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How to compare two supplier offers in under 60 seconds

Switching 101

Effective rate at typical usage, term, ETF, end-of-term behavior. Four numbers, one ranked answer. The 60-second offer-comparison framework.

Featured infographic

4-number comparison framework

Effective rate + term + ETF + end-of-term. Four numbers. One ranked answer.

Open graph image · /og/switch-flow.png

Compare two supplier offers in under 60 seconds using four numbers: effective rate at your typical usage, contract term, early-termination fee, end-of-term behavior. Effective rate trumps advertised rate. If supplier A advertises 9.2 cents but charges a $5 monthly fee, supplier B at 9.5 cents with no fee may be cheaper. Pick the offer with the lowest effective rate AND the cleanest contract terms.

Calculate effective rate

Effective rate = (rate × your typical monthly kWh + any monthly fees) / your typical monthly kWh.

Example: Supplier A at 9.2 cents + $5/month fee + 877 kWh: (0.092 × 877 + 5) / 877 = 9.77 cents effective. Supplier B at 9.5 cents no fee: 9.50 cents effective. B wins.

Apply all 4 factors

Rank both suppliers on effective rate. Then check term (12-24 months preferred). Then check ETF ($0 to $50 preferred). Then check end-of-term (clean rescission window preferred).

Pick the offer that wins on effective rate AND has clean terms. If they tie on rate, pick the one with cleaner terms.

Lock the rate before the next reset.

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Common questions

Quick answers from the editorial desk

Typical usage assumed?
Use your actual 12-month average. Or use 877 kWh/month (US residential average) as a baseline if you do not have history.
Which usage tier matters?
Your actual usage tier. Use 12-month average. Power-to-Choose in Texas requires running 1000-kWh comparison; this still ignores your specific tier.
Variable plan in compare?
Skip variable plans for residential. Variable does not have an effective rate; it changes monthly with wholesale. Use locked-rate plans only.
Utility default in compare?
Yes. Include utility default as one of the offers. Compare all locked-rate supplier offers to current utility default. The lowest wins.

Further reading

Pillar guide, cluster siblings, and state pages cited above

Sources

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