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Gexa Energy’s 9.3¢ Plan Is a Bargain at 1,000 kWh and a Trap at 900 — Every Gexa Plan Priced at 500, 1,000 and 2,000 kWh (Sept 2026)
Updated on September 28, 2026
13 min read
By Christopher Burg · Last updated September 20, 2026
Gexa Energy’s headline plan in Houston is 9.3¢ per kWh, and that number is real, but only at exactly 1,000 kWh. Use 500 kWh and the same plan works out to 22.3¢; use 2,000 and it’s 15.3¢. We pulled Gexa’s full rate card at a Houston ZIP (77002, CenterPoint territory) on September 10, 2026, at all three usage levels, plus Gexa’s six-month PUCT complaint record, so you can see which Gexa plan is a bargain for your home and which one is a trap.
Key takeaways
- Who Gexa is: a Houston retail electricity provider, PUCT-certified in 2001, owned by NextEra Energy Resources since 2005 (not NRG). Every residential plan has been 100% renewable via renewable energy certificates since 2019.
- The 9.3¢ plan (Simply Low 12) is a $125-a-month usage credit that only pays at 1,000 kWh or more. Estimated bills: $112 at 500 kWh, $93 at 1,000, $306 at 2,000.
- Small homes should skip it. The Anniversary Plan (24 months, $25 monthly credit) is $70 at 500 kWh, the cheapest Gexa bill we found for apartments.
- Straight fixed rates (Gexa 12 and Gexa 24) run 15.8¢–16.6¢ at every usage level, with no credit games.
- Complaints: 61 informal PUCT complaints March–August 2026, versus 340 for Reliant and 277 for TXU. Counts aren’t normalized by customer size.
The chart below turns Gexa Energy’s own three estimates into a line: it is the only visual you need to understand why the same plan can be the cheapest and the most expensive option on the card.
What is Gexa Energy?
Gexa Energy is a retail electricity provider (REP) that sells power in the deregulated parts of Texas: the Oncor, CenterPoint, AEP Texas and TNMP delivery territories. The Public Utility Commission of Texas certified Gexa as a REP in 2001, it began serving customers in 2002, and in 2005 FPL Group, now NextEra Energy, bought the company. Gexa is still a NextEra Energy Resources company today, headquartered in Houston, and its website leads with two claims: 25 years in Texas and 1.8 million homes served since 2001. In August 2019 Gexa announced that all of its residential plans would be backed 100% by renewable energy, which it does by retiring renewable energy certificates rather than by delivering specific green electrons to your meter. Your local utility still owns the wires and handles outages; Gexa sets the energy price and sends the bill.
Definition — usage credit plan: A plan whose advertised rate depends on a bill credit (Gexa’s is $125) that only applies when your monthly usage reaches a threshold, usually 1,000 kWh. At or above the threshold the effective rate looks low; one kWh below it, the credit vanishes and you pay the plan’s full energy charge. Texas EFLs show the resulting average price at 500, 1,000 and 2,000 kWh for exactly this reason.
Gexa Energy plans and rates in Houston (September 10, 2026)
These are the plans Gexa displayed for ZIP 77002 (CenterPoint Energy delivery area) on September 10, 2026, with Gexa’s own estimated monthly bill at each usage level. Estimates include CenterPoint delivery charges as Gexa calculates them; taxes are extra. Oncor, AEP and TNMP addresses will differ by the delivery charge, so the ranking holds but the dollars shift.
