Straight answers

Yes. Lots of businesses are under contract when they first look, and that's fine.

A new agreement can be signed now and set to start the day your current one ends, so there's no overlap and nothing to break. Shopping ahead of your end date also gives you time to pick a good day in the market instead of taking whatever is left in the last week. Send a bill and we'll find your end date and tell you when it makes sense to look.

Happy is a good place to be, and we won't try to talk you out of it. People usually stay for real reasons: autopay works, the online portal is easy, they've never had a billing problem.

Two things are still worth knowing. First, we compare multiple suppliers, and your current one may be among them, so a quote isn't automatically a vote to leave. Second, a renewal offer isn't always the same rate you have now. A quick look tells you whether you're still getting a fair deal. If you are, we'll say so.

That's okay. Plenty of businesses do. Having a broker doesn't mean you can't get a second opinion, and a good broker won't mind one.

A fair check: Do you know who your broker is and how to reach them? When did they last look at your account? Do you know when your contract ends? If those answers come easily, you're probably in good hands. If they don't, send us a bill and we'll show you what we see. Check any agreement you've signed with your current broker before you sign anything new.

We're sorry that happened. It's more common than it should be, and it's a big part of why Feral Watt exists. If you're willing, tell us what went wrong. It helps us avoid repeating it.

Here's how we try to earn trust instead of asking for it:

• You get the all-in rate, the term and the key conditions in writing before you sign anything.
• Nothing changes on your account unless you sign a supplier contract yourself.
• We explain the parts people usually skip, like what happens when the contract ends and what leaving early would cost.
• The person who quotes you is the person you can call later.

There's no fee to get a quote, no obligation to accept it, and you won't get a separate bill from Feral Watt.

Like most electricity brokers, we're paid by the supplier you choose, and that payment is included in the supplier's price. The rate on your quote is the rate on your contract. You pay your bill to the supplier, the same way you do now.

Not much, which is the point. One short form: upload your latest bill and type your name to authorize us to look up your usage. That's a few minutes. From there, we do the shopping and the reading.

We call you with your quote, usually by the next business day, at a time you pick on the form, and email you a copy while you're on the phone. If the timing is bad right now, that's fine too. Send a bill when it isn't.

We'd love to, but any number we gave you without your bill would be a guess, and guessing is what we're trying to get away from.

Commercial rates are priced per business. They depend on how much power you use and when, your demand, your utility area, your contract end date and which supplier is pricing it. Two shops on the same street can get different offers. Your bill is what turns "it depends" into an actual number.

No. A quote is information, not a commitment. You can compare it, sit on it, or say no thanks. You only switch if you sign a contract with a supplier, and we'll walk you through every term before you do.

Three steps get you a quote: send the form with a recent bill (which also authorizes us to look up your usage), we price your real usage, and we call you by the next business day with your quote, emailed during the call and good for 24 hours.

If you say yes, you sign electronically, your switch usually happens on your next meter read with no outage, you keep getting a bill as now, and we re-shop your rate before your contract ends. Nothing is binding until you sign. See every step, start to finish.

Your latest electric bill (a PDF or a clear photo of the pages with usage on them), your ESI ID or utility account number, and your authorization, which you give in the same form by typing your name. The bill shows your usage, your meter or account number (in Texas it's called an ESI ID, a 17- or 22-digit number; in other states it's the account or meter number on your utility bill), your utility and often your contract end date. The authorization, a standard Letter of Authorization (LOA), lets us request your usage history so the price matches how you really use power.

If you have more than one meter, enter each number separated by commas, and mention any other locations in the notes. Start on the quote form.

Usually by the next business day after you send the form with your bill and authorization. We prepare each quote personally and call you with it at the time you pick on the form (mornings, afternoons or evenings). We email you a copy during the call, so you have the numbers in front of you.

Because electricity prices move every day. Suppliers update commercial pricing with the wholesale market, so a price quoted today can be different tomorrow. We say 24 hours so you know exactly how long the number holds. If it lapses, we'll gladly re-price it. It just may come back higher or lower.

One bill shows one month. Pricing is built on the pattern: how much you use across the year, your peak demand, and the seasons that run high. Your authorization, a standard Letter of Authorization (LOA), lets your utility release that history so we can price your account. The LOA names Choice Power as the party that receives the data. You give it right in the quote form by typing your name. Without it, we'd be pricing a guess, and suppliers would price in the uncertainty.

No. The authorization (LOA) is not a contract and it doesn't change your supplier, your rate or your service. It's a request for usage information, typically your most recent 12 months, kWh and demand, and interval data if your meter records it. It also carries an expiration date.

