The number of electricity-related complaints filed with Texas regulators increased for the second year in a row and now stands at a new four-year high, according to a long-term analysis of regulatory data.

These findings and more are included in TCAP’s new 2019 Snapshot Report on Electricity Complaints, released today on the organization’s website. The report includes more than two decades of electricity complaint data — some of which is unavailable anywhere else. Find the report here.

Texans filed 5,508 electricity-related complaints or inquiries with the Texas Public Utility Commission during the 2019 fiscal year, according to the new analysis. That number marks a 2.6 percent increase from the 5,371 filed during the previous fiscal year and a 31.9 percent increase from the 4,175 filed in FY 2017.

Texans during the 2019 fiscal year also filed more complaints and inquiries with the PUC than they had during each of the previous three fiscal years. Even still, the number of complaints registered with the PUC during FY 2019 remains below the annual average of complaints filed during the most recent 10-year period and well below the average number filed on an annual basis since Texas implemented retail electric deregulation 18 years ago.

Texans can find complaint data for individual companies at the state’s electricity shopping web site, powertochoose.org. TCAP recommends that consumers always check the industry complaint scorecard there when shopping for electricity.

Electricity customers wishing to file complaints can do so through the PUC’s Office of Customer Protection, reached at 1-888-782-8477, by email at customer@puc.texas.gov or online at http://www.puc.texas.gov/consumer/complaint/Complaint.aspx. When appropriate, the PUC will investigate such complaints, and may sanction companies if the agency finds a rule violation.

TCAP is a coalition of more than 160 cities and other political subdivisions that have joined forces to purchase electricity in the Texas deregulated electricity market for their own governmental use. As part its mission, TCAP advocates for affordable power for its member cities and for their citizens. Find out more here.