| Gexa plan | Term / type | 500 kWh | 1,000 kWh | 2,000 kWh | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simply Low 12 | 12 mo · usage credit | 22.3¢ · $112 | 9.3¢ · $93 | 15.3¢ · $306 | $125 credit only at ≥1,000 kWh |
| Simply Low 24 | 24 mo · usage credit | 22.6¢ · $113 | 9.6¢ · $96 | 15.6¢ · $312 | Same credit, longer term |
| Anniversary Plan | 24 mo · fixed + $25 credit | 13.9¢ · $70 | 15.9¢ · $159 | 16.9¢ · $338 | Credit is flat, so small users win |
| Gexa 12 | 12 mo · fixed | 16.6¢ · $83 | 16.1¢ · $161 | 15.9¢ · $318 | No games; middle of the pack |
| Gexa 24 | 24 mo · fixed | 16.5¢ · $82 | 16.0¢ · $160 | 15.8¢ · ~$316 | Slightly cheaper than the 12 |
| Gexa 55+ | 24 mo · fixed | — | 15.8¢ · $158 | — | Age 55+ only |
| Basic Plus 12 | 12 mo · usage credit | — | 17.3¢ · $173 | — | $50 credit at ≥500 kWh |
| Premium Plus 12 | 12 mo · usage credit | — | 18.8¢ · $188 | — | $125 credit at ≥2,000 kWh |
| Free 3 Day Weekends 12 | 12 mo · time-of-use | 19.1¢ · $96 | 17.6¢ · $176 | 16.9¢ · $338 | Free Fri–Sun; weekday rate is high |
| Energy Saver 12 / 24 | 12 or 24 mo · fixed | — | 17.5¢ / 17.3¢ | — | Two Sensi thermostats included ($550 value) |
| Solar Buyback 12 / Battery Benefits 12 | 12 mo · solar export | — | 15.4¢ · $154 | — | Credits for exported solar, rollover |
| Gexa Stable Plans | 12 mo · flat bill | Fixed dollar amount per month + tax, within a kWh allowance | Overage above allowance | ||
Source: Gexa Energy enrollment site, ZIP 77002, viewed at 500 / 1,000 / 2,000 kWh on September 10, 2026. Cents per kWh are Gexa’s displayed average prices; dollar figures are Gexa’s estimated monthly bills. Rates change weekly; always read the Electricity Facts Label before enrolling.
Which Gexa plan is actually cheapest for your home?
Read the table by column, not by row. At 500 kWh, a one-bedroom apartment or an efficient small house, the Anniversary Plan’s $70 bill beats everything, and the “9.3¢” Simply Low plan is the second-most-expensive option on the card at $112. At 1,000 kWh, the typical Texas home, Simply Low 12 at $93 is a real deal and $66 a month cheaper than Gexa’s plain fixed rate. At 2,000 kWh, a large or all-electric house in August, Simply Low 12 ($306) and Gexa 24 (~$316) are close enough that the fixed plan’s predictability is worth the ten dollars.
The dangerous zone is 700 to 999 kWh. In those months Simply Low charges its full energy rate with no credit, and the bill lands in the neighborhood of $200 rather than $93. If your usage swings across 1,000 kWh between seasons, and most Texas homes do, model a whole year before choosing a usage-credit plan. Gexa’s own “Best for: medium to large homes” label on Simply Low is doing real work.
Stat block — the $125 credit math: Simply Low 12 bills $93 at 1,000 kWh after a $125 credit, which means the pre-credit charge is about $218, or roughly 21.8¢ per kWh all-in. A household that uses 990 kWh pays that full amount. The credit is worth $1,500 a year to a home that clears 1,000 kWh every month and $0 to one that never does.
Which Gexa Energy plan should you pick? (by monthly usage)
| Your typical month | Pick this Gexa plan | Houston estimate | Avoid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 700 kWh 1-bed apartment, efficient small home |
Anniversary Plan (24 mo, flat $25 credit) | $70 at 500 kWh · 13.9¢ | Simply Low 12 — $112 at 500 kWh, second-most expensive on the card |
| 700–999 kWh Most 2-bed homes in spring and fall |
Gexa 24 (fixed, no credit games) | ~$121 at 750 kWh · ~$160 at 1,000 | Simply Low 12 — full 21¢ rate, no credit; ~$165–$217 |
| 1,000 kWh and up, every month Large or all-electric home |
Simply Low 12 ($125 credit) | $93 at 1,000 kWh · $306 at 2,000 | Anniversary Plan — $338 at 2,000 kWh, the priciest option at high usage |
Rule of thumb: If any month in your last 12 came in under 1,000 kWh, Simply Low is not your plan. If every month cleared 1,000, it saves about $66 a month versus Gexa 24.
