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Direct Energy is dedicated to helping you choose the right energy solutions for your unique needs. Find the perfect fit with our electricity and natural gas plans today.
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Discover practical, energy-saving tips to reduce electricity costs and increase efficiency at home or business. Knowledge is power, literally!
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Direct Energy is dedicated to helping you choose the right energy solutions for your unique needs. Find the perfect fit with our electricity and natural gas plans today.
Learn more
Home security, automation and efficiency at your fingertips. Protect your peace of mind with an exclusive offer from our partner Vivint.
Learn more
Discover practical, energy-saving tips to reduce electricity costs and increase efficiency at home or business. Knowledge is power, literally!
Read article
Get the Direct Energy app to easily pay your bill, manage your account, keep an eye on your usage, refer friends and more.
Learn morePlease verify your service location to access this:
Billing FAQs only apply to Texas customers. If you live outside of Texas, please contact your local utility for information on billing.
Your billing cycle begins and ends based upon the meter reading dates determined by the Transmission and Distribution Service Provider (TDSP, also known as the utility company) for your area. Please be advised that Direct Energy does not control when the TDSP reads your meter. A typical billing cycle is 28-32 days in length, but there is no specifically set length that a billing cycle will always be.
When viewing the Direct Your Energy dashboard, you will see two line graphs for your previous bill and your next bill estimate. Each dot on the line graph represents one day of your bill cycle and the cumulative usage cost. You can compare your outlined usage from Direct Your Energy against your actual bill, located in the billing and payments tab. Please note, that usage costs are estimated and that predicted consumption and costs may differ from actual consumption and costs.
Here's a brief summary of how to estimate your bill:
To get an estimate of your electricity bill with a particular plan, you will need a few numbers found on the plan's Electricity Facts Label (EFL):
You'll also need your historical energy usage. You can find this information on your past bills.
Follow these steps to estimate your electricity bill:
This should give you an estimation of your electric bill amount for that plan. Be sure to keep a few things in mind:
It may take several hours for your payment to process. Until your payment processes, your Online Account Manager will show you have a balance due. Please make payment only once to avoid making multiple payments to your account.
There are a few reasons why you might not have received your bill at this time. The generation of your bill depends upon when your meter is read by the Transmission Distribution Service Provider (TDSP, also known as the utility company) for your area and when that meter reading is delivered to Direct Energy.
To better determine what might have happened to your bill, please call Customer Service at 1-888-305-3828 to speak with a representative for assistance.
If you have any questions about the electricity charges on your Direct Energy bill, please contact our Customer Care Team at 1-888-305-3828.
Extreme temperatures can often mean increased energy usage and higher electricity or gas bills. If your bill is higher than usual, there could be several reasons, including:
Check out our seasonal energy hubs to learn more about why your bill could be unusually high and how to use less energy and save money:
Summer Energy Saving Tips
Winter Energy Saving Tips
Our customer care representatives are standing by to assist you with your electricity bill questions.
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Direct Energy does offer Paperless Billing to all customers who are interested in receiving fewer pieces of paper mail in their mailbox. When you enroll in Paperless Billing, you will receive an e-mail the day your bill is generated and will no longer receive a paper bill.
The best time to sign up for Paperless Billing or electronic billing is at the time of enrollment. If you are a current customer, you can log in to your Online Account Manager and enroll in Paperless Billing. Please note that it may take one to two billing cycles to begin receiving your electronic bill.
To view your bill, usage details and make payment with Direct Energy, log into your Direct Energy Online Account Manager, hover over "Billing and Payments" icon in the top navigation bar, and select the appropriate link for the action you want to take.
You can opt out of Paperless Billing at any time. Simply log into your Direct Energy Online Account Manager, hover over "Billing and Payments" icon in the top navigation bar, click "Paperless Billing," and select that you want to opt out of Paperless Billing. Please note this also may take one to two billing cycles to go into effect on your account.
Direct Energy customers do not have to be enrolled in Paperless Billing. This is an optional service we offer to interested customers. Please be advised that customers not enrolled in Paperless Billing will still receive a courtesy e-mail the day a new bill is generated.
Average Monthly Billing allows you to pay an evened-out amount every month instead of receiving fluctuating monthly bills.
