Chariot Energy Plans, Pricing, and Coverage Area

Meet Chariot Energy: Sunshine for Everyone

If you’ve ever wanted to go solar but live in an apartment, rent your home, or just don’t want to deal with the hassle of installing panels on your roof, Chariot Energy might be the perfect match for you. Based in Houston, Texas, Chariot is shaking up the energy market with a simple but powerful promise: Solar for everyone, without the panels.

Founded in 2019, Chariot Energy is a subsidiary of 174 Power Global, which is owned by the massive Hanwha Group. Why does this matter to you? Because unlike many other retail energy providers who just buy certificates to “offset” dirty energy, Chariot’s parent company actually owns the solar farms. They generate the power they sell you. This “vertical integration” allows them to offer competitive rates on 100% renewable energy because they cut out the middleman.

Chariot Energy’s Plans: A Menu of Solar Options

*plans and pricing may vary by area. Plans based on Houston Centerpoint service area.

Chariot Energy offers a variety of plans designed to fit different lifestyles. Whether you’re a night owl, an EV driver, or a solar panel owner, there is likely a plan tailored for you.

• Solarize (Fixed-Rate): This is their bread-and-butter plan. You lock in a fixed rate for a set term (usually 12, 24, or 36 months). It’s 100% solar energy, simple, and stable. No gimmicks, just a steady rate that protects you from market spikes.
• Free Nights: If you are away during the day but power-hungry at night, this plan offers free electricity from 11:00 PM to 6:00 AM. This is perfect for shifting high-usage chores (like laundry or dishwashing) to late-night hours.
• Free Days: A unique offering in the Texas market, this plan gives you free electricity from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. This is a game-changer for people who work from home or stay-at-home parents who run the AC and appliances during the heat of the day.
• Shine (Solar Buyback): If you do have solar panels, Chariot is one of the best friends you can have. The “Shine” plan allows you to sell your excess generation back to the grid for bill credits. It’s designed for “net exporters”, people who produce more power than they use.
• EV Ride: Designed specifically for Electric Vehicle owners, this plan usually features free or heavily discounted charging hours overnight, allowing you to wake up with a “full tank” for free.
• GridEdge: This is a “bill credit” plan. It typically offers a very competitive rate if you use over a certain amount (e.g., 1,000 kWh) by kicking in a flat bill credit (like $90 off). Note: These plans require you to keep a close eye on your usage to maximize savings.

Chariot’s Coverage Areas

Chariot Energy serves the deregulated electricity markets of Texas. If you have the “Power to Choose,” you can likely choose Chariot.

Major Cities Served:

• Houston
• Dallas
• Fort Worth
• Arlington
• Corpus Christi
• Waco
• Abilene
• Midland/Odessa
• McAllen

Utility Service Areas:

• CenterPoint Energy
• Oncor Electric Delivery
• AEP Texas (North and Central)
• Texas-New Mexico Power (TNMP)
• Lubbock Power & Light

Chariot’s Energy Sources & Conservation

This is Chariot’s crown jewel. They are a 100% renewable energy provider.

• Source: Their energy comes primarily from utility-scale solar farms right here in Texas (like the Oberon Solar Project).
• The “Green” Difference: By choosing Chariot, you are directly supporting the development of solar infrastructure in Texas. You get the environmental bragging rights of solar power without drilling a single hole in your roof.

The Fine Print: Fees, Deposits, & Policies

• Cancellation Fees: Like most fixed-rate plans in Texas, leaving your contract early comes with a fee. Chariot typically charges $15 for every month remaining on your contract. (Example: If you leave 10 months early, you pay $150). Pro Tip: This fee is usually waived if you move out of their service area and provide proof of move.
• Credit Check: A soft credit check is required to sign up (this does not affect your credit score).
• Deposits: If you don’t meet their credit threshold, you may be asked to pay a refundable deposit (typically around $275). This deposit can be waived if you are 65+, a victim of family violence, or have a letter of credit from a previous provider.
• Satisfaction Guarantee: Chariot Energy often offers a 30-Day Satisfaction Guarantee. If you aren’t happy within the first 30 days of your service, you can switch away without paying the early termination fee (always double-check the “Electricity Facts Label” or EFL to confirm this is active on your specific plan).

