4 minute read • Graham Lumley • Last update April 2024
Energy Ogre and Power Wizard are both useful electricity shopping tools for helping Texas consumers navigate providers and plans, and save money on utilities by selecting the most beneficial electricity plan. Is one website better than the other?
In this handy guide, we’ll explore the key differences between Energy Ogre and Power Wizard.
| COMPARISON | ENERGY OGRE | POWER WIZARD |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $120 per year | $110 per year (or $14.95 for 60 days) |
| Ownership | Independent | Nextra Energy Resources |
| Account Management | Yes | Yes (Gold VIP only) |
| Effort | Energy Ogre finds plans for you | Power Wizard finds plans for you (Gold VIP only) |
Energy Ogre is a concierge subscription service designed to help Texans simplify the task of finding the most cost-effective electricity rates.
As an independent private entity, Energy Ogre is not affiliated with any particular electricity company, guaranteeing impartial suggestions. Their monthly fee of $10 covers the legwork of exploring the plethora of Texas electricity plans on your behalf to ensure optimal savings.
Subscribers provide Energy Ogre access to past electricity bills so their software can analyze consumption patterns. From there, the Energy Ogre algorithm sifts through over 2000 individual energy plans from over a hundred retail electricity providers to assess maximum savings opportunities based on expected household usage.
Is Energy Ogre worth the $10 monthly fee? It can be because aside from finding plan recommendations, the Energy Ogre team also deals directly with electricity companies to negotiate new contract terms, set up the account, and manage the transition from each subscriber’s current contract.
So, for busy professionals and families with hectic lifestyles, Energy Ogre offers a convenient and hassle-free way of securing a good deal on electricity.
Like Energy Ogre, Power Wizard services are subscription-based. However, unlike Energy Ogre, subscribers sometimes need to be more active in transitioning to their new electricity contract, depending on which membership level they subscribe to (more on that in the next section).
It’s worth noting for transparency that while Power Wizard operates as a 100% unbiased intermediary between retail electric providers and consumers, the company is owned by NextEra Energy, which in turn owns two retail electric providers in Houston: Frontier Utilities and Gexa Energy.
Upon subscribing to Power Wizard, Texas residents are granted access to the company’s electricity plan interface.
There, they can search for plans and contracts that better meet their electricity needs based on current and historical usage. The period of access and what happens once a better contract with a new provider has been identified depends on the level of subscription:
Is Power Wizard worth it? It can be because either subscription model may result in favorable electricity costs with savings that surpass the $110 annual subscription cost or a one-time $14.95 fee.
There are hundreds of ‘too-good-to-be-true’ power plans on the market that are not transparent about transmission and distribution charges, taxes, and additional costs like late payment and early termination fees. As more and more companies enter the retail electricity market, both Energy Ogre and Power Wizard offer increased protection for Texans.
Wondering which is best? Let’s dive into a direct Power Wizard vs Energy Ogre comparison considering the essential factors of service model types, fees, and customer experience.
Energy Ogre handles all of the admin and any customer service issues involved in switching accounts. Additionally, their service doesn’t stop once customers have found a new plan. A subscription includes continuous searches for better electricity service contracts, and monthly reports provide subscribers with estimated usage for the following cycle to help them plan and budget.
Conversely, access to the Power Wizard electricity interface doesn’t provide account set setup and handling assistance unless consumers opt for the Gold VIP plan. Plus, a more involved approach is needed to research all the details and assess the various pricing structures. However, this service model may be preferable for consumers who are happy to do more admin legwork or are a little mistrustful of placing blanket trust in a third-party management company.
Energy Ogre and the Power Wizard Gold VIP plan both cost a flat rate of $110- $120 per year. The average monthly electricity bill in Texas is $157.26, meaning subscription costs equate to roughly 75% of an additional monthly bill annually. For many households, particularly low-income households, that might make the one-off fee for a Power Wizard Silver plan preferable to achieve the best financial outcome.
Let’s calculate how the fees play into your overall electric bill.
This means if you land a plan that with an average price of 13 cents per kWh (at 1000 kWh), your true average price would be 14 cents per kWh.
For some customers, this additional cost may be worth the concierge experience of someone else finding a plan on your behalf. Many customers would prefer to pay a lower bill.
For consumers placing trust in a third-party electricity advocate, top-notch customer service is paramount. So, it’s essential that potential customers check Energy Ogre and Power Wizard reviews thoroughly before making a decision. Current ratings on review sites are:
Energy Ogre – 2.3/5 on Yelp and 2.27/5 on Better Business Bureau
Power Wizard – 1.8/5 on Better Business Bureau and 4.4/5 on Trustpilot
However, online reviews can be conflicting and subject to bias. So, it’s always a good idea to reach out to friends, family, and colleagues to see if they know anyone using either service and get their impartial, first-hand feedback.
At BKV Energy, we specialize in delivering straightforward energy plans without vague terms or confusing jargon. The Bluebonnet plan comes with a no-strings-attached 30-day trial in which you can cancel at any time with no early termination fee.
BKVE’s Bluebonnet plan customers don’t need to worry about the complexities of Power Wizard vs Energy Ogre because our in-house tools through Premier+ do all the heavy lifting for you. For example, our Blend & Extend system constantly works to find cheaper rates to help you save even more and through our Contract Consultation service, we help you lock in the best possible rate when it is time to renew.
Check out our handy comparison tool today to see how much you could save.
