The Texas Coalition for Affordable Power released its latest snapshot report comparing Texas electric rates since deregulation was implemented

The latest report examines average, all-sector electric rates for areas with customer choice and those without choice. Prior reports looked at class-specific residential, commercial, and industrial rates (see story here)

TCAP said, "For the most part, average rates in areas outside deregulation remained below the national average from 2002 through 2013."

TCAP said that average rates in areas with customer choice initially rose above the national average through 2008.

However, in 2011, deregulated prices in Texas among all sectors of customers dipped below the nationwide average price.

"In 2014, those deregulated prices in Texas dipped below the average corresponding prices paid in areas of Texas without competition," TCAP said

"Average deregulated prices among all customer classes in Texas have remained below non-deregulated prices and the national benchmark ever since -- or at least through 2017, which is the last year included in this analysis," TCAP said

"An uptick in average prices among all customer classes outside deregulation was observed between 2016 and 2017," TCAP said

"The data for this analysis continues through 2017. During that year, deregulated rates for all customer sectors combined -- that is, residential, commercial and industrial -- were 7.9 percent lower in areas of Texas with competition than corresponding combined rates in areas without it," TCAP said

See TCAP's report for more details

With respect to Texas residential electric customer rates, TCAP previously noted that, for most of the period since choice was introduced, Texas residential electric customer rates were higher in areas with choice than those without choice

However, TCAP recently noted that the gap has, "almost vanished altogether."

"During 2017, the average residential deregulated electricity price inside ERCOT stood at 11.10 cents per kilowatt hour. The average residential prices in those ERCOT areas exempt from deregulation (such as in the service territories of electric cooperatives and municipal utilities) was 10.77 cents per kWh," TCAP said