Rhythm Energy review
Rhythm is the rare Texas startup that out-reviews the incumbents: independent, 100% renewable, and consumer-friendly on the mechanics that usually burn shoppers. Here's an honest look — and where Base fits.
Compare your Base rate to Rhythm Energy in about two minutes.
Researched and written by the Base Power team · Last updated May 27, 2026
How we review: we pull each provider's ownership, plan structure, and fees from public filings and Electricity Facts Labels, and cite every review score to a named third party. Rates and scores change — we link the sources so you can check the current numbers.
The verdict
Rhythm is the strongest-reviewed provider in this set and the most consumer-friendly on the details that usually catch Texans — it gives renewing customers the same rate as new ones, reimburses a competitor's early-termination fee, and runs 100% renewable at competitive prices. The main caveats are a short track record (since 2021) and some confusion around its time-of-use and bill-credit plans. A strong fit for green, app-savvy households, especially solar and EV owners.
The company
Who is Rhythm Energy?
Rhythm Energy is a Houston-based retailer that launched to Texas customers in January 2021 — making it one of the youngest providers on this list, but also one of the fastest-rising. Despite the recent start it already ranks in the top half of Texas REPs by volume, and in 2025 it acquired Energy Texas and Inspire Clean Energy to expand into several more states.
On ownership, Rhythm is the exception to the Texas pattern: it is not a subsidiary of NRG or Vistra. It's an independent company run by its founding CEO and backed by a Goldman Sachs private-equity fund, which is unusual in a market dominated by a few large parents. Its entire brand is built on '100% renewable without the premium' — every plan is 100% renewable, and it deliberately avoids prepaid and 'free electricity' gimmick plans.
Founded
2020 (launched to Texans January 2021)
Headquarters
Houston, TX
Parent company
Independent — backed by Goldman Sachs private equity
Ownership: Rhythm is an independent, founder-led retailer (CEO PJ Popovic) controlled by West Street Capital Partners, a Goldman Sachs private-equity fund — it is not owned by NRG or Vistra. It has been an acquirer rather than a target, buying Energy Texas and Inspire Clean Energy in 2025 to become one of the largest independent green-energy retailers in the country.
Scale & coverage: Rhythm Energy a top-half Texas REP by volume (~660 GWh sold in Texas in 2024, per EIA); markets itself as the largest independent green provider in America, across deregulated Texas — Oncor, CenterPoint, AEP Texas, and TNMP (now multi-state after the Inspire acquisition).
Plans & pricing
Rhythm Energy plans and rates
Rhythm's advertised rates are as advertised in late May 2026 and varies by utility zone and usage — treat these as representative, not a quote, and check the live Electricity Facts Label on Power to Choose before you sign up.
Fixed-rate
Rhythm Saver / Simply Select — straightforward fixed energy rates, the simplest way to buy from Rhythm.
Solar buyback (PowerShift)
Credits for solar export; among the better-regarded buyback options for Texas solar homes.
EV & time-of-use
PowerShift EV and time-of-use plans tuned for overnight charging.
Bill-credit (PowerShift Payback)
A usage-credit plan — the one Rhythm structure where the advertised rate depends on your usage band.
Rate at 1,000 kWh
~8.3¢/kWh (Rhythm Saver 12)
Up to ~14¢/kWh on other plans; a third-party blended average ranked Rhythm #1 of 17 for value (~12.75¢/kWh).
Renewal policy
Same rate for renewing and new customers
Unusual and genuinely pro-consumer — most REPs reserve the best rate for new sign-ups.
Switching
Reimburses up to $150 of a competitor's ETF
Confirm Rhythm's own ETF on the live EFL.
Renewable energy: Rhythm advertises 100% renewable energy on all plans, backed by renewable energy certificates — the same REC-matching mechanism other green Texas plans use, marketed as '100% renewable without the premium.'
The fine print
Rhythm Energy fees and the fine print
Rhythm's bill, like every Texas REP's, is its energy charge plus the pass-through TDU delivery charges your utility sets. Two mechanics stand out as buyer-friendly: it gives renewing customers the same rate it offers new ones (rare), and it will reimburse up to $150 of the early-termination fee you pay to leave your current provider.
