Where Do I Get Off?!

That’s what my wife Amy told me after watching a few of my “Price of Power” instalments. Her exact words were, “Where do you get off telling people about the high price of power when you leave every light on in the house?”

The fact is she’s right and I need to change. The only problem is I love light. I’m like a plant who feeds off it. The brighter the better! I don’t turn out the lights to watch a movie, I turn them on. It’s not that I’m scared of the dark, It just depresses me.

The reality is it’s not just the lights either, I leave my computer on all the time (who wants to log on every time you want to use it?), I constantly have two TVs going, my phone chargers are always plugged in, I like my house very hot in the winter and super cold in the summer. I am an electricity waster! I admit, I am part of the problem!

But from here on out, I am changing my ways. Yesterday I bought and installed those florescent light bulbs (the swirly kind) and I’m turning off everything that uses power when I’m not using it.

It’s a new day at the Stinchfield House. Though I still refuse to hang out in the dark. The florescent bulbs I bought were the brightest I could find.

Show Me the Money!

It is now clear to me that 70 percent of you are throwing good money out the window. If you have not picked a new plan with TXU or even a new provider you are losing money every month.

It amazes me just how many people are unaware that when it comes to electricity, that TXU bill you have been paying every month for the past decade, could be 20 percent cheaper. ALl you have to do is do your homework and choose a new plan or provider.

Go to If you dont do it today, simply put, you are a fool! (Who is wasteing money)

If you fear its to difficult tune in Friday night Feb 9th and I will show you just how east it is to switch plans and start saveing money.

Warning to Relocators: Texas, "No State Income Tax" But Pricey Electric Rates!

One NBC5 viewer stopped me in the gym today to voice his frustrations over the Price of Power in Texas. Trevor claimed his new employer “Hood Winked” him into moving here from Tennessee, where there is no state income tax on wages, just like in Texas.

Trevor was quick to point out, what his new boss didn’t, electricity in some parts of Tennessee costs half as much as it does in Texas. Something he learned only after moving here.

Every employer in Texas lures perspective employees here claiming, “There is no state income tax in Texas!” They never tell you about the high price of electricity or property taxes for that matter (but that’s another story).

The average worker relocating to Texas from a place like Tennessee will end up paying nearly 1200 dollars more for electricity each year. That’s the equivalent of a nearly 2.5 percent income tax on a person making 50-thousand dollars a year in Texas.

I now challenge all employers to warn their new employees just how much electricity costs in Texas! They could tell prospective employees thinking of relocating here this:

“We cant pay you as much as you want but remember, there is NO state income tax here. And by the way… Texas is one of the most expensive energy states in the country, it may cost you an extra $1200 dollars a year just to ensure the lights come one.”

What happens when people start leaving Texas because they can’t afford the electric bill?

North Texans Amped Over "The Price of Power"

All I can say is WOW! Not 24 hours after my investigation “The Price of Power” aired on NBC5 News at 10, I have received nearly 100 emails and that number continues to climb.

Clearly we hit a nerve. Even TXU told me it’s reviewing our “Price of Power” Bulletin Board to see if they can help resolve some of the customer complaints. By the way, you can Rant about the electricity crisis in Texas too. Check out this message board.

I would love to hear from you.

Thursday at 10pm we are airing our next story. We tackle the issue of customer service and how hundreds of viewers complain to NBC5 that when it comes to Electric Providers, customer service is all but non existent.