Are you looking for ways to lower your electricity bill in Texas? With costs rising across the board, finding savings is more important than ever. Amigo Energy’s free nights plan could help you reduce your electric expenses and keep more money in your wallet.

What is Amigo Energy’s Free Nights Plan?

Amigo Energy’s free nights plan is a time-of-use electricity plan that offers free electricity usage during nighttime hours. Specifically, you’ll receive free electricity daily between 9pm and 7am. This means you can run appliances, lights, electronics, and anything else that uses electricity during these hours without being charged for the energy usage.

The free nights plan is designed to incentivize shifting your electricity usage to nighttime hours when overall energy demand is lower. By moving high electricity activities like running the dishwasher, doing laundry, and charging electronics to late evening and early morning hours, you can take advantage of the free usage period and potentially lower your monthly electric bills.

How the Free Nights Plan Works

Here are the key details on how Amigo Energy’s free nights plan works:

• Free Usage Hours: 9pm – 7am daily
• Fixed Rate: The kilowatt-hour (kWh) rate you pay for daytime electricity usage is fixed for the term of your contract. This provides certainty about the rate you’ll pay per kWh during peak hours.
• Nighttime Credit: Amigo Energy credits your bill for all electricity used from 9pm-7am. The credit equals the full cost of the nighttime electricity usage.
• Minimum Night Usage: To receive the advertised fixed rate, you need to shift at least 35% of your total monthly usage to the free 9pm-7am timeframe.

So in essence, the more energy you use during the free nighttime hours, the more you can lower your electricity bill.

Determining if the Free Nights Plan is Right for You

The free nights plan offers the opportunity for savings, but it also requires you to alter when you use electricity in your home. To determine if it’s the right fit, consider these factors:

• Your lifestyle and schedule: Nighttime hours may not align well if you are away from home during evenings or sleep early. Adjusting routines to shift usage to late night can take effort.
• Ability to shift usage: Look at your electricity usage patterns. What activities like laundry and EV charging can be moved to 9pm-7am to take advantage of free electricity?
• Home energy efficiency: A more energy efficient home uses less electricity overall, making it easier to shift a higher percentage of use to nighttime hours.
• Cost savings: Calculate estimated savings based on your usage and your ability to shift to nighttime hours before switching plans.

Running the numbers for your unique situation is the best way to determine if the free nights plan can lower your electricity bills.

Estimating Your Potential Savings

Figuring out possible savings requires looking at your current electricity use patterns and costs. Follow these steps:

1. Get 12 months of usage data: Check your bills or smart meter data to determine your hourly, daily, and monthly electricity consumption.
2. Calculate your current costs: Multiply your kWh rate by total monthly usage to estimate your current average monthly bill.
3. Identify nighttime shift potential: Based on your usage patterns, estimate the kWh you can shift to 9pm-7am nightly. Target shifting 35% or more of total use.
4. Estimate new costs: Multiply your daytime kWh usage by the Amigo Energy free nights plan’s daytime rate to estimate the bill for peaked hours. Your nighttime usage will be free.
5. Compare costs: Compare your current average monthly bill to the estimated Amigo free nights plan bill. The difference is your potential savings.

Let’s look at an example:

• Current 12 month average usage: 1000 kWh
• Current rate: $0.15/kWh
• Current average monthly bill: 1000 kWh * $0.15 = $150
• Amigo free nights rate (35% shift): $0.22/kWh
• Nighttime usage shifted: 350 kWh (35% of 1000 kWh)
• New peak usage: 1000 kWh – 350 kWh = 650 kWh
• New bill: 650 kWh * $0.22/kWh (peak rate) + $0 (free nighttime 350 kWh) = $143
• Potential savings: $150 (current) – $143 (Amigo free nights) = $7/month

While not a dramatic decrease, this example shows how the free nights plan can provide savings by shifting your high electricity activities to the discounted timeframe. Run your own numbers to see your possible savings.

Tips to Maximize Savings on the Free Nights Plan

If the free nights plan makes sense for your home, use these tips to maximize potential savings:

• Shift high-draw appliances first: Focus on shifting laundry, dishwashing, and EV charging to nighttime hours. These use large amounts of electricity.
• Leverage smart home tech: Use smart plugs, app controls, and timers to automate shifting high-usage devices and appliances to 9pm-7am automatically.
• Adjust your schedule: Do chores and activities like cleaning and entertainment during free night hours when possible.
• Pre-cool at night: Lower your thermostat 3-4 degrees below normal at night so your AC doesn’t have to work as hard during hot peak hours.
• Pre-heat water: Time water heaters to pre-heat overnight when electricity usage is free.
• Fill storage: Charge devices, batteries, and EVs fully during free hours so they can last through the next daytime period.

Taking advantage of the free nighttime electricity makes the biggest impact on your potential savings. The more you can shift, the lower your bill will be.

Other Free Nights Plan Details to Know

If you choose Amigo Energy’s free nights plan, here are some other details to be aware of:

• Plan options: You can choose a 12, 24, or 36 month contract term. Longer terms may offer lower kWh rates. A shorter term provides more flexibility.
• Early termination fee: If you cancel before the end of your contract term, you’ll owe a $150-175 termination fee.
• Connection fee: A $4.95 per month connection fee applies regardless of usage.
• Billing credits: The free nighttime usage credits appear as line items on your electricity bills.
• Moving: You can cancel without penalty if you move, with proof of your new address.
• Renewal: Amigo will send renewal notices before your term ends. You’ll roll to a month-to-month variable rate plan unless you pick a new fixed rate term plan.
• Rate changes: The fixed kWh rates for peak hours can’t change during your contract term.

Understanding these terms and conditions helps avoid surprises down the road.

Comparing Amigo’s Free Nights to Other Plans

While the free nighttime electricity is appealing, you also want to compare costs to other Texas electricity plans. Here’s how Amigo’s free nights plan compares:

• Fixed rate plans – No free electricity, but fixed kWh rates that don’t change based on time of day. Easier to estimate costs.
• Index Plans – Rates that vary based on market conditions and time periods. More complex to estimate costs but may offer savings.
• Prepaid Plans – Pay for electricity upfront, then use your prepaid balance. Can help avoid big bills but requires accurate tracking of usage.
• Green Energy Plans – Fixed rate plans that support renewable energy producers. Costs more but includes eco-friendly benefits.

Running cost estimates based on your specific usage is the only way to determine if a free nights plan like Amigo’s can save you money compared to other electricity options.

The unique free nighttime electricity is a big advantage of Amigo’s plan if you can shift your high-usage activities accordingly.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you still have questions about Amigo Energy’s free nights electricity plan, here are answers to some commonly asked questions:

What else do I pay besides the fixed kWh rate?

You’ll also pay a monthly connection fee, usually around $5, as well as any taxes and fees from your local utility company for delivery and maintenance charges.

What if I use less than 35% at night?

You’ll pay a higher effective kWh rate because the advertised fixed rate assumes shifting 35% of use to nights. Run cost estimates based on your actual nighttime shift potential.

Can I switch back to my old plan if I want to?

Yes, but you may incur an early termination fee if you switch before your Amigo plan contract ends.

What happens at the end of my contract term?

Amigo will send renewal notices prior to your term ending. If you do nothing, you’ll automatically shift to a month-to-month variable rate plan.

Is the free nights plan right for any household?

No, it works