# Texas Electricity Plans — Power to Choose by ZIP (`noahadler/texas-electricity-plans`) Actor

Compare Texas electricity plans by ZIP from Power to Choose. Each row is one plan with the provider, contract term, and the PUC average price at 500, 1,000 and 2,000 kWh, plus a usage-trap flag for bill credits. PPE per plan.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/noahadler/texas-electricity-plans.md
- **Developed by:** [Noah Adler](https://apify.com/noahadler) (community)
- **Categories:** Other, Lead generation
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $1.00 / 1,000 plans

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## Texas Electricity Plans — Power to Choose by ZIP

**Texas electricity plans** by ZIP from [Power to Choose](https://www.powertochoose.org) (the Texas PUC comparison site): provider, term, and the average price at 500, 1,000 and 2,000 kWh.

HTTP only (`curl_cffi`). No Playwright. No login. The Electricity Facts Label PDF is linked, not parsed.

> **Proxy:** RESIDENTIAL **US**. Cloudflare often blocks a bare IP. A block returns one error row that says so — never an empty success.

**Keywords:** texas electricity plans · power to choose · powertochoose scraper · texas electricity rates · electricity plans by zip

***

### What it returns

| Field | Meaning |
|-------|---------|
| `provider`, `planName`, `tdu` | Retail provider, plan, and the wires utility |
| `price500Cents`, `price1000Cents`, `price2000Cents` | PUC average price, cents per kWh |
| `usageKwh`, `priceAtUsageCents`, `estimatedMonthlyUsd` | Your usage, the interpolated average, and usage × that price |
| `usageTrap` | `true` when the feed lists a fee/credit, or the 500 vs 2,000 kWh prices differ by 3¢ or more |
| `factSheetUrl` | Electricity Facts Label (the legal credit amount lives here) |
| `prepaid`, `timeOfUse`, `rateType`, `termMonths` | Filters |

`estimatedMonthlyUsd` is the PUC average-price curve. It is not a line-item bill from the EFL.

***

### Input

| Field | Required | Description |
|-------|----------|-------------|
| `zip` | Yes | Texas ZIP. Houston `77002`, Dallas `75201` |
| `usageKwh` | No | Default `1000` (100–5000) |
| `rateType` | No | `fixed` (default), `all`, `variable` |
| `hidePrepaid` | No | Default `true` |
| `hideTimeOfUse` | No | Default `true` |
| `hideUsageTraps` | No | Default `false` (traps stay, flagged) |
| `tdu` | No | Only if the feed is statewide and the ZIP is not in the built-in map |
| `maxItems` | No | 1–200, cheapest at your usage first. Default 40 |
| `proxyConfiguration` | No | RESIDENTIAL US |

#### Example

```json
{
  "zip": "77002",
  "usageKwh": 1000,
  "rateType": "fixed",
  "maxItems": 25
}
```

***

### Output example

```json
{
  "planId": "ptc-abc",
  "zip": "77002",
  "tdu": "CENTERPOINT",
  "provider": "Rhythm",
  "planName": "Simple 12",
  "rateType": "Fixed",
  "termMonths": 12,
  "price500Cents": 14.5,
  "price1000Cents": 9.8,
  "price2000Cents": 11.2,
  "usageKwh": 1000,
  "priceAtUsageCents": 9.8,
  "estimatedMonthlyUsd": 98.0,
  "usageTrap": true,
  "usageTrapReason": "fees_credits",
  "factSheetUrl": "https://example.com/efl.pdf",
  "error": false
}
```

***

### Limits

- Austin Energy, CPS Energy (San Antonio), and co-ops are not on Power to Choose. Those ZIPs come back with an honest message, not invented plans.
- A statewide CSV is used only if the ZIP API fails. Then the ZIP must be in the small built-in utility map, or you pass `tdu`. The actor does not guess a utility.
- Bill-credit dollar amounts are not parsed from the PDF. `usageTrap` is the flag; the amount is on `factSheetUrl`.

### PPE

One **Plan** row. An error row is still a dataset item.

# Actor input Schema

## `zip` (type: `string`):

5-digit ZIP in a deregulated area. Houston 77002, Dallas 75201. Austin and San Antonio municipal utilities are not on Power to Choose.

## `usageKwh` (type: `integer`):

Used to rank plans and estimate the monthly bill from the PUC average prices at 500, 1,000 and 2,000 kWh. Default 1000.

## `rateType` (type: `string`):

fixed (default) drops variable rates. all returns every rate type. variable keeps only variable plans.

## `hidePrepaid` (type: `boolean`):

Prepaid plans are pay-as-you-go and are hidden by default.

## `hideTimeOfUse` (type: `boolean`):

Time-of-use plans charge more at peak hours and are hidden by default.

## `hideUsageTraps` (type: `boolean`):

Usage-trap plans have a bill credit or a wide gap between the 500 and 2,000 kWh prices. They stay in the results by default, with usageTrap=true, so you can see them.

## `minTermMonths` (type: `integer`):

Optional. Drop plans shorter than this.

## `maxTermMonths` (type: `integer`):

Optional. Drop plans longer than this.

## `minRenewablePercent` (type: `integer`):

Optional. For example 100 keeps only plans marked fully renewable.

## `tdu` (type: `string`):

Optional. Needed only when the feed is statewide and the ZIP is not in the built-in map. ONCOR, CENTERPOINT, AEP TEXAS CENTRAL, AEP TEXAS NORTH, TEXAS-NEW MEXICO POWER, LUBBOCK POWER & LIGHT.

## `englishOnly` (type: `boolean`):

Drop Spanish duplicates when the feed labels language. Plans with no language stay.

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Maximum plan rows after filters, cheapest at your usage first (1–200).

## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`):

Power to Choose sits behind Cloudflare. Use Apify RESIDENTIAL with country US.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "zip": "77002",
  "usageKwh": 1000,
  "rateType": "fixed",
  "hidePrepaid": true,
  "hideTimeOfUse": true,
  "hideUsageTraps": false,
  "englishOnly": true,
  "maxItems": 40,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": [
      "RESIDENTIAL"
    ],
    "apifyProxyCountry": "US"
  }
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `plans` (type: `string`):

No description

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "zip": "77002"
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("noahadler/texas-electricity-plans").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = { "zip": "77002" }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("noahadler/texas-electricity-plans").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "zip": "77002"
}' |
apify call noahadler/texas-electricity-plans --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,noahadler/texas-electricity-plans"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/RJwfxWh8QaTrUJ9Oy/builds/8HAhrSEvF9leSOsOW/openapi.json