Stafford gained access to a deregulated energy market along with much of the rest of the state when Senate Bill 7 passed in 1999. Though customers couldn’t pick among providers until 2002, this was the beginning of deregulated energy in Stafford.
Deregulating the market split energy companies that had historically been integrated vertically into three groups: generation providers that create electricity, transmission owners that maintain the infrastructure necessary to deliver energy, and retail companies that sell energy to end users.
Deregulating electricity means that customers can compare electric rates in Stafford and maintain more control over their provider. Users may also switch providers. Here are where things stand now: Texas residential electricity rates are 10 percent lower than the national average, and commercial electricity rates are nearly 23 percent lower than the national average. The best electricity rates in Stafford may fluctuate, but navigating the process of signing up and switching providers is made easier by marketplaces such as Choose Energy.
By signing up for the Choose Energy marketplace, energy users can: