How We Rate Retail Electric Providers

Our Methodology for Ranking Retail Electric Providers

We built this ranking to help households make clear, confident choices in deregulated electricity markets. It combines objective, public data with real-world customer signals, then translates everything into a single, easy-to-compare ranking.

What we evaluate

We score each retail electric provider on six dimensions that matter most to shoppers:

1. Price & Value: Current fixed-rate offers (¢/kWh) and the monthly customer service fee. We compare supply charges only and exclude utility delivery charges, since those are the same no matter which provider you choose.
2. Fees & Fine Print: Early-termination fees, intro-rate step-ups, deposit rules, autopay/paperless requirements, and any bill-credit conditions. Transparent, consumer-friendly terms score higher.
3. Reliability & Complaints: Recent complaint activity reported to the state oversight committee. Lower, sustained complaint levels improve the score.
4. Plan Breadth: Choice of fixed vs. variable terms, renewable/green electricity options, and availability of rewards or bundled services.
5. Independent Trust Signals: BBB rating/accreditation and the trajectory of recent BBB complaint resolution.
6. Customer Sentiment: Aggregated, recent sentiment across public forums, reddit, and review platforms (with moderation to reduce outlier impact).

How we score

• Each dimension is normalized to a 0–100 scale using min–max normalization across the providers we evaluate for the current period.
• We then apply weights and compute a composite score:

Weights

• Price & Value: 35%
• Fees & Fine Print: 15%
• Reliability & Complaints: 20%
• Plan Breadth: 10%
• Independent Trust Signals (BBB): 10%
• Customer Sentiment: 10%

Ties are broken (in order) by: lower early-termination fees, lower monthly service fees, and then lower recent complaint levels.

Data sources & refresh cadence

• Regulatory & Pricing: We use the latest approved provider disclosures and current fixed-term offers listed on provider sites and state comparison sites (apples to apples), including disclosed monthly fees.
• Company Disclosures: Each provider’s Contract Summary and Uniform Disclosure Statement for ETF amounts, fees, and conditions.
• Trust & Sentiment: BBB rating/accreditation and a rolling read of recent customer discussions/reviews (e.g., city/state consumer forums and reddit threads). We look for repeated patterns, not one-off anecdotes.

Update schedule

• Pricing & fees: Monthly (and sooner if a provider posts a major change).
• Complaints/contacts: Monthly, aligned with the latest satate reporting period.
• BBB & sentiment: Quarterly, with interim checks if there’s a spike in issues.
• Rankings are timestamped and reflect the data available at the time of publication.

Important nuances

• Your usage matters. Our “Price & Value” snapshot compares commonly shopped fixed terms and disclosed monthly fees. Actual bills vary with usage, weather, utility delivery charges, and local taxes.
• Promos change fast. Providers frequently rotate introductory rates and bill credits. Always read the full Contract Summary and UDS before enrolling.
• Sentiment ≠ science. We treat forums and reviews as directional, not definitive. They help surface friction points (e.g., billing or renewal surprises), but they don’t overrule hard data.

Editorial standards & disclosures

• Independence: Providers cannot buy a higher rank. Our editorial team determines weights, scoring rules, and final placement.
• Affiliate relationships: If you enroll through some links, we may earn a commission. Commissions never change our scoring.
• Errors & updates: If you spot outdated info, tell us, we’ll verify and correct quickly and note material changes.

How to use this ranking: Start with the top two or three providers for your ZIP code, compare fixed-rate offers and monthly fees, check the ETF and renewal terms, and make sure the plan fits your household’s usage pattern. Then enroll, knowing your state’s rescission window gives you a short (usually 3-7 days), penalty-free period to change your mind if needed.