Spark Energy : Login, reviews, customer service & more in Texas

Spark Energy LLC (not related to Spark Energy drink by Advocare nor Great Britain's electricity and gas supplier, Spark Energy Ltd) is a publicly traded, U.S. retail electric & gas provider (IPO in 2014, Spark Energy stock on NASDAQ: SPKE). Spark Energy, based in Houston since 1999, opened to Texas retail energy once the electricity market deregulated in 2002. Spark Energy joins a long list of other retail electric providers competing in Texas. Scroll (or swipe) down for details on the Spark Energy rates & plans available, Spark Energy reviews in Texas, and ways to contact Spark Energy customer service. Find out what the Spark Energy login and App have to offer and ways to pay a Spark Energy bill.

Spark Energy : U.S. electric and gas provider & service area in Texas

Since becoming a publicly traded business, Spark Energy has acquired over a dozen companies that include Oasis Energy, Major Energy, Starion Energy, and Verde Energy USA. The smooth integration of the acquired suppliers/providers has positioned Spark Energy in a substantial number of new markets, furthering its reach across the U.S. from California to New York.

Within Texas, Spark Energy provides electric service across all deregulated service areas and offers fixed rate plans that either fully support the renewable energy market or only use non-renewable sourced energy.

Texas residents can sign-up with a Spark Energy energy plan who live within the deregulated electric utility company service areas, which include:

 Oncor Electric Delivery
 CenterPoint Energy
 AEP Texas (North & Central)
 Texas-New Mexico Power (TNMP)

The "delivery fees" that are charged by each utility company are passed through (without a price mark-up) to Spark Energy customers (a standard practice for electric providers). The current utility company rates are:

Spark Energy is quite consistent at offering a standard selection of Spark Energy plans across Texas. For example, Spark Energy in Houston, Dallas, and Fort Worth will have very similar electric plan products as Spark Energy in McAllen, Corpus Christi, and Brownsville.

Spark Energy login (www sparkenergy com) & App : Account management for customers

Spark Energy customers are offered an account management portal using the MyAccount, Spark Energy login platform. In MyAccount, customers are able to:

• Set up (or update) payment information (only in certain markets)
• Change preferences
• Track orders
• Make changes to your address book
• Manage account password

If you're currently a Spark Energy customer and have your Spark Energy account number ready (along with your email address and billing zip code), register with Spark Energy MyAccount to have on-the-go access!

Although Great Britain's Spark Energy App is available on the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store, the Spark Energy LLC App (for U.S. customers) seemingly remains inexistent. Spark Energy LLC announced back in Sept 2011 that their website would be mobile friendly and an app would be available - all due to consumer and market demand.

What does Texas think? : Check out the Spark Energy reviews in Texas

The statistical record of formal complaints filed by consumers against electric providers is managed by the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) of Texas. Over the last 6 months, Spark Energy ranks as #27 on the list of the most formal complaints received against retail electric providers in Texas out of the 70+ REPs registered.

While some customers appreciate the range of Spark Energy electric plans offered and their competitive rates, a handful of unsatisfied customers have found an issue with billing practices. Even though Spark Energy's billing department has received the most complaints out of all categories, they're still doing a better job than the other electric providers - with Spark Energy's complaints on billing at 40% of all complaints filed, Spark Energy LLC beats the industry average by 24%!

Did you know...!? In Texas, 64% of complaints that are filed are specifically about billing practices by electric providers!
Researching your next electric provider? Stay informed and check out the PUCT's Customer Complaint Statistics page before signing up to a plan.

There are Spark Energy reviews in several forums but the leading websites are currently giving Spark Energy:

Have a Spark Energy power outage? : Spark Energy customer service phone numbers

Spark Energy power outage : Phone numbers As a provider, Spark Energy really only handles billing, new customer set ups, and transferring or ending service for current customers. In the event of an outage, customers must contact the utility company that services the area (since they are responsible for maintaining and repairing the electrical infrastructure) instead of Spark Energy. Find out "Which utility company is mine?" if your power goes out or, if you already know, use the respective power outage number to report it:

 Oncor power outage: 1-888-313-4747
 CenterPoint power outage: 1-800-332-7143
 TNMP power outage: 1-888-866-7456
 AEP Texas power outage (North & Central): 1-866-223-8508

Need to contact Spark Energy customer service to start service or ask a billing question or setup service? Here are a few Spark Energy phone numbers to contact:

Alternative ways for Texas customers to contact Spark Energy customer service :

• Email Spark Energy customer service : [email protected]
• Mail a letter to the Spark Energy address :
  Spark Energy LLC
  12140 Wickchester Lane, Ste. 100
  Houston, Texas 77079
• Send a Spark Energy fax to : 1-877-374-8007

Spark Energy Rates & Plans

All retail electric utility service areas in Texas are covered by Spark Energy plans, with an nearly identical product offering across all deregulated utility companies. Check out what's offered (and not) in each utility service area, below:

Fixed plans : Spark Energy rates

 ALL Spark Energy plans

Spark Energy plans, with fixed rates, do not change over the contract term. However, the utility company's rate is subject to change between 2 to 3 times per year. So the fixed rate is fixed to a certain extent.

Fixed rate plans are usually a good idea if you are able to lock-in a good rate at the right time of year. Once the fixed rate contract is finished, unless renewed or terminated, customers are automatically switched to a variable rate on the "Default Renewal Product"- a typical action taken by any electric provider.

