Pretending Amigo is just another low-rate Texas REP.
Most review pages rank Amigo Energy alongside fifty other Texas REPs on a single ¢/kWh number. That ranking misses what actually distinguishes Amigo from the field.
First, Amigo is built for the Spanish-speaking Texas household. The website, the EFL, the bills, the IVR and the call-centre agents are all delivered in English or Spanish from day one. That is not a checkbox feature; it is the brand's editorial spine and the reason it retains customers in neighborhoods other REPs lose them in.
Second, Amigo's parent Just Energy Group filed Chapter 15 bankruptcy in the United States on March 9, 2021, three weeks after Winter Storm Uri sent ERCOT wholesale prices to the cap of $5,000/MWh for four straight days. Just Energy emerged from CCAA protection on December 16, 2022 with a new ownership group. Amigo kept operating through the whole process under its existing PUCT licence. The brand survived; the balance sheet behind it is now a different beast.
How an Amigo Energy plan is actually built.
Like every Texas REP, Amigo stacks three layers under one quoted "rate". Only one of them is theirs.
Layer 1, Amigo Energy
Energy charge
The per-kWh price for the electricity itself, hedged on the ERCOT wholesale market and resold to you under the Amigo badge. This is the only line the brand actually controls.
Layer 2, Amigo Energy
Base / monthly fee
A flat dollar amount Amigo adds every month regardless of usage. Often $0 on fixed plans and around $9.95 on variable month-to-month plans. It quietly raises the effective rate at low usage.
Layer 3, Your TDU
TDU pass-through
Oncor, CenterPoint, AEP or TNMP delivery charges, set by the PUCT and passed through with zero markup. Same number whichever Texas REP you pick.
When two Amigo plans quote different headline rates, almost all of the gap lives in layer 1. Layer 3 is identical for everyone on your block.
Amigo Energy's Texas plan types, decoded.
The brand markets five recurring plan archetypes in Texas. Here is what each actually does, with the prepaid dynamics most reviews skip.
| Plan family | Type | Term | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smart Saver (fixed) | Fixed price per kWh | 12, 24 or 36 mo | Most households wanting price certainty | ETF if you leave early; auto-roll to variable at end of term |
| Power Now (prepaid) | Pay-as-you-go, no credit check | No contract term | Renters, no-credit or thin-file households, anyone declined for a deposit | Rate runs 15 to 25% above fixed; balance below threshold cuts power within hours |
| Free Nights / Weekends | TOU variant of fixed | 12 or 24 mo | Households that can shift laundry, EV charging, pool pump off-peak | Peak-hour rate is loaded higher to subsidise the "free" window |
| Month-to-month | Variable | No commitment | Renters between leases, anyone bridging a move | Price moves with the ERCOT market; can spike during heat waves and winter storms |
| Amigo Business | Custom commercial | 12 to 60 mo | Small business, restaurants, retail | Quotes are broker-routed; always benchmark against two other brokers |
Plan names, terms and rates are updated regularly by Amigo Energy; always pull the live EFL from the brand's site or Power to Choose before signing.
"No deposit, no credit check" costs an extra ~20% per kWh.
Amigo's prepaid Power Now plan is one of the easiest ways to switch lights on the same day with a thin credit file. It is also one of the most expensive ways to buy electricity in Texas.
The prepaid energy rate runs roughly 15 to 25% above the equivalent 12-month fixed plan. The deposit you avoid is typically $200 to $400 for a fixed plan. A heavy-use household clears that gap inside three to five months of prepaid usage.
The other catch is the disconnect dynamic. Prepaid plans cut your power within hours of the balance hitting the threshold, regardless of weather or weekend. State winter-disconnection protections that apply to post-paid customers do not always reach prepaid in the same way.
extra paid over a year on prepaid at typical rates
How Amigo Energy stayed on through its parent's bankruptcy.
A 22-year corporate timeline from Houston startup to bilingual-focused subsidiary of a restructured Just Energy, in five steps.
2004, Houston
Amigo Energy is founded in Houston as a Texas REP licensed by the PUCT (#10081), built from day one around an English-and-Spanish customer experience for the growing Houston and Dallas Hispanic markets.
2011, acquired by Just Energy Group
Canadian retail energy marketer Just Energy Group Inc. (TSX/NYSE: JE at the time) buys Amigo Energy to expand its Texas footprint, layering the bilingual brand on top of its existing Just Energy and Hudson Energy Texas books.
February 2021, Winter Storm Uri
ERCOT wholesale prices hit the $9,000/MWh cap in effect at the time and stayed there for 87 hours. Several REPs (Griddy, others) immediately fail. Just Energy estimates a $250M loss against its Texas exposure.
March 9, 2021, Chapter 15 in the United States
Just Energy files for protection under the CCAA in Canada and Chapter 15 in the US. Critically, Amigo Energy continues serving customers throughout, holds its PUCT licence, and is never disconnected from ERCOT.
December 16, 2022, restructured emergence
Just Energy exits CCAA under a new ownership group led by LVS III SPE XV LP and TOCU XVII LLC, with a strengthened balance sheet. Amigo Energy continues to operate from Houston under the parent's Fulcrum Retail Energy entity, still "Proudly Bilingual" and still serving the same Texas TDU zones.
For a Texas customer the practical takeaway is short: your contract is between you and Amigo Energy LLC (the licensed REP), not the parent. The PUCT's customer-protection rules and the POLR backstop kicked in during the 2021 wave and would again. The bilingual call centre operating from Houston Monday to Saturday is what you actually interact with.
5 mistakes Amigo Energy shoppers make.
Five recurring patterns from real Amigo contracts. Each one is fixable before you sign.
Where Amigo sits among Texas retail providers.
Amigo is a mid-sized independent REP serving the four deregulated TDU zones. Its real competitors are other independents, not the NRG or Vistra giants.
Layer 3 is set by your ZIP, not by Amigo.
Every Texas address sits inside exactly one regulated delivery utility. That choice was made for you. Find yours, and you know the floor of your bill.
What to do before you sign with Amigo Energy.
Pull 12 months of kWh
From your last bill or your TDU portal. Average summer and winter separately. This is the number the EFL is graded against.
Read the actual EFL
Not the marketing page. The EFL discloses base fees, prepaid premium, ETF, and the post-term auto-roll rate.
Decide post-paid vs prepaid
If you can clear a deposit (or skip it via good credit), fixed almost always beats prepaid over 12 months. Prepaid only wins if you genuinely cannot front the deposit.
Calendar your end date
The day you sign, set two reminders: 60 days before expiry and 7 days before. Auto-roll to variable is where most of the long-term cost hides.
If you struggle to pay
Texas runs LIHEAP as CEAP through TDHCA. Apply before disconnection; Amigo must offer a deferred payment plan.
Contact support
Residential customer service: 1-888-528-2672. General: 1-888-331-8871. Both lines staffed in English and Spanish. For an outage, call your TDU, not Amigo.
Common questions about Amigo Energy in Texas.
Yes. Amigo Energy continued to serve Texas customers without interruption throughout the entire 2021 to 2022 restructuring. Its PUCT licence (#10081) was never suspended, it stayed connected to ERCOT, and the bilingual Houston call centre kept taking calls. Just Energy Group itself filed Chapter 15 in the United States and CCAA in Canada on March 9, 2021 after Winter Storm Uri, then emerged from CCAA on December 16, 2022 under a new ownership group with a strengthened balance sheet. Amigo today operates under Fulcrum Retail Energy, LLC dba Amigo Energy, still part of the restructured Just Energy family.
Amigo Energy is operated by Fulcrum Retail Energy, LLC dba Amigo Energy, a subsidiary of the restructured Just Energy Group. Just Energy acquired the original Houston-based Amigo Energy in 2011 and kept the bilingual brand intact through its 2021 Chapter 15 / CCAA filing and 2022 emergence. The current Just Energy ownership group is led by LVS III SPE XV LP and TOCU XVII LLC, the lender groups that took equity in the restructuring.
Residential customer service: 1-888-528-2672. General line: 1-888-331-8871. Commercial sales: 1-888-995-9299. Hours are Monday to Friday 8am to 7pm CST and Saturday 9am to 6pm CST. All lines are staffed by bilingual English and Spanish agents. For an outage, call your TDU (Oncor, CenterPoint, AEP Texas or TNMP), not Amigo.
Bilingual end-to-end. The website, the EFL, the Terms of Service, the bill, the IVR phone tree and the call-centre agents are all available in English or Spanish, not just a translated splash page. The brand has positioned itself as Proudly Bilingual since its 2004 founding in Houston, originally targeting Hispanic households in the Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth metro areas.
Fixed plans (Smart Saver 12, 24 or 36 months) lock a per-kWh rate for the contract term. They usually require a deposit (typically $200 to $400, refundable with interest) or a passing credit check, and they carry an ETF of about $150 to $295 if you cancel early. Prepaid Power Now plans require no deposit and no credit check, but the energy rate runs 15 to 25% higher and your power can be disconnected within hours if your balance falls below the threshold. Over 12 months a typical household pays around $300 more on prepaid than on fixed.
Amigo Energy serves the four deregulated TDU zones in Texas: Oncor (Dallas-Fort Worth, North and West Texas), CenterPoint (Greater Houston), AEP Texas (South and Central) and TNMP. If you live in a city served by a municipal utility (Austin Energy, CPS Energy in San Antonio, Brownsville PUB) or by an electric cooperative (Pedernales, Bluebonnet and others), you cannot choose a REP and Amigo is not an option in your ZIP.
More U.S. states with energy choice
Same playbook, different utility. Pick another deregulated state to compare utilities, suppliers and switching rules.
