Business electricity rates in Texas

Chariot vs. Base Power

Which provider is better for your business?

Last updated August 2026 - Base Power Team

Quick answer

Base vs. Chariot business electricity rates

  • Base does custom, fixed-rate pricing for businesses, based on historical usage, and doesn't include any variable rates or fees. Chariot offers a wide plan lineup - fixed, time-of-use, index, variable, and 100% solar - but doesn't publish rates online, so you'll need to submit your smart-meter data for a quote.
  • All business energy rates include a delivery fee from your local transmission and distribution utility (TDU), no matter what provider you choose. When comparing plans, focus on the energy charge.
  • Members who switched from Chariot to Base saved, on average, 9% off their bills. Your exact savings depend on how much power you use and when.

What's the difference between Base and Chariot?

Chariot sells a wide range of business plans - fixed, time-of-use, index, variable, and 100%-solar buyback - with quotes based on your smart-meter data, but it doesn't publish rates online. Base has a custom, fixed rate that stays the same day or night, with no bill-credit minimums to hit and no usage fees. Send us your bill and we'll quote your custom rate in about 10 minutes. You pay your TDU the same delivery fee either way. The difference is the rate structure on top.

How much can my business save with Base?

Members who switched from Chariot to Base saved 9% on their bills. Base has worked with business owners who were paying 5-6¢/kWh higher than the fair market rate. Cumulatively, our members save on average $154 per year from switching to Base. A flat rate locks in your energy charge below the market average, guaranteed, even at renewal, which is why we recommend it over variable rates.

Base is able to offer lower rates because of its business model. Base leverages a network of home batteries that strengthen the grid and passes those savings down to energy-only members, like Texas business owners.

Does a flat rate work for my size of business?

Yes. The same custom, fixed rate holds whether you run a single café using 2,000-5,000 kWh a month, a restaurant or clinic at 5,000-25,000 kWh, or a manufacturer using 25,000 kWh or more. No demand-tier surprises as you grow.

Who is Chariot?

Chariot Energy is a Houston-based electricity provider that launched in 2019 as a subsidiary of Hanwha Group, the South Korean conglomerate. Its plans can be backed by 100% Texas-grown solar power from Hanwha's own solar farms, rather than renewable energy certificates bought separately on the open market. (Note: some sources spell the name "Charriot" - the company's real name is Chariot Energy.)

For businesses, Chariot's lineup is the most detailed of the providers on this page: fixed rate, time-of-use, index, variable rate, and solar buyback plans, with industry-specific options for a dozen-plus sectors like automotive, healthcare, and data centers, plus multi-meter billing for businesses with more than one location.

The good

Chariot's solar sourcing is vertically integrated - its parent company builds the solar farms that back its plans, rather than buying credits elsewhere. It offers the broadest business plan lineup we found (fixed, time-of-use, index, variable, and solar buyback), with quotes that turn around in about a business day from your smart-meter data, plus industry-tailored plans and multi-meter billing rollups for multi-location businesses.

That combination of plan variety and fast, data-driven quotes is a real advantage if 100%-solar sourcing also matters to how you want to power your business.

Things to compare

Chariot doesn't publish its business rates online, so you'll need to submit your smart-meter data and get a quote before you can compare actual pricing.

Compare the full terms of any plan, including the per-kWh energy charge, before you decide.

Sources: plan details via Chariot Energy's small-business site; company profile via the Better Business Bureau. Plans change often - check the live Electricity Facts Label before you sign up.

Comparing Chariot and Base energy plans for businesses

Chariot
Flat & clear
Energy charge
100% solar-sourced, fixed-rate plans
Custom pricing based on your business's usage
Rate structure
Fixed, TOU, index, variable & solar buyback plans
Fixed-rate plan
Below market average?
Varies
Guaranteed
Same rate, day or night
no
yes
No bill-credit minimums
no
yes
No usage fees
no
yes
Chariot sells a wide range of business plans - fixed, time-of-use, index, variable, and 100%-solar buyback - but doesn't publish rates online, so pricing depends on the quote you get. Base charges a custom, fixed energy rate that stays the same day or night, with no bill-credit minimums to hit and no usage fees. Send us your bill and we'll quote your custom rate in about 10 minutes. Both providers pass through the same TDU delivery charge, so the real difference is the rate structure you build on top of it.

Based on Base's own bill comparisons for members who switched from Chariot; your savings depend on your business and usage. Base's rate is set per business, based on historical usage - exact, usage-based pricing is in the Electricity Facts Label. See your exact rate →

Members who switched from Chariot to Base Power saved 9% on their bills.

See how much you could save.

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Why does choosing an energy provider matter?

Running a business keeps you busy, so electricity is easy to treat as a bill you just pay every month. But that's exactly how many owners lose out on savings year after year. The rate sits there quietly while you're focused on everything else.

Here's the part worth knowing: your bill is really three separate businesses stacked together, and you only control one of them, your retail provider. Delivery and generation costs are set for you by your local TDU. Plenty of owners don't realize they're free to shop around for a provider at all, and stick with the default they were given.

We recommend business owners get quotes from multiple providers and compare plans to find what's actually affordable. For most business owners, having a transparent, fixed plan with no confusing fine print saves time. The diagram below shows where each dollar goes and the one part you can change.

Power generation

Power plants, wind farms, and solar panels across Texas generate electricity and feed it onto the ERCOT grid. These generators sell electricity into a marketplace, and your provider bids on portions of that supply. This sets the base cost of power long before it reaches you.

Your retail provider

Your provider buys that power, packages it into a plan, and sets the rate you actually pay. This is the piece you get to choose, and where dozens of providers compete for your business. Many owners stick with their default provider for years. Picking well can be the biggest lever on your bill.

Delivery

Your local utility owns the poles, wires, transformers, and the meter that carries power the last mile to your business. Every business in your TDU's service area pays the same delivery rate. There's nothing to shop around for here.

Your business

Where the power finally lands. How much you use, and when, shapes your monthly bill once you've picked a provider.

A few minutes of your time can save your business thousands per year

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Base saved a cosmetic dental practice over $3.5k a year on electricity.

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We handle the switch

We cancel your old plan for you. No calls, no hassle.

Termination fee coverage

Base can help cover your costs.

Bring your bill, save on energy

Our members save $154 a year on average when they switch from Chariot to Base, with a predictable monthly bill from day one.

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Business electricity rates FAQs

Base is an electricity provider in Texas. We sell custom, fixed-rate pricing for businesses, based on historical usage: no tiers, no bill-credit thresholds, and no rate hikes at renewal. Members can also add a home or business backup battery that keeps the lights on during an outage and helps balance the grid.
In Texas it often runs a little lower, because businesses use more power and buy it in larger amounts. But "lower" depends on the plan: most commercial plans hide demand charges, tiered pricing, and bill-credit thresholds that push the real cost back up. Base skips all of that with a custom, fixed rate, whether you're a home or a business.
Yes. Every location gets the same custom, fixed-rate pricing: no separate deal to negotiate site by site. That means one predictable rate across all your storefronts, offices, or sites, so you can budget without guessing which bill will spike.
It depends on how much power your business uses and when. Many plans advertise a low headline rate that only holds if you hit a certain usage level or stay on a long contract, so the all-in cost can land higher than the number you were quoted. Base charges a custom, fixed rate - below the market average and guaranteed not to climb at renewal. Once you strip out the bill credits and usage tiers other plans rely on, a fixed rate with no hidden fees is usually the most affordable for a business.

Compare other providers

See how Base stacks up against every other major Texas business electricity provider.

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