Here’s a bit more bad news for consumers stuck in the state’s deregulated electricity market. According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the number of valid complaints against Texas electric providers is on the rise.

According to the March 11 article, nearly 1 in 5 consumer complaints against Texas electric providers were upheld last year by the Texas Public Utility Commission.

Business reporter Jim Fuquay, citing data from a consultant that works with retail electric providers, noted that on average, 19 percent of complaints against REPS turned up rules violations. That”s a sharp increase from the previous year, according to the newspaper.

“Among several dozen REPs, three had at least half of their complaints confirmed as violations,” reported Fuquay. “The largest of those was Vega Resources, which does business as Amigo Energy, with 673 complaints, of which 62 percent were confirmed.”

The article noted that for four electric companies – including Houston’s Reliant, one of the state’s largest providers – less than 10 percent of complaints were deemed violations. It noted that the state’s largest REP, TXU Energy, had 11.3 percent of its complaints confirmed.

Green Mountain Energy had the best record, with 2.3 percent of its complaints deemed to have been actual violaitons.

Here’s the rundown, according to the Star-Telegram article:

REPs ranked by percentage of PUC complaints found to involve rules violations.

Best
1. Green Mountain Energy 2.3
2. Reliant Energy 4.4
3. Cirro Energy 7.2
4. Ambit Energy 9.5
5. Spark Energy 11.3
5. TXU Energy 11.3

Worst
1. ElectricNow 65.2
2. AmigoEnergy 62.4
3. Hwy. 3 MPH* 50.5
4 LibertyPower 45.2
5 SureElectric 44.2
* no longer in business

— R.A. Dyer