Cost-conscious consumers across Texas now have a new defense against overspending on electricity thanks to TXU Energy. Leveraging advanced smart meter technology, the company has launched free budget alerts that automatically warn you via email if your current electricity usage could lead to a bill that’s higher than your spending threshold. Since the alerts signal you to take action before your billing cycle ends, you can use them to help keep your electricity costs within your budget.
The alerts are available to any TXU Energy customer with a smart meter. You can enroll via txu.com/myaccount, and all you have to do is opt in and set a monthly budget for your electricity costs. After that, email alerts follow automatically if your usage could push your costs over budget. Similar alerts follow to let you know when you’re back on budget.
“Our budget alerts are one more way we’re giving our customers control over how much electricity they use and what they spend each month,” said Michael Grasso, chief marketing officer, TXU Energy. “We know our customers have a choice in providers, so making it simple and convenient to stay in control of how much energy they use at home is one more way we’re striving to earn their business and their loyalty.”
Whether you’re over or under budget, the details you see in the alerts and more are available via the TXU Energy MyEnergy Dashboard. It provides usage, cost and forecast details plus graphs that detail how much electricity you’re using and what you’re spending, by month, day and even hour if you have a smart meter. It allows you to compare bills and shows whether you are using more or less electricity than the average home like yours. It also breaks down how much electricity your household electronics are using.
The launch of the new alerts follows another free “push” email tool that TXU Energy provides customers with ongoing updates on home electricity usage. TXU Energy Electricity Usage Reports provide weekly updates detailing your consumption and what you have spent so far in your billing cycle. Research shows that tools like these can be effective in controlling usage and costs. According to the State of Texas’ Electric Choice Education Program, when provided the right information in a timely manner, consumers are inclined to take action and modify their usage.
With the new budget alerts, you will receive an email alert when your forecasted costs are equal to or expected to exceed the threshold you set. The spending threshold is compared to a forecast, not the actual bill. For more information on how your forecasted costs are calculated, please go to MyEnergy Dashboard at txu.com/myaccount