Average Monthly Billing is designed to even out the highs and lows in your electric bill and is based on your current price plan and usage history at your service location. Your Average Monthly Billing amount recalculates each month and is based on an average of your current month's usage plus your prior usage up to 11 months, plus or minus a portion of your accumulated variance, multiplied by the plan rate you chose originally.
Here’s how your Average Monthly Billing amount is calculated:
If you don't have 11 months of electricity bills at the service address, we’ll take the previous usage at that service address and apply your current price to calculate your average monthly amount.
You can learn how Direct Energy calculates your Average Monthly Billing from this example.
If you have less than 11 months of bill amounts at this service address, Direct Energy will take the previous usage at the address and apply your current price to calculate your average monthly amount.
You can use the same payment options for your electricity bill payment as you would with regular billing. Here are the different payment methods:
The deferred balance amount is the cumulative difference between your monthly Average Monthly Billing amount and what you would owe if you were not signed up for Average Monthly Billing. The deferred balance amount can be found on your monthly bill. If the bill amount is positive, 1/12 will be added to your bill. If the bill amount is negative, 1/12 will be subtracted from your bill. If you're a new Average Monthly Billing customer, the deferred balance will begin in the second month. The deferred balance must be paid in full if you cancel Average Monthly Billing or change electricity providers.
Each bill will show your average billing amount due that month, as well as your actual usage, current price and any deferred balance. The deferred balance may be a credit or an amount you will owe in the future. If you pay more than your average billing amount due each month, the extra will go toward paying off any deferred balance.
Any credit balance will be applied to your final bill or refunded to you; any outstanding deferred balance will be due at that time.
Any credit balance will be applied to your next bill or refunded to you; any outstanding deferred balance will be due at that time.
Please contact us at 1-888-305-3828 to cancel Average Monthly Billing.
We've created a simple guide to walk you through the details of the various fees and charges on your Direct Energy bill.
An energy or generation charge is what Direct Energy charges you for your electricity usage. This is based on the kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity used in a given billing cycle and the rate for that electricity. We calculate the charge by multiplying the number of kWh consumed during a billing cycle by your rate for energy (in cents per kWh).
For example, if you're signed up on a fixed-rate plan at 10.0¢ per kWh and you use 1,000 kWh during a billing cycle, your energy charge would be $100.00: 1,000 kWh x 10.0¢ cents per kWh = $100.00.
Please understand that the number of kWh you use in a billing cycle is not determined by Direct Energy but by the utility company for your area, based upon their reading of your meter.
This is the charge assessed to recover the miscellaneous gross receipts tax imposed on retail electric providers operating in an incorporated city or town having a population of more than 1,000. The acceptable abbreviation for this charge is "Gross Receipts Reimb."
The Miscellaneous Gross Receipts Tax Reimbursement is imposed on both utility companies and retail energy providers located in a city or town having a population of more than 1,000 according to the last federal census. This fee may or may not appear on your Direct Energy bill, depending on where you live.
These are the charges that come from your local Transmission Distribution Service Provider (TDSP) – also known as your utility company or Transmission and Distribution Utility (TDU).
The TDSP Delivery Charge is a mix of usage-based fees and standard monthly fees. These fees are passed through to you without markup from your local TDSP. They cover the cost for maintaining the wires to your home and distributing your electricity. TDSP Delivery charges may fluctuate based on your usage and if your local utility company increases or decreases their fees. All delivery charges are consolidated into one line item titled "TDSP Delivery Charges."
Other charges
The PUC Assessment is a fee assessed by the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) and it has always been a part of your monthly price per kilowatt hour. This fee covers the cost of the administration of the PUC Regulatory Act. It is equal to 1/6 of 1 percent of the charges on your bill, excluding sales tax.
The Gross Receipts Reimbursement Charge is a fee assessed by the TDSP to recover the miscellaneous gross receipts tax imposed on retail electric providers operating in an incorporated city of town having a population of more than 1,000.
Your TDSP may also charge a non-recurring fee for items such as a new service initiation fee that will not appear on every bill. These fees will appear as a separate line item on your bill.
Sales tax charges are collected by authorized taxing authorities, such as the state, cities, and special purpose district.