What a year on each Gexa plan actually costs (12-month model)
Monthly estimates hide the problem: Texas usage swings between seasons, and a home that averages 1,000 kWh spends most of the year below it. We took three usage profiles (a Houston apartment, a typical three-bedroom, and a large all-electric house), priced every month at Gexa Energy’s Sept 10, 2026 Houston estimates, and totaled the year. The result flips the headline.
| Household profile | Annual kWh | Months under 1,000 kWh | Simply Low 12 | Anniversary Plan | Gexa 24 | Cheapest plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small apartment (400–950 kWh; avg ~610) | 7,350 | 12 | $1,628 | $1,084 | $1,195 | Anniversary — $544 less than Simply Low |
| Typical Houston home (650–1,600 kWh; avg ~1,010) | 12,100 | 8 | $2,137 | $1,932 | $1,936 | Anniversary or Gexa 24 — Simply Low costs ~$200 more |
| Large all-electric home (1,000–2,600 kWh; avg ~1,580) | 19,000 | 0 | $2,604 | $3,164 | $3,012 | Simply Low — $408 less than Gexa 24 |
Model: monthly bills interpolated from Gexa’s published estimates at 500 / 1,000 / 2,000 kWh for ZIP 77002 on September 10, 2026 (Simply Low 12 ≈ $5.50 + 21.25¢/kWh, minus $125 at ≥1,000 kWh; Gexa 24 ≈ $4 + 15.6¢/kWh; Anniversary ≈ $6 + 17.85¢/kWh, minus a flat $25). Usage profiles (Jan–Dec): apartment 550/450/400/450/550/750/900/950/800/600/450/500; typical home 900/750/650/700/900/1,250/1,500/1,600/1,350/950/700/850; large home 1,500/1,200/1,000/1,000/1,400/2,000/2,400/2,600/2,100/1,400/1,100/1,300. Taxes extra. Your utility’s delivery charge will shift the dollars, not the ranking.
The average is a trap: a Houston home that averages 1,010 kWh a month but dips below 1,000 in eight of twelve months pays about $2,137 a year on Gexa’s Simply Low 12 versus $1,936 on Gexa 24 — the “9.3¢” plan costs roughly $200 more than the plain 16¢ plan.
Gexa Energy’s PUCT complaint record (March–August 2026)
The Public Utility Commission of Texas publishes informal complaint counts by provider and category. Here is Gexa’s six-month record next to the other large REPs, pulled from the PUCT’s Customer Complaint Statistics page on September 10, 2026. These are raw counts, not rates: the PUCT does not publish customer totals alongside them, so a provider with more customers will naturally log more complaints.
| Provider | Total | Billing | Slamming | Discontinuance | Provision of service |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gexa Energy | 61 | 32 | 10 | 8 | 9 |
| Reliant | 340 | 168 | 25 | 67 | 73 |
| TXU Energy | 277 | 117 | 33 | 52 | 61 |
| Just Energy | 138 | 58 | 24 | 21 | 34 |
| Cirro Energy (US Retailers) | 138 | 85 | 9 | 20 | 23 |
| Direct Energy | 101 | 52 | 10 | 16 | 22 |
| Green Mountain | 86 | 40 | 11 | 17 | 17 |
| Amigo Energy (Fulcrum) | 47 | 23 | 2 | 9 | 12 |
| All REPs | 2,059 | 1,010 | 233 | 370 | 395 |
Source: PUCT Customer Complaint Statistics, Retail Electric Providers, 3/1/2026–8/31/2026 (summary generated 9/10/2026). Cramming and “all other” columns omitted (Gexa: 0 and 2). Counts are not normalized by customer count.
Two things stand out. Billing is Gexa’s largest category, as it is for every REP, and at 32 of 61 it’s about half of Gexa’s total, in line with the market’s 49%. Gexa’s 10 slamming complaints (switches the customer says they didn’t authorize) are worth knowing about if you get a door-to-door or phone pitch; verify any Gexa enrollment through gexaenergy.com or your own comparison rather than a third-party rep.
