Product explainer
Skip the ZIP. Pull your real usage.
Live Link signs you in through Smart Meter Texas, pulls your actual 12-month usage history, and matches every available plan to your real numbers — not a 1,000 kWh marketing default.
Last updated: May 2026
Live Link runs on our sister enrollment platform, built by the same team behind this site. Clicking opens it in a new tab; you finish enrolling there at the same rate.
What it actually does
No more "average household" math.
Every Texas comparison tool you've ever used asks for two things up front: your ZIP code, and your monthly usage in kWh. The ZIP determines which plans are available on your TDU. The usage number determines which plan is cheapest.
Most people don't know their real usage. They guess. They pick "1,000 kWh" because that's the default, or they pull a number from one recent bill that happens to be a mild month. The comparison runs against a number that isn't theirs, and the "cheapest" plan that comes back isn't actually the cheapest at their real usage.
Live Link removes the guess. You sign in through Smart Meter Texas (the official Texas program every smart meter reports into) and authorize the pull of your last 12 months of meter data. The comparison runs against your actual kWh — summer peaks, winter floors, the works — and the plan ranking reflects what you'd actually pay if you switched today.
How it works
Three steps, about 30 seconds.
- 1
Sign in through Smart Meter Texas.
Smart Meter Texas is the official state program — the same system your TDU and REP already use to read your meter. You authenticate once and approve the read-only access yourself. No password sharing, no third-party scraping.
- 2
Your 12-month usage gets pulled in.
Live Link reads the same usage data your REP uses to bill you — month by month, with seasonal variation captured. Nothing is estimated.
- 3
See every available plan ranked by your real cost.
Each plan's monthly bill is calculated against your actual usage. Bill credits, base charges, minimum-usage fees, and TDU delivery — all applied to your numbers. Enroll in one click when you've picked.
Use Live Link if
- ✓You've lived at your current address for 6+ months (so the usage history is yours).
- ✓You want the comparison to reflect actual seasonal patterns, not a flat 1,000 kWh assumption.
- ✓Your home has a smart meter (every Texas TDU has near-universal deployment).
- ✓You'd rather click through one authentication than dig up an old bill for a kWh number.
Skip it if
- !You're moving to a new Texas address — no usage history exists yet. Use the standard ZIP-based flow.
- !You're shopping for a future address (e.g. comparing markets before relocating).
- !You'd rather browse plans without an account — the standard comparison flow on this site works without signing in.
- !You live in a regulated zone (Austin Energy, CPS Energy, El Paso Electric) — Live Link is for the deregulated competitive market only.
Relationship disclosure
How this site and ComparePower fit together.
ChooseMyPower is the education and research side — the site you're reading now. Enrollment runs on our sister platform, ComparePower.com, built and operated by the same team. That's where your sign-up completes with the retail electricity provider you choose.
Live Link is the in-network shortcut to that step. If you'd rather skip the ZIP-and-usage entry the standard comparison flow asks for, Live Link does it for you. Same plans, same checkout, less typing.
We don't get paid more if you use Live Link than if you use the standard flow. Both routes earn the same flat referral fee when you enroll, at the same rate the provider would charge you directly. We surface Live Link because it's a better experience for some users — not because the math favors us.
Next step
Pick the path that fits your situation.
How enrollment works
You pick the plan here. Enrollment finishes on our secure checkout — same rate, no markup.