You have to consider a number of different factors to determine if your electric bill is too high. Unfortunately, people in many states don’t get a choice no matter what their bill is. They just have to pay it or their lights will go out. You have been given the power to make a choice because of Texas energy deregulation. That means, when you look at that monthly statement, you can ask yourself, is my electric bill too high? If the answer is yes, you can actually do something about it.

For well over a decade, residential energy consumers have been taking advantage of the Texas deregulation laws concerning the electricity industry, in the state. It was back in 2002, when the Texas legislature broke up the utility monopoly in an effort to create a competitive energy market. As a result, many alternative Texas electricity providers began selling energy to businesses and residential homes.

The local utility company in every community across Texas still has the responsibil...