Gexa Energy vs. other Houston providers at 1,000 kWh (ZIP 77002, Sept 10, 2026)
Only providers we priced at the same ZIP on the same day are shown, so the numbers are directly comparable. The Direct Energy figures come from our Direct Energy review, priced at ZIP 77002 on September 10, 2026.
| Provider / plan | Type | 500 kWh | 1,000 kWh | 2,000 kWh | PUCT complaints (Mar–Aug 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gexa Energy — Simply Low 12 | 12 mo · $125 usage credit | 22.3¢ · $112 | 9.3¢ · $93 | 15.3¢ · $306 | 61 |
| Gexa Energy — Gexa 24 | 24 mo · fixed | 16.5¢ · $82 | 16.0¢ · $160 | 15.8¢ · ~$316 | |
| Direct Energy — Live Brighter 24 (Auto Pay) | 24 mo · fixed | 16.4¢ | 15.4¢ | 14.9¢ | 101 |
| Direct Energy — Live Brighter 12 (Auto Pay) | 12 mo · fixed | 17.4¢ | 16.4¢ | 15.9¢ |
On a plain fixed rate, Direct Energy’s Live Brighter 24 undercuts Gexa 24 by 0.6¢ at 1,000 kWh and 0.9¢ at 2,000 kWh, roughly $6 to $18 a month. Gexa’s advantage is entirely the Simply Low credit: at exactly 1,000 kWh it is about $61 a month cheaper than Direct Energy’s best fixed plan, and at 999 kWh it is about $60 more expensive. Both providers are 100% renewable on the plans shown, and both run well below Reliant and TXU on PUCT complaints.
Is Gexa Energy a good electricity provider?
For the right household, yes. Gexa’s strengths are a genuinely competitive usage-credit price at 1,000 kWh and up, a 100% renewable label at no premium, a stable parent in NextEra, a 60-day “Happiness Guarantee” on select plans, and a complaint count that runs well below the two biggest brands. Its weaknesses are the same as every usage-credit seller’s: the advertised rate is the best case, the fixed-rate plans behind it are ordinary at 16¢, and the weekend and thermostat plans price the perk into the rate. Shoppers who want the simplest honest number should compare Gexa 24 against other providers’ fixed 24-month rates; shoppers who reliably use more than 1,000 kWh should compare Simply Low 12 against other bill-credit plans at their own usage level.
How to sign up for Gexa Energy (and what to check first)
- Pull your last 12 months of kWh from your current bill or Smart Meter Texas. If any month is under 1,000 kWh, price the usage-credit plans at your real numbers, not the 1,000 kWh headline.
- Open the Electricity Facts Label for the plan you like. It lists the energy charge, base charge, TDU pass-through, the credit threshold and the early termination fee.
- Compare at your address, not by brand. Delivery charges differ by utility and changed on September 1, 2026; the same Gexa plan prices differently in Dallas than in Houston.
- Enroll directly or through a comparison you control. Given the slamming complaints across the market, avoid enrolling through an unsolicited call or visit.
- Set a calendar reminder 30 days before the term ends. Gexa, like every REP, rolls you to a month-to-month rate if you don’t act.
Compare Gexa against every plan at your address
Gexa Energy for business: how Gexa sells commercial electricity
Gexa Energy, a NextEra Energy company, sells business electricity in two segments: small business and commercial & industrial. As of September 28, 2026 the named small-business product is Fixed Price, described as offering “price certainty and term flexibility,” and everything beyond the product name — term lengths, energy charges, base charges and exit terms — is delivered by quote through the Get a Quote form. Gexa publishes no business rate card, so treat a Gexa business quote the way you would treat the residential plans on this page: as an all-in price at your usage, held against the one public Texas small-commercial EFL (Champion’s 9.7¢ energy charge on Oncor) and against the default-rate math in our business guides.
| Business product | Price | Terms |
|---|---|---|
| Gexa Business — Fixed Price (small business) | Custom quote | “Price certainty and term flexibility”; terms not published |
| Gexa Business — Commercial & Industrial | Custom quote | Electric supply for larger loads |
| Published rate card | None | Compare quotes as all-in price at your usage |
Source: the supplier’s own business pages (Champion: Electricity Facts Label, PUC #10098; NRG Business: Texas small-commercial terms of service, REP #10011), read September 28, 2026. Commercial electricity is priced per meter; treat these as the published starting points.
What a commercial contract adds over the residential plan on this page: a price built from your meter’s 12-month usage and load factor rather than a published rate card, term choices from 12 to 36 months or longer, a base charge and pass-through structure that differ from the residential EFL, and exit terms that scale with the months remaining. Compare every business quote as an all-in price at your real usage — the method is in our cheapest business electricity guide and the supplier field is compared in business electricity providers.
Business shopper? Compare business electricity providers, read how the cheapest business contracts are built, or talk to a commercial specialist.
