Why don't more residents of Texas choose their own Electricity supplier since deregulation, when it's SO easy?
371670
I have changed mine since it was deregulated.  There are still issues to deal with, but it is getting easier to deal with....\n\nSince it was Bush's state, that must be why it is sooo good!\n\nJust remember this...  Most of our armed forces come from TX.   Texas can live without the USA... The USA can not live without Tx.
1184390
yes. i live in fort hood Texas one of the biggest military installations. they have had their electric shut off and half of the base is having to drive for miles to use the bathroom because sewer is backing up. we have been told nothing can be done because the gov. is out of money. we are starting to live like a 3rd world country because all our finances are being pulled to support the war. fort SAM Houston just received their electric disconnection notice today. its sad that are bases here have to live like this. we have no more money or emergency funding left. i hope there isn't another Katrina this year because our economy could not handle it. its sad when we take care of Iraq before we take care of united states.
74457
i salute the Lopez family for venturing on public utility businesses. it's tough to deal with these large scale enterprises because they focus on larger groups of people to render service. \n\nthey have ventures on electricity, water supply, broadcasting, telephony and several more. people should understand that without their efforts of providing these services, the government wouldn't be able to sufficiently provide these basic needs. \n\nif people are experiencing hikes and additional costs, they should check first the descriptions and reasons behind the cost before they criticize the company whose reasons for being is to give the service people deserve.\n\nim not a lopez but i understand the obstacles they face in handling public utility businesses.
874997
My guess is that they've built a reporting infrastructure within the energy business.  So the energy companies (coal, oil, etc) may not providing the pricing data to Platts, but the energy distributors or retailers might.  Another division of McGraw Hill does something similar in another industry.
1176069
In the US, most manufacturing firms are strictly regulated by law and do not have much choice where they are placed.  The trend in all manufacturing is toward decentralization.  This is due to shipping costs, and also to security concerns.\n\nIt is simply safer and cheaper to be scattered near the supplier, and user.
113522
best bet would be to buy an existing one. the big oil companies don't want independent owners anymore so you would have problems starting a name brand station.\n\nenvironmental issues regarding storage tanks, etc. are also a big hurdle in many areas.
1036957
I'd have to agree the consumer killed it.  \n\nI personally don't think there's anything wrong with taking energy from a coal power plant to run an electric car.   But I think you're dreaming if you think solar, wind, geothermal, alone could provide enough power to power a significant number of cars.  just imagine if you set up a few solar panels in your house to charge your electric car- in 1 day, you'd have enough juice to drive down the block before you had to push your car back home.\n\nBesides, the electric car is now available.  you can buy a kit to modify your prius so that you can plug it in at night.  So now we have the best of both worlds- we have an electric plug in car taht can use gas in a pinch.\n\nBelieve me when I say there's no conspiracy theory going on now.  Simply put- NOBODY (or at least no more than a handful of people) is buying the current electric car (modified prius).   why? because people don't care enough to pay the premium.  The consumer is willing to pay extra money for the prestige of buying a Hummer or Escalade- but they are not willing to pay the extra money to buy a plug in hybrid.  So like 20 years ago, once again the consumer has spoken- and they are saying we are not willing to pay for electric cars.
875812
Most electric companies are monopolies - they have no reason to spend money on puttng together something that will require an initial investment on their part.  You are going to pay your bill because you don't have a choice, so they have no motivation to upgrade anything.
540706
Someone else mentioned there is competition. Now there is, sort of. Cables have a basic monopoly that is guaranteed to them through some byzantine laws. So what they do is carve up the regions. If the cable companies had competition from other cable companies in the same local market then satellite, television over fiber, television over power lines, probably would not have been created or even thought of.
277978
Because the people who live there wanted it to be. Same as the state your from.
243352
What about the people living in texas lol
692382
As the baby-boomer generation comes closer to retirement age world wide the governments are asking themselves where is the money going to come from for that bill.  Illegals take more out in entitlements than they pay in with taxes.\n\nGranted if we don't figure out how to change the economics of Renewable Energy we will have the economy of 1850 by the year 2050.
36402
NO!\n\nMany of them are, but many are not as well.\n\nWhat part of Texas are you referring to?
990007
As far as I am concerned, alternate suppliers have to prove that they have the know-how to continue to supply the lowest price electricity over the long term.  In my area, power prices are set by auction contracts.  My electricity supplier must be a "player" in the market with a good track record.  All of the other stuff is just fluff.  Show me the lowest $/kwh rate and lock it in for a decent length of time or go try selling used cars or something.
240106
the market is over crowded and because of competition, they are cutting prices and also profits. Also thinks of overheads such as alternative power supply, security
211274
it is so different state by state that it is hard to give any info. some states regulate more than others. for example in Oregon you are controlled by the state as to pricing. no real competition, high prices.
254692
Because there aren't a lot of people within small areas in the country like there are in cities.  It costs a lot of money to lay and install all the wires and cables to bring these services to us.\n\nCompanies have to get their money back by charging customers for the service they provide.  They get their money back faster for a lot less expenditure of money and for a lot less work when there are a lot of people around in smaller areas.  In the country, people are spread out more so there are fewer people to charge for every amount of cable and wiring installed.  Plus, not everyone in an area will sign up for the service, plus the company has to spend a lot of money for advertising to get people to sign up.\n\nIf a company spends $200,000 to install all the cable and wiring necessary to hook you up way out in the country and there's nobody else around and you pay $29.95 a month for the service, how long would it take before they started making a profit on the deal?  Over 6,600 years!