Quick Take: In the early days of retail competition, most people predicted that the market battles would be all about price. Sure, the price of electricity is important, but now that Texas has a few years of retail under its belt, we can see that choice is equally important. Consumers have gotten used to choice in other aspects of their lives. And now they want it in electric power too.

From where we sit, TXU is one of the leaders in coming up with interesting "bundles" that offer electric power plus... plus a thermostat, plus a dashboard, plus a rooftop solar program, etc. Check it out below. - By Jesse Berst

TXU Energy is not at all shy about claiming to do more than any other power provider in Texas to educate consumers on energy use and help them get rid of wasteful habits. Maybe the company is right. Customers can choose from a broad variety of products, plans and services to help them save money and energy.

"We take very deliberate steps to encourage and empower both our residential and business customers to save money and avoid wasteful consumption," said Michae Grasso, TXU Energy's chief marketing officer. "While some customers see the individual benefits of saving money, others clearly recognize the impact that their personal efforts to conserve have on Texas and the reliability of the state's main electricity grid."

Here is a sampling of the products, plans and services available to residential and business customers.

·         Brighten® iThermostat: Residential and business customers can control the fully integrated, intelligent thermostat at home or remotely to cut their energy use. Residential customers with iThermostats also participate in a TXU conservation program that allows it to temporarily turn off air conditioners during statewide peak demand periods.

·         TXU MyEnergy Dashboard^SM: Residential customers can track their energy use and identify ways to reduce consumption. And customers with smart meters also can take advantage of a forecast based on current use patterns to help them plan reductions in overall consumption. Also available to some business customers.

·         TXU Energy Free Nights: This plan gives customers an incentive to move their energy use away from peak demand hours and peak heat to nighttime when wind power is more readily available and power costs are lower.

·         TXU Distributed Renewable Generation: This buyback program pays customers for their surplus power generated by wind and solar systems.

·         Mobile applications: A free mobile Web site and native apps for Apple® iOS- and Androidâ„¢-based mobile devices provides an easy way for customers to track and control their energy use while on the move.

·         Energy Management Alerts: Free automatic alerts let customers know when their energy use is close to exceeding their pre-set use thresholds in time to cut back and stay within their spending preferences.

Customers also may choose a plan to have up to 100% of their electricity come from wind power, and the plans include price guarantees and free access to tools to monitor and manage use. Also available are free email use reports and solar leasing packages.

Jesse Berst is the founder and chief analyst of Smart Grid News.com, the industry's oldest and largest smart grid site. A frequent keynoter at industry events in the U.S. and abroad, he also serves on advisory committees for Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the Institute for Electric Efficiency. He often provides strategic consulting to large corporations and venture-backed startups. He is a member of the advisory boards of GridGlo and Calico Energy Services.