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As with any city, county, or state, there are specifics about utility providers and regulations that are unique to that region. Houston is no different in this regard. Here’s a Houston homebuying tip for those needing to set-up their Utilities.
Electricity
Houston (and Texas for that matter) is unique in the fact that we have a deregulatedelectricityindustry. In most regions around the country, there is one electric utility that both owns and operates the infrastructure that delivers electricity to your home and directly sells you theelectricitythat is delivered. In Houston, one company (namely Centerpoint Energy) owns the infrastructure, but there are amultitudeof companies that you can purchase the actualelectricityfrom. This framework allows consumers to shop forelectricity in an open market to find the lowest rate or find an electricityprovider that delivers electricity from sources you prefer, like from green technologies. The city of Houston and the state of Texas have created some excellent resource for shopping rates and providers. Visithttps://www.powertochoose.com/orhttps://www.houstonconsumerchoice.com/to get started.
Gas
Gas is a little bit different than Electricity. UnlikeElectricity, Gas is amonopolysystem. Centerpoint Energy is the provider in Houston for most households. You can set up your Gas via their website atcenterpointenergy.comor call them at713-659-2111.
Water Service
For most Houstonians, Water Service is going to be managed through the City of Houston. However, if you live in one of the smaller towns or cities (such as Bellaire, or the City of West University) in the Houston Metro area, it may be offered by those localities. To contact the City of Houston and set-up your Water Service, visithttps://www.publicworks.houstontx.govor call713-371-1400.
Garbage Pick-up
Check with your Realtor, Landlord, or Property manager regarding garbage pick-up. Many neighborhoods and Homeowners associations contract with private garbage pick-up to serve the homes under their jurisdiction. However, many cities and towns within the Houston Metro area contract garbage pick-up through their local city or town. If your garbage pick-up is serviced by the city of Houston, you can set-up your garbage pick-up when you set up your Water and Sewer account.
Phone
Obviously, phone service is an industry that is constantly changing with the rise of VOIP phone technology. However, if you’re looking for a local phone service over traditional phone lines, AT&T is the primary provider to most Houston area homes. You can sign up for that service atATT.comor call them at 1-800-288-2020.
As for voice over IP (VOIP) service, Houston has amultitudeof options to choose from.
Cable/SatelliteTV
Comis the dominant monopoly in Houston for cable TV service. They can be reached atComcastoffers.comor by contacting1-888-739-6076. Houston also hasUverse servicefrom AT&T and satellite service fromDish NetworkandDirectTV.
If you’d like to bundle some of these services and receive a discount, try services likeWhiteFence.com. They provide a one-stop shop for searching for utility services in Houston.
Read the Full post here: Inner Loop Realtor
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