Frequently asked questions about Gexa Energy
Who owns Gexa Energy?
NextEra Energy Resources, a subsidiary of NextEra Energy, Inc. FPL Group (NextEra’s former name) acquired Gexa in 2005. Gexa is not owned by NRG; NRG’s Texas retail brands are Reliant, Green Mountain, Direct Energy and Cirro.
What is Gexa Energy’s cheapest plan?
It depends on usage. At 1,000 kWh a month, Simply Low 12 was 9.3¢ per kWh ($93 estimated) in Houston on September 10, 2026. At 500 kWh the cheapest was the Anniversary Plan at 13.9¢ ($70). At 2,000 kWh the fixed-rate Gexa 24 and Simply Low 12 were within about $10 of each other at roughly $306–$316.
Is Gexa Energy really 100% renewable?
Gexa says every residential plan is 100% renewable at no extra cost, and it has done so since August 2019. Like other Texas green plans, this is achieved by purchasing and retiring renewable energy certificates equal to your usage, not by routing wind or solar power specifically to your home.
How does the Gexa Simply Low usage credit work?
A $125 credit is applied to each bill where usage is at least 1,000 kWh. Below 1,000 kWh there is no credit and you pay the full energy charge, which is why the plan’s average price is 22.3¢ at 500 kWh but 9.3¢ at 1,000 kWh.
How many complaints does Gexa Energy have?
The PUCT logged 61 informal complaints against Gexa Energy from March 1 to August 31, 2026, of which 32 were billing, 10 slamming, 8 discontinuance and 9 provision of service. Reliant logged 340 and TXU 277 over the same period. The PUCT does not normalize these counts by customer base.
Does Gexa Energy have a cancellation fee?
Fixed-term plans carry an early termination fee stated on each plan’s Electricity Facts Label. Texas law waives the fee if you move to an address Gexa can’t serve, and Gexa’s 60-Day Happiness Guarantee on select plans lets you switch plans without penalty in the first 60 days.
Where is Gexa Energy available?
In the deregulated Texas areas served by Oncor (Dallas–Fort Worth), CenterPoint (Houston), AEP Texas (Corpus Christi, Abilene, the Valley) and TNMP. It is not available in Austin, San Antonio, El Paso or co-op and municipal utility territories.
Is Gexa Energy good for a small apartment?
Only on the right plan. Gexa’s Anniversary Plan was the cheapest small-usage option we found ($70 at 500 kWh), while the heavily advertised Simply Low plan was $112 at 500 kWh because its $125 credit never applies. Apartment dwellers should avoid any usage-credit plan with a 1,000 kWh threshold.
How much does Gexa Energy cost per year?
For a Houston home averaging about 1,000 kWh a month with normal seasonal swings, our 12-month model puts Gexa 24 at about $1,936 a year and Simply Low 12 at about $2,137, because the $125 credit only applies in the months that reach 1,000 kWh. A large home that clears 1,000 kWh every month pays about $2,604 on Simply Low versus $3,012 on Gexa 24. Based on Gexa’s Sept 10, 2026 Houston estimates; taxes extra.
Is Gexa Energy cheaper than Direct Energy?
It depends on the plan. On plain fixed rates at ZIP 77002 on September 10, 2026, Direct Energy’s Live Brighter 24 (15.4¢ at 1,000 kWh with Auto Pay) was slightly cheaper than Gexa 24 (16.0¢). Gexa’s Simply Low 12 was far cheaper at exactly 1,000 kWh (9.3¢, $93) but more expensive than either fixed plan below 1,000 kWh.
Does Gexa Energy offer business electricity?
Yes. Gexa Energy sells a Fixed Price small-business product and commercial and industrial supply in Texas by custom quote as of September 28, 2026. It publishes no business rate card, terms or energy charges online.
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Sources
- Gexa Energy — plan enrollment for ZIP 77002 (viewed September 10, 2026 at 500, 1,000 and 2,000 kWh)
- Gexa Energy — Part of the NextEra Energy Resources family
- Public Utility Commission of Texas — Customer Complaint Statistics (3/1/2026–8/31/2026)
- Gexa Energy — company history (PUCT certification 2001, FPL Group acquisition 2005, 2019 renewable announcement)
- Utility Search — Direct Energy review (ZIP 77002, viewed September 10, 2026)
