4Change Energy Review | Rates & Deposit (2026)

4Change Energy is a Texas light company that does something unusual: they donate 4% of their profits to charity, and they let you walk away penalty-free in the first 60 days. Those two things get attention. Rightfully so.

But this is a traditional light company, not a prepaid one. That means there is a credit check. There may be a deposit. And if your utility history is rocky, the experience might look different than the marketing suggests.

Here is what actually happens when you sign up.

4Change Energy at a Glance

4Change Energy has been operating in Texas since 2012 (PUCT #10041). They are headquartered in Irving and serve most of the deregulated Texas market.

What they offer:

• Fixed-rate traditional plans (12 to 36 months)
• Month-to-month flexible plans
• No prepaid or pay-as-you-go option
• Same-day connection in most cases
• 60-day satisfaction guarantee on first plan
• 4% of profits donated to a charity you choose

Service areas: Oncor (Dallas-Fort Worth), CenterPoint (Houston), AEP Central (Corpus Christi, Laredo, McAllen), AEP North (Abilene, San Angelo), Texas-New Mexico Power, and Lubbock Power & Light. If you are in deregulated Texas, there is a good chance 4Change serves your ZIP code.

Contact: (855) 784-2426 Hours: Mon-Fri 7am-8pm CT, Sat 8am-5pm CT Same-day cutoff: Requests before mid-afternoon are typically processed same-day. After that, expect next business day.

What 4Change Energy Actually Costs

Most 4Change plans advertise rates between 9 and 14 cents per unit, depending on your area and the plan you choose. That puts them in the competitive middle of the Texas market. Some of their plans rank among the cheapest available.

The catch is in the fine print. Several popular 4Change plans use a “bill credit” structure. You get a $100 credit when your usage hits 1,000 units in a month. Hit the threshold and your effective rate drops significantly. Miss it by even a few units and you pay the full, higher rate with no credit at all.

Monthly estimate for a typical Texas home (1,000 units):

Cost Component	4Change Energy	Prepaid Company
Energy rate	9-14 cents/unit	15-20 cents/unit
Bill credits	-$100 (if 1,000+ units)	None
Monthly estimate	$90-$140	$150-$200
Annual estimate	$1,080-$1,680	$1,800-$2,400

That gap matters. A family on a prepaid plan could save $500-$900 per year by switching to a traditional plan like 4Change. The savings are real, but only if you qualify.

Early termination fee: $20 per remaining month on your contract. Leave a 12-month plan after 3 months and you owe $180. Waived if you are moving, or if you use the 60-day guarantee.

The Credit Gate: What Happens When You Apply

4Change runs a utility payment history check when you sign up. This is not the same as a traditional credit score check. They are looking at how you paid past light bills, not your credit card debt or car loan.

The credit bureau sends back a simple pass or fail. If you pass, no deposit. If you fail, 4Change requires a refundable deposit.

How much is the deposit? Either one-fifth of your estimated yearly bills or roughly two months of service. For a home using 1,000 units per month, expect $200-$400.

Ways to avoid the deposit:

• Have a satisfactory utility payment record
• Submit a two-year payment history letter from a previous light company showing 12 consecutive months of on-time payments
• Be 65 or older with no delinquent balance
• Provide proof of medical indigence
• Present a family violence certification letter

The deposit is fully refundable with interest after 12 consecutive months of on-time payments. If you qualify for assistance programs, you can split the deposit into two installments. Our deposits explained guide covers the full picture.

If the deposit stops you, that does not mean traditional plans are off the table. Every light company sets its own threshold. One might require $400 from you while another says $0. More on that below.

The 60-Day Guarantee: What It Actually Means

This is the standout. Within 60 days of your contract start date, you can cancel your 4Change plan with zero early termination fee. You are free to switch to any light company you want.

That is genuinely rare in Texas. Most light companies lock you into a contract from day one. Cancel early and you pay $150-$300 in termination fees. 4Change gives you a two-month window to decide if the plan is working.

The fine print:

• New customers only, on your first plan
• You must call (855) 784-2426 to request it (no online cancellation)
• You still pay for the power you consumed
• The waiver covers only the cancellation fee, not your usage charges

For someone testing out traditional plans after being on prepaid, this guarantee reduces the risk to nearly zero. Try it. If the rates or service are not what you expected, leave without penalty and keep looking.

Compare this to Reliant’s 90-day guarantee, which only lets you switch between Reliant’s own plans. 4Change’s version is fundamentally more generous because you can leave for any company.

What They Get Right

Competitive rates. When the bill credits land, 4Change plans can be among the cheapest in Texas. If your home consistently uses 1,000+ units per month, the math works heavily in your favor.

The charity angle is real. 4Change donates 4% of annual profits to organizations like Feeding Texas, the American Cancer Society, Heroes for Children, and the American Red Cross. You pick which cause gets your share. It costs you nothing extra. For people who want their light bill to mean something beyond keeping the lights on, this is a genuine differentiator.

