How Reps Can Use the Texas Electricity Facts Label

What the EFL is

Every residential electricity plan in a Texas choice area comes with an Electricity Facts Label, or EFL. The state requires it, and it's built so customers can compare plans side by side. Think of it like the nutrition label on a cereal box.

Your reps should know it cold. Customers who've been burned before will ask for it, and a rep who can walk them through it is a lot more believable than one reading a script.

What's on it

The layout varies a little by provider, but every EFL covers the same basics:

• The average price per kWh at 500, 1,000 and 2,000 kWh a month, with delivery charges included
• The plan type: fixed, variable or indexed
• The contract length
• Any early termination fee
• Bill credits or usage charges, and when they apply
• How much of the power comes from renewable sources

The bill credit trap

Some plans give a bill credit only when usage lands in a certain range, often right around 1,000 kWh. That makes the 1,000 kWh price on the label look great. But a home that uses 950 kWh one month, or 1,400 in August, can pay a lot more than the label suggests.

Train your reps to ask about the customer's usage before talking price, and to look at all three columns, not just the middle one. If your own plan has a credit like this, explain it up front. Customers find out on their first bill anyway.

Using the EFL to start the conversation

The customer's current EFL is often the best opener you have. Ask if they know their contract end date and what they're paying per kWh. Most don't. Offer to help them find it on their bill or the provider's site.

Then compare honestly at the usage level that fits their home. Delivery is the same either way, as our TDU charges guide explains, so the real difference is the energy price, credits and fees.

A few rules to keep in mind

Rules change, and these are general pointers, not legal advice.

• Texas homes can usually cancel a new enrollment within a few business days of signing. Make sure your reps say so instead of hiding it.
• A customer who moves can generally leave a contract without the early termination fee by showing proof of the move. Don't let a rep claim otherwise.
• Your provider and compliance team set the exact rules for your offers. Check with them before you train reps.

Where leads fit in

An EFL comparison only works if the customer can actually switch. Every Texas lead we send is in a choice ZIP and shows the wires company, so your reps start with a customer who can sign and a price zone they can quote.