Why Choose Chariot Energy?

1. You Want Solar Made Simple: You get 100% clean energy without the upfront cost or maintenance of panels.
2. Backing You Can Trust: They are owned by a global energy giant, meaning they aren’t likely to fold overnight like some smaller, “fly-by-night” providers.
3. Transparent Pricing: They are generally known for readable Electricity Facts Labels (EFLs). While they do have bill-credit plans, their standard “Solarize” plans are very straightforward.
4. Local Customer Service: Their support team is based in Houston, not overseas, so you’re talking to fellow Texans when you call.

What Makes Them Different?

The biggest differentiator is Vertical Integration.

Most “green” energy companies in Texas are just marketing firms that buy Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) from wind farms they have no connection to. Chariot is different because their parent company builds and owns the solar farms. When you pay your bill, you are effectively paying the people who generated the sunshine-power in the first place. It’s a farm-to-table approach, but for electricity.

Also, the Free Days plan (10 AM – 4 PM) is a rarity in the market; most competitors only offer Free Nights or Weekends. This makes Chariot uniquely suited for remote workers.

Deep Dive: Solar Generation & Future Horizons

Chariot Energy sets itself apart through “vertical integration”, a fancy way of saying their parent company creates the product they sell you. Here is a detailed look at where your power comes from today and where they are heading tomorrow.

Current Generation: The Oberon Solar Project

The backbone of Chariot’s renewable promise is the Oberon Solar Project, a massive utility-scale facility located in Ector County, Texas (just outside Odessa). This isn’t a small community garden; it is an industrial powerhouse designed to feed the Texas grid.

• Scale: The facility spans roughly 1,200 acres.
• Technology: It utilizes over 560,000 photovoltaic panels. These aren’t just off-the-shelf panels; they are often supplied by Q CELLS, another subsidiary of the Hanwha Group, ensuring quality control from manufacturing to installation.
• Capacity: The plant boasts a capacity of 180 Megawatts (MW), which generates enough electricity to power approximately 30,000 Texas homes annually.
• Grid Impact: Unlike rooftop solar which powers a specific home, Oberon feeds directly into the ERCOT grid. When you buy a plan from Chariot, you are effectively buying the rights to this clean energy, ensuring that for every kWh you use, a kWh of solar is generated and put onto the grid on your behalf.

Future Goals: Beyond Simple Solar

Chariot Energy and its parent company, 174 Power Global, are not stopping at simple solar farms. They are aggressively expanding into next-generation energy infrastructure.

1. Massive Capacity Expansion (The 8 GW Pipeline)

174 Power Global has an active development pipeline of over 8 Gigawatts (GW) of solar projects across North America.9 To put that in perspective, that is roughly 40+ times the size of their Oberon project. A significant portion of this development is targeted for the Texas market to meet the state’s exploding energy demand.

2. Energy Storage (The Battery Revolution)

Solar has a famous limitation: it doesn’t work at night. Chariot’s parent company is actively developing Energy Storage Systems (ESS).

• The Goal: Build massive battery banks next to solar farms.
• The Result: These batteries soak up excess power during the sunny afternoon (when electricity is cheap) and deploy it to the grid at sunset (when demand peaks and prices spike). This will eventually allow Chariot to offer more stable rates and potentially even more aggressive “Free Night” plans backed by stored solar power.

3. Green Hydrogen

Looking further ahead, the company is exploring Green Hydrogen production. This involves using excess solar power to split water molecules, creating hydrogen fuel that can be stored and transported. This is often viewed as the “Holy Grail” of clean energy storage, allowing renewable energy to power heavy industry and trucking sectors that batteries can’t easily serve.

4. The “Total” Joint Venture

In a major strategic move, 174 Power Global formed a joint venture with energy giant TotalEnergies to develop 1.6 GW of solar and storage projects in the U.S. This partnership signals a massive influx of capital and expertise, ensuring that Chariot will have a stable and expanding supply of renewable energy for decades to come.

FAQs About Chariot Energy

About the Author

David Cosseboom

David has been an integral part of some of the biggest utility sites on the internet, including InMyArea.com, HighSpeedInternet.com, BroadbandNow.com, and U.S. News. He brings over 15 years of experience writing about, compiling and analyzing utility data.