The 60-day guarantee. Already covered above, but worth repeating. No other major Texas light company offers a comparable penalty-free exit window.

Utility history check, not a full credit pull. 4Change looks at how you paid past light bills. They are not pulling your full credit report. Someone with credit card debt but consistent utility payments can pass easily.

Deposits get refunded. If you do pay a deposit, you get it back with interest after a year of on-time payments. Not every company handles this as cleanly.

What They Get Wrong

The bill credit trap. Those $100 monthly credits only kick in at 1,000 units. In spring and fall, when your usage drops to 700-800 units, you miss the credit and your bill jumps. Customers who do not understand this structure end up paying far more than they expected. This is the number one complaint in 4Change reviews.

They still require a deposit for some customers. 4Change is not a guaranteed-approval company. If your utility payment history comes back as a fail, you are looking at a $200-$400 deposit. For someone already in a tight spot, that is a hard ask.

No prepaid fallback. Unlike some light companies that offer both traditional and prepaid plans, 4Change is traditional only. If you cannot pass the utility history check and cannot cover a deposit, 4Change cannot help you. You will need a different company entirely.

PUC complaints run slightly above average. 4Change logged 136 complaints with the Public Utility Commission in the most recent 12-month period, compared to an industry average of 120. Most complaints center on billing confusion, particularly around bill credit plans.

Customer service closes early. No 24/7 support. If you have an issue at 9 PM on a Friday, you are waiting until Monday morning unless you can resolve it through self-service.

Who 4Change Energy Is Actually For

4Change makes sense if you:

• Have decent utility payment history and want competitive traditional rates
• Want the safety net of a 60-day penalty-free exit
• Care about charitable giving and want your light bill to support a cause
• Use 1,000+ units per month consistently (makes bill credits worth it)
• Are coming from prepaid and want to test traditional plans with low risk

4Change does NOT make sense if you:

• Need guaranteed approval with no credit check at all
• Cannot cover a deposit if your utility history check fails
• Need pay-as-you-go lights with daily billing
• Use less than 1,000 units most months (bill credits will not hit consistently)
• Need service started on a Sunday (they are closed)

If you are rebuilding toward a traditional plan, 4Change’s 60-day guarantee makes it a lower-risk first step than most alternatives.

Before You Sign Up: Check All Your Options

4Change Energy is one company with one set of credit rules. They might approve you with $0 deposit. They might ask for $300. You will not know until you apply.

Here is what most people do not realize: every light company in Texas runs its own credit evaluation. The same person who gets hit with a deposit at 4Change might qualify for $0 deposit at another company. Different rules, different thresholds, different outcomes.

We check multiple light companies at once to find who will take you without a deposit. It takes minutes instead of an afternoon of phone calls. Many people who assume they will need a deposit discover they have a $0 option somewhere.

Cannot promise it will work for everyone. But checking costs nothing and the potential savings over prepaid rates are $500-$900 per year. If no traditional company approves you, prepaid is always there. Same-day, no questions asked.

See our full no-deposit light company rankings or explore all your options with imperfect credit.

4Change Energy vs the Alternatives

Feature	4Change Energy	Traditional No-Deposit	Prepaid Company
Credit check	Utility history	Yes (we find who approves you)	None
Deposit	$0 or $200-$400	$0	$0
Monthly cost (1,000 units)	$90-$140	$90-$130	$150-$200
Contract	12-36 months	3-24 months	None
Same-day service	Yes (weekdays)	1-3 business days	Yes (7 days)
Termination fee	$20/month remaining	$50-$200	None
60-day guarantee	Yes	No	N/A

For a head-to-head breakdown, see Payless Power vs 4Change Energy. Or browse 4Change Energy plans and current rates directly.

The Verdict on 4Change Energy

4Change Energy is a solid traditional light company with two genuine differentiators: the 60-day satisfaction guarantee and the charitable giving model. Their rates are competitive, especially on bill credit plans for higher-usage homes.

But this is not a no-credit-check solution. If your utility payment history is rough, you may still face a deposit. And without a prepaid option, 4Change cannot serve as a fallback if the credit check does not go your way.

The smart move: do not apply to just one company. Check multiple light companies at once to see who offers you $0 deposit. 4Change might be the winner. Or another company might beat them. Either way, you will know in minutes.

Get Your Lights On

Before committing to any single light company, let us check if you qualify for a $0 deposit traditional plan from multiple companies at once. Many people find one. If not, prepaid companies are always available with no credit check, no deposit, and same-day lights.

Find No-Deposit Light Companies

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This review is for informational purposes only. Rates and policies change. For current plans and pricing, visit 4changeenergy.com. NoDepositLights.com is powered by Compare Power (PUCT License BR190020).