Electricity customers should choose a fixed rate contract of at least 12 months. Electricity prices per kilowatt-hour change throughout the year, and you may actually miss out on pricing when energy rates are low. However, because electricity rates tend to increase over time, sticking with fixed rates for longer periods may prove to be financially advantageous.

Some electric providers design (and offer) an all-costs-involved electric plan that essentially combines the supply & delivery charges (provider and utility fees) into a single-charge plan. Spark Energy, unfortunately, does not currently offer this type of plan product.

Spark Energy cancelation : Early termination fees If considering Spark Energy as your next electric provider, it's worth being aware of the "Early Termination Fee" that is attached to all fixed rate electric plans.
3 months : $175
12 months : $100 - $200 (depending on plan)
15 months : $100
24 months : $100

Variable rates : Spark Energy plans

 Spark Energy does not currently offer variable rate plans

A variable rate is an energy price (in ¢/kWh) that will likely change each month. A variable rate can be at the discretion of the electric providers that offer such plans, or they can set rules on the rate's variability - for instance, the variable energy rate changes alongside the wholesale price of energy.

Technically, the only variable rate plan that Spark Energy has is their "month-to-month plan" for when a fixed-rate plan ends and no action is taken by the customer to change to a different plan or provider.

The BEST thing about a variable rate plan is the ability to leave the plan and/or provider at any time without having to pay an "Early Cancellation Fee". Since providers are aware of variable rate-plan freedom, the energy price given in a variable rate plan is almost always higher than any fixed rate plan that the same provider will offer.

Renewable energy : Spark Energy plans

 The Spark Energy Spark Green Secure 12

 The Spark Energy Green Price Protect 12 & 24

Spark Energy offers these two green energy plans. As with most renewable energy plans that providers offer, this plan doesn't promise that your home will be powered using green energy. Instead, the money from bill payments made while on the plan is promised to go towards financially supporting the renewable energy industry.

Generally, electric providers that sell plans with 100% renewably sourced content will explain in the Terms Of Service how this process will work. Spark Energy does not state, or guarantee to customers, that 100% of the energy that is billed on these two green plans will be used to fund the renewable energy industry.On the other hand, Spark Energy does go into substantial detail on "Disputes", "Complaints", and "Arbitration".

The non-renewable energy plans offered by Spark Energy source 0.0% renewable content (the Texas average is 21%). Spark Energy's 0% contribution level is the lowest percentage of renewable content sourced in a non-renewable energy plan - from the hundreds of non-renewable energy plans we have analyzed across dozens of electric providers in Texas.

Spark Energy plans : Minimum usage fees

 The Spark Energy Price Protect 3, 12, 24 plans

 The Spark Energy Spark Green Secure 12 plan

 The Spark Energy Green Price Protect 12, 24 plans

 The Spark Energy Spark Secure 24 plan

These plans, which contain a minimum usage fee, have the same fee cost and minimum level of energy usage to get out of having to pay the fee. On these Spark Energy plans, customers will need to use at least 1,000kWh each month in order to avoid paying the $8.99 monthly fee.

Generally, plans that have a minimum usage fee tend to not favor energy-conserving consumers or smaller households.

Besides the standard energy rate, any other "supply fee" (what electric providers charge their customers) is optionally imposed on customers. Many providers choose to charge customers these frivolous fees so as to discourage trying to save money by using less energy.

Usage credits with Spark Energy

 Spark Energy does not use issue billing usage credits in their plans

Big providers like Reliant Energy, TXU Energy, and Ambit Energy, use billing credits to promote higher levels of energy consumption of over a certain amount. Fortunately, with Spark Energy, customers can be more conservative with energy consumption and will be billed a proportional amount for the reduced kWh use - Makes sense!

Similar to the minimum usage fee strategy, the plans that contain the billing-credit feature are targeted to benefit households that have an average-to-high monthly energy usage. The hassle with plans that implement additional charges or credits based on monthly energy consumption, is that customers on such plans should monitor monthly usage to get their best-priced, final monthly bill.

Base Charges with Spark Energy

 The Spark Energy Spark Instant 12 plan : $85 each billing cycle

his Spark Energy plan contains a base charge fee. The base fee / base charge is another optional charge that providers often choose to impose on customers. In this plan, the base charge allows for an unrated energy cost for up to 1000kWh per month - after 1000 kWh is consumed, watch out for the high priced energy rate!

Some other electric providers -like TXU Energy and Reliant Energy- also charge base fees on their plans (a lower amount - but in addition to an energy rate that is incurred at all usage levels), but there are many electric providers (like Varsity Energy!) that do not add the charge.

Spark Energy electric Prepaid plans

 Spark Energy does not currently offer prepaid electric plans

Prepaid plans work exactly as they're called: Customers pay before consuming electricity and must keep a positive balance on their account in order to keep the lights on.

Prepaid plans are GREAT since nearly all don't require a deposit to start up ( = no credit check!) or have long-term commitments.

Want a provider & plan that's less promotional and more straightforward?
Try our FREE service: Check out XOOM Energy !

Spark Energy pay bill : AutoPay, bill pay number, one-time payment and payment locations

Apart from the convenience of Autopay (set up through the Spark Energy login portal), Spark Energy offers customers a couple of ways to make a bill payment. Here are the other ways to get your Spark Energy bill paid: