"Pennywise" was a name, not a guarantee of the lowest bill.
Most legacy reviews still rank Pennywise Power on its supply rate alone. That stopped being useful for two reasons.
First, the brand no longer enrolls customers. NRG retired it during the Discount Power consolidation in 2019. If your bill still says Pennywise, you are on a Discount Power tariff billed under a legacy label.
Second, even when the brand was active, comparing only the headline ¢/kWh ignored the TDU delivery charge and the monthly base fees that every Texas EFL shows separately. A plan with a 9.5¢ supply rate and an $9.95 monthly fee easily costs more than an 11.5¢ plan with no monthly fee at 600 kWh. The "pennywise" framing nudged shoppers toward the wrong number.
Three lines on every Texas electricity bill.
A REP only controls one of them. If Pennywise Power, or any successor brand, looks cheap, check that you are reading the right line.
Layer 1 supply
Energy charge
The ¢/kWh you signed up for. This is the only line the REP, Pennywise or any other, actually sets. Typical Texas range May 2026: 10 to 16¢/kWh on a 12 month fixed plan.
Layer 2 delivery
TDU charges
Set by your local wires utility (CenterPoint, Oncor, AEP Texas, TNMP) and approved by the PUCT. About 4.5 to 6¢/kWh plus a monthly fee. Same for every REP.
Layer 3 fixed
Base and recurring fees
The REP monthly base charge (commonly $5 to $10) plus optional minimum usage fees that hit when you use under 1,000 kWh. These bleed any low ¢/kWh deal at small homes.
How to read the Pennywise Power Electricity Facts Label.
Legacy Pennywise EFL documents look like every other Texas REP EFL. Here is what each row really means, before you compare it with a Discount Power, Reliant, or Champion plan today.
| EFL line | What it really is | Who sets it | Shoppable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy charge ¢/kWh | Layer 1, the actual electricity price | The REP (Pennywise, now Discount Power) | Yes |
| TDU delivery charge | Layer 2, wires utility pass through | PUCT via your TDU | No |
| Base charge $/month | Layer 3, REP fixed monthly fee | The REP | By plan choice |
| Minimum usage fee | Penalty under a usage threshold | The REP | By plan choice |
| Early termination fee ETF | Exit penalty on a fixed term | The REP | By plan choice |
| Average price at 500, 1,000, 2,000 kWh | All in ¢/kWh, the only fair compare line | Computed from the four lines above | Use this |
The "Average price" row at the bottom of every Texas EFL is the only number that lets you compare plans honestly. It folds all four lines together at three usage points so a 600 kWh apartment and a 2,000 kWh house can both pick the right plan.
A 1¢/kWh "pennywise" discount is roughly 6% off your Texas bill.
In Texas, supply is about 60% of a residential bill at typical usage. TDU delivery and base fees are the other 40%, and they do not move when you switch REP.
Cutting 1¢ off a 12¢ supply rate at 1,000 kWh per month is $10 saved. On a $165 total bill, that is 6%. Worth claiming, but not transformational.
Where Pennywise style "low rate" pitches really hurt is at low usage. A plan with a $9.95 monthly base fee and 9.5¢/kWh supply is more expensive at 600 kWh than an 11¢/kWh plan with no monthly fee. Always compute total dollars at your real kWh.
all in, at Texas median 12¢/kWh fixed supply rate
Who actually owned Pennywise Power.
Pennywise was a marketing label sitting on top of a corporate ladder. Following the ladder explains why it disappeared and who serves its old customers today.
2008, the brand launches
Pennywise Power begins enrolling Texas residential customers under US Retailers LLC, the legal entity that held PUCT REP licence 10177. Houston headquartered, value positioned, fixed rate first.
2018, NRG acquires Volterra brands
NRG Energy buys Discount Power, Power Express and Volterra Energy from Volterra Energy Holdings. Pennywise sits inside the same family. Discount Power customers are migrated onto Pennywise tariffs in late 2018.
2019, the brand swap
NRG reverses direction. Pennywise Power changes its public name to Discount Power. New enrollments stop under the Pennywise label. Existing contracts continue under the legacy name until renewal.
Today, the umbrella
NRG owns three Texas brands a shopper might compare directly: Discount Power (value), Reliant Energy (mainstream, NRG flagship), and Green Mountain Energy (renewables). Pennywise customer service routes to NRG via Discount Power.
If your bill or welcome letter still names Pennywise Power, you are an NRG customer billed under a legacy brand. Renewal options will be Discount Power plans.
How Pennywise era shoppers quietly overpaid.
Five patterns we still see today across Texas REP shopping. Each costs real dollars. Each is fixable in 15 minutes on Power to Choose.
Why "pennywise" fixed plans matter more in Texas than anywhere else.
Texas runs on its own grid, managed by ERCOT. Wholesale spot prices on ERCOT can spike from $30/MWh to the system cap of $5,000/MWh during scarcity events. A fixed rate plan, even an unspectacular one, shields you from those spikes.
That is the durable case for low frills brands like Pennywise was, and Discount Power is now: a flat ¢/kWh you can budget around, instead of a variable plan that follows ERCOT into a winter storm.
Households needing help paying after a price event can apply to CEAP through TDHCA, the Texas channel for federal LIHEAP funds.
If you are still on a Pennywise plan, do this.
Pull your last 12 bills
Sum the kWh, divide by 12. That is your monthly average. Use it as the input on any EFL comparison, not a guessed 1,000 kWh.
Check your contract status
If your fixed term ended, you are now on a variable holdover rate. Renewing or switching today usually saves at least 2¢/kWh.
Shop Power to Choose
The PUCT Power to Choose portal lists every Texas REP plan with the same EFL fields. Sort by average price at your kWh.
Compare NRG siblings
Discount Power, Reliant, and Green Mountain are all NRG. Often you can stay in the same billing family with a better rate by renewing into a different label.
Lock a fixed term
A 12 month fixed plan caps your supply price against ERCOT scarcity events. Avoid variable and "indexed" plans unless you understand TOU trade offs.
Check bill assistance
If you fell behind, apply to CEAP via TDHCA, the Texas LIHEAP channel. Funds can cover arrears, not only current bills.
Pennywise Power frequently asked questions.
No. NRG retired the Pennywise Power brand in 2019 as part of the Discount Power consolidation. New enrollments now go through Discount Power, the surviving NRG value brand.
Existing contracts continued under the Pennywise name until their fixed term ended. At renewal, customers were moved to Discount Power tariffs. If your meter is still billed as Pennywise, you are on a legacy NRG arrangement and your renewal letter will offer Discount Power plans.
Pennywise customer service routes through NRG. Use the Discount Power customer contact channels, which inherit Pennywise accounts under US Retailers LLC, PUCT REP licence 10177. Check your current bill for the active customer service number; legacy 1-800 lines from the original Pennywise era are no longer guaranteed.
No. Pennywise focused on fixed rate postpaid residential plans. For no deposit no credit check prepaid in Texas, look at REPs like Payless Power or others on Power to Choose filtered by prepaid.
All three live under the NRG umbrella. Reliant is the mainstream NRG brand with full product range. Green Mountain sells 100% renewable supply. Discount Power, the Pennywise successor, sits in the value tier. The right one depends on your usage, plan length and renewable preference, not the brand name.
Yes. Texas administers federal LIHEAP dollars through the Comprehensive Energy Assistance Program (CEAP) at TDHCA. Eligibility is income based; CEAP can cover current bills and arrears with any REP, including legacy Pennywise accounts.
More U.S. states with energy choice
Same playbook, different utility. Pick another deregulated state to compare utilities, suppliers and switching rules.
