Shortcut tool
Skip the guesswork. Use your real light usage.
Live Link signs you into Smart Meter Texas, pulls your last 12 months of usage, and ranks every plan against your real bill — not a guess.
Last updated: May 2026
Try Live Link at Compare PowerLive Link is a Compare Power tool — same team behind this site. Opens in a new tab.
Skip this if your lights are off
If you need lights on today, don't waste time here. Live Link needs a 12-month usage history — which won't help you if the power is out right now.
Go straight to same-day lights or skip your deposit. We'll get you connected. You can come back to Live Link when things settle.
What it does
No more "average household" math
Every light comparison tool asks for two things: your ZIP and your monthly usage in kWh. The ZIP tells the tool what plans you can get. The kWh number decides which plan looks cheapest.
Most people don't know their real usage. They guess. They type "1,000" because that's the default. Or they grab a number from one bill that happened to be a mild month. The "cheapest" plan that comes back isn't actually their cheapest.
Live Link takes the guess out. You sign in through Smart Meter Texas — the same state system your light company already uses to read your meter — and authorize Compare Power to pull your last 12 months of usage. Summer peaks, winter floors, the works. 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. Same system your TDU and light company already use. You authenticate once and authorize Compare Power. No password sharing.
- 2
Your 12-month usage gets pulled in.
Compare Power reads the same usage data your light company bills you on — month by month, with seasonal swings captured. Nothing is estimated.
- 3
See every plan ranked by your real cost.
Each plan's monthly bill is figured against your actual usage. Bill credits, base charges, minimum-usage fees, TDU delivery — all run against your numbers. Sign up in one click.
Use Live Link if
- ✓Your lights are on, and you've lived at this address 6+ months.
- ✓You want the comparison based on your real seasonal usage, not a flat guess.
- ✓You're transferring to a new place on a known move-in date.
- ✓You'd rather sign in once than dig through old bills for a kWh number.
Skip it if
- !Your lights are off right now — go to same-day lights instead.
- !You just moved in and don't have usage history yet.
- !You have a switch hold from past balances — fix that first.
- !You live in a regulated city (Austin Energy, CPS Energy, El Paso Electric). Live Link is for the competitive market only.
How this site fits
NoDepositLights and Compare Power, same team
NoDepositLights.com and Compare Power are run by the same operating team. This site is the help layer for Texans with credit trouble — bad credit, switch holds, lights off, no deposit on hand. Compare Power is the enrollment platform where sign-up actually happens. PUCT broker license BR190020. Texas since 2009.
Live Link is a Compare Power tool. We surface it here because for the calmer shopper — someone whose lights are on, comparing options before a move or renewal — it's the cleanest way to get the right answer. Same plans, same checkout, just less typing.
We don't make more if you use Live Link instead of the standard flow. Same flat referral fee either way. We surface it because it's a better experience for people who aren't in crisis mode.
Next step
Pick the path that fits your situation
How sign-up works
When you pick a plan, sign-up happens at Compare Power. Same team that runs this site, serving Texas since 2009. PUCT license BR190020.