Every Texas provider passes the same regulated TDU delivery charges through to you, so delivery isn't where providers actually compete — the energy charge and plan structure are. Always pull the Electricity Facts Label and compare the all-in cost at your real usage.
What customers say
Rhythm Energy customer reviews
Rhythm is the genuine positive outlier here. It's the only provider in this group with a solid unsolicited Trustpilot score (~4.3), its Google rating is high, and its regulatory complaint rate is the lowest of the seven. The one low number — Texas Electricity Ratings 2.4/5 — sits on just seven reviews, too few to weigh heavily. The fairest read: Rhythm earns its reputation, with the usual asterisk that it's a young company still building a long track record.
Trustpilot
~4.3 out of 5
~305 reviews
The only provider in this set with a 'good' Trustpilot tier (via snippet, May 2026 — verify live).
View source →~4.7 out of 5
Solicited; company also cites a high Net Promoter Score.
View source →Texas Electricity Ratings
2.4 out of 5
only 7 reviews
Sample is too small to be meaningful — note the low count.
View source →Review scores are point-in-time and were last checked May 27, 2026; follow each link for the current figure. We cite third-party sources rather than publishing our own customer quotes.
Where it falls short
Common Rhythm Energy complaints
- Time-of-use and bill-credit billing can confuse customers who didn't expect a usage-dependent structure.
- Limited live phone support on weekends.
- A cluster of one-star reviews dates to its 2021–22 startup period — recent reviews are more representative.
Rhythm's regulatory signal is the best in this set: roughly 70 PUC complaints in a recent trailing year, with zero service-quality complaints — well below the per-customer industry average. For a provider this young, that's a strong sign.
In fairness
What Rhythm Energy is genuinely good at
- Best-in-class customer reviews of this group — the only one with a solid unsolicited Trustpilot score and the lowest regulatory complaint rate.
- Genuinely consumer-friendly mechanics: renewing customers get the new-customer rate, it reimburses a competitor's ETF, and there are no prepaid or 'free electricity' gimmicks.
- 100% renewable at competitive prices, with strong solar-buyback and EV plans and a modern app.
Side by side
Rhythm Energy vs. Base
Rhythm and Base are actually the closest in spirit on this list — both push transparency over gimmicks. The difference is the model: Rhythm sells renewable energy plans (some with usage-dependent structures like PowerShift), while Base sells one flat energy rate (advertised at 8¢/kWh) at any usage plus a flat monthly membership, with the TDU delivery passed through without markup and an optional whole-home battery as a separate product. If you're comparing, look at the all-in cost at your real usage on each EFL.
Flat & clear | Rhythm Energy | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy pricing | Flat 8¢/kWh at any usage Advertised energy charge | Varies by plan Often tiered, bill-credit, or time-of-use |
| Monthly charge | Flat $19–$29 membership | Energy charge + any plan fees |
| TDU delivery | Passed through, no markup | Passed through, no markup |
| Optional whole-home battery (separate product) | yes | no |
| Bottom line | Delivery charges are identical no matter who you pick — compare the all-in energy cost at your real usage on each EFL. | |
Base reports up to 26% savings versus Rhythm in its own bill comparisons (basepowercompany.com/compare) — notably its smallest claimed gap on this list, consistent with Rhythm being the value leader among these competitors. That's Base's own published figure; confirm against both EFLs at your usage.
You can obtain important standardized information that will allow you to compare this product with other offers. Contact Base Power at 512-518-1009 or basepowercompany.com.
Rhythm Energy review FAQs
Compare other providers
Shopping by city instead? See electricity rates by city or how to choose a provider in your city.
See how Base compares in two minutes
Enter your address for an all-in rate — one flat energy charge, pass-through delivery, and a flat membership, with no teaser pricing or bill-credit games.
Sources
- CNBC — Goldman Sachs-backed Rhythm expands (ownership)
- Rhythm Energy — press (PUCT #10279, HQ)
- Texas Electricity Ratings — Rhythm Energy
- Power to Choose — official PUCT marketplace (compare EFLs)
- U.S. EIA — Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A (Mar 2026)
Plan documents: Electricity Facts Label (EFL) · Terms of Service & Your Rights as a Customer. Products and pricing are offered to qualified customers in Texas only.