. What is the difference between a "switch" and a "move-in" ?
A "switch" relates to a change in retail electricity provider while staying at your current address while a "move-in" relates to one of the following conditions:
a. You are moving to a new residence in which you have not had service before
b. You are requesting additional service at a new location
c. You are requesting service at a location in which the power is currently turned off
If you are moving in to a new address, you can schedule your service to
begin as early as 3 business days from today (4 business days if you are enrolling after 3pm). If
it is determined that you are required to pay a deposit, up to 10 days will be added to your move-in
date to allow for processing of the deposit. You will be presented with the new move-in date during the
deposit determination section of your enrollment.
If you are switching providers at your current address,
it will typically be completed within 8 business days of your enrollment with Kinetic.
8. Are there any fees associated with signing up?
There are no fees if you are simply switching to Kinetic from another provider and are willing to wait until your normal meter read date to begin receiving service from us. If you are establishing service at new location (a "move-in" ) the transmission company will be required to read the meter outside their normal schedule. Any fees that they charge us associated with this "out-of-cycle" meter read we be passed on to you at our costs. The fees vary by TDSP but will be listed below the box you select to indicate a move-in and will be noted as non-recurring charges on your first bill.
9. Do I need to notify my current electricity provider that I am switching?
No, there is no need to contact your current electricity provider to notify them of the switch. Once your signup is successful, Kinetic will receive a notification and monitor the transition to Kinetic to ensure that the process goes smoothly.
10. Are there any fees associated with terminating my contract?
Because we hedge our supply obligations as we obtain new customers we are at risk if a customer decides to leave prior to the completion of his/her contractual obligation. To help mitigate our potential losses we do require a termination fee. The termination fee can be identified in both of our terms of service and electricity facts label documents.
Contact Information
1. If I experience a power outage who should I call?
Please contact your transmission service provider using one of the phone numbers listed below:
Houston area
CenterPoint Energy: (800) 332-7143
Texas-New Mexico Power: (888) 866-7456
Dallas/Fort Worth area
Oncor Electric Delivery: (888) 313-4747
Texas-New Mexico Power: (888) 866-7456
South Texas:
AEP Texas Central: (866) 223-8508
West Texas:
AEP Texas North: (866) 223-8508
2. If I have other questions regarding my Kinetic service who should I contact?
Please give us a call at (888) 610-2555 or email us at customercare@kinetictx.com.