Are free nights and weekends electricity plans worth it in Texas?
Updated October 18, 2026
Only if enough of your usage falls in the free hours. A free-nights plan charges more during the day to pay for the free hours. It saves money only if your home uses a lot at night.
A free-weekends plan works the same way, with free days in place of free hours.
Free hours, paid hours
Here is an example plan, made up for this page. Electricity is free from 9 pm to 6 am, which is 9 of the day's 24 hours. In the other 15 hours it costs 18¢ per kilowatt-hour (kWh).
One day on the example plan: free from 9 pm to 6 am
Of the day's 24 hours, the 9 from 9 pm to 6 am are free and the other 15 cost 18¢ per kWh.
- free, 9 pm to 6 am
- 18¢ per kWh, 6 am to 9 pm
On top of that come your utility's delivery charges, the cost of the poles and wires: 7¢ per kWh and $4 a month. In this example they apply to every kWh, the free ones too.
Next to it, a plain example plan, also made up: 12¢ per kWh at every hour, with the same delivery charges.
Three homes, one month
Take a month of 1,100 kWh. On the plain plan it costs $213.00. On the free-nights plan the bill depends on how much of the month falls in the free hours.
| Usage in the free hours | Free-nights plan | Against the plain plan |
|---|---|---|
| 20% | $239.40 | $26.40 more |
| 35% | $209.70 | $3.30 less |
| 50% | $180.00 | $33.00 less |
The two bills match when about 33% of the usage is free. That share is the 6¢ gap between the two prices, divided by the 18¢ price in the paid hours. Above that share the free-nights plan costs less. Below it, the free hours do not pay for the higher price in the other hours.
What to check
- Find the free hours and days, and the price in the other hours, on the plan's Electricity Facts Label (EFL). That is the price sheet every plan comes with.
- Find the share of usage the EFL assumes falls in the free hours. The provider works out its advertised price at that share. If your share is lower, you pay more than the advertised price.
- See whether delivery charges are free in the free hours too. On some plans they are, and the EFL says.
- Your bill shows one total for the month, so it cannot tell you your share. Your meter's 15-minute readings can.
How these numbers were worked out
Each bill is the usage in the paid hours at the plan's price, plus delivery on every kWh. Both plans and the three homes are examples made up for this page, and we show no real plan. Our methodology has the full method.
Kilowhiz measures your share of every plan's free hours from your own meter readings, and prices the plan on it.
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