Someone with authority to make decisions about the business's utility accounts, like the owner, a partner or an officer. In the form, that person picks their role, confirms it's a commercial (business) account they're authorized to act for, and types their name to sign.

Yes. The authorization terms, linked right next to the checkbox in the form, explain the Letter of Authorization in plain language and include its exact wording. After you submit, the thank-you page lets you download your completed copy.

• Fixed: your energy price is locked for the contract term. Easiest to budget. Utility delivery charges and taxes still pass through.
• Variable: the supplier can change the price from month to month. Often what you end up on after a contract expires.
• Index: the price follows the wholesale market plus an agreed margin. It can be lower in calm stretches and much higher when the grid is stressed.

Most small businesses choose fixed for predictability. The full comparison is in Fixed vs. variable vs. index.

If you don't sign something new, most accounts move onto the supplier's month-to-month rate, which is usually higher than a contracted rate. It's the easiest way to overpay without noticing. Find your end date (it's often printed on your bill) and start looking several months ahead. More in When to shop your renewal.

Most commercial contracts have an early termination fee. On commercial accounts it's often based on the usage left in the term and where the market is, rather than a flat amount, so it varies. Read that section before you sign. We'll point it out in any contract we send you. If you're moving or closing a location, ask your supplier what applies and what they need from you.

Demand is the highest rate your business pulls power during the billing period, measured in kilowatts (kW). Think of kWh as the miles you drove and kW as your top speed. For many commercial meters, part of the utility's delivery charge is based on demand, so a few minutes with everything running at once can cost real money. Some utilities also carry a high-demand month forward into later bills. See How to read your commercial electric bill.

No. Switching is paperwork. Same wires, same meter, same poles. The change happens on the back end, usually lined up with a meter read, and your lights stay on the whole time.

Your utility (delivery company), the company that owns the wires. In Texas that's Oncor, CenterPoint, AEP Texas, TNMP or Lubbock Power & Light. In other states it's your regular utility, like ComEd, PECO or Con Edison. They own the lines, read the meter and fix outages no matter which supplier you buy from. Their outage number is usually printed on your bill.

It depends on the state. In Texas your supplier usually bills you for everything, including your utility's delivery charges, grid fees and taxes. In most other states your utility keeps sending the bill, with the supplier's charges listed on it. Either way, you pay them, not us.

We quote business electricity anywhere a business is allowed to choose its supplier. Right now that's Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, Washington DC, New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Maine.

A few states let businesses choose only some of the time. Michigan and California have caps and waitlists. Oregon and Virginia mostly limit it to larger accounts. If you're in one of those, ask us. We'll tell you straight whether there's a real option or just a waitlist.

Everywhere else, the local utility is your only seller. We'd rather tell you that than pretend otherwise.

No. In every one of these states, some addresses can't switch. It depends on who owns the wires to your building.

If your power comes from a city-owned utility or an electric co-op, you usually can't choose a supplier. That's the city's or co-op's call, not ours.

In Texas, that means places like Austin (Austin Energy), San Antonio (CPS Energy), Garland, Denton, Georgetown, New Braunfels, San Marcos, Bryan, College Station and Brownsville, plus most co-op areas like Pedernales and CoServ. A few Texas utilities aren't open yet either: El Paso Electric, Xcel Energy around Amarillo, Entergy around Beaumont and Conroe, and SWEPCO around Longview and Texarkana. Lubbock opened up in 2024, so Lubbock businesses can choose now.

Other states work the same way. Towns with their own light department in Massachusetts, borough-owned utilities in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and rural co-ops just about everywhere usually stay put. The full list is below.

The easy way: send us your bill. We'll check it and tell you, usually the same day. It costs you nothing, and if you can't switch, we'll say so.

The do-it-yourself way: look at your bill. If it lists a delivery or utility company separately from who sells you the electricity (the "supplier" or "provider"), you're almost certainly in an area that can choose. In Texas, look for Oncor, CenterPoint, AEP Texas, TNMP or Lubbock Power & Light as the delivery company. If your bill comes from a city utility or a co-op and shows one rate for everything, you probably can't switch. Send it anyway. Not cute. Correct.

Yes. Call (346) 694-5454 or email hello@feralwatt.com and say it's a home. The form on this page is for a business account. A separate Smart Meter Texas comparison tool is still on the way. The waitlist is on the residential page.

No. Feral Watt is an independent broker. We compare offers from multiple suppliers and bring back what fits your business, including your current supplier when it's the better deal. In Texas we work under Choice Power's broker registration, which is why their name is on the authorization, but your quote isn't limited to one supplier. We don't name favorites, because the right answer depends on your account.

Vee, Veronica Miller. She reads every bill, builds every quote and answers the questions afterward. You can reach her at hello@feralwatt.com. Read more on the About page.