In partnership with Arbor. Editor’s Note: We only select and work with partners that meet our quality standards, so you can rest assured we only endorse products we believe in.
Certain bills in my household are on permanent autopay: my kids’ aftercare, the water bill, and electricity to name a few. They’re paid on time and I move on. I spend very little brain power on these monthly expenses.
That set-it-and-forget-it approach is exactly what utility companies are banking on. What most people don’t know — and what I didn’t until I came across Arbor – is that your electric bill is actually broken into two parts: delivery (the infrastructure, which you can’t change) and supply (the actual electricity, which in many states you can choose who you buy from). Most households stay on whatever default supply rate the utility assigns them.
Arbor ensures you don’t settle for the status quo. The platform (which comes at no cost to customers) monitors the electricity supply market on your behalf and secures a better rate from vetted suppliers. You still use your same electric utility company, but just with a better rate.
If your first thought is “what’s the catch,” you’re in good company – I had that thought, too. Here’s what I found when I actually dug in.
We like
- Arbor charges the suppliers, which means for customers, there is no cost, no hidden fees, and no contracts required
- 4.7 stars on TrustPilot
- No change to your utility. You still pay your bills through your regular utility company
- Arbor is always looking for better rates
- No subscription and cancel at any time
- Savings are automated and handled by Arbor; no research or shopping around on your part
We don't like
- Not available in all states yet. Check the Arbor website for availability in your region.
- Savings depend on your local market, so how much you’ll save varies.
Don’t Take Your Electric Bill at Face Value
I consider myself a pretty savvy adult. I read labels, comparison shop, and have a budget. And yet, when I took an actual look at my electric bill – not just the total due, but the line items that spilled over into multiple pages – I realized I’d been paying for something I didn’t fully understand. Peak usage hours, distribution charges, supply charges all read like a document designed to make you give up and just pay the number on page one.
Buried in there is the fact that no matter where you live, all electric bills have two distinct parts. The first is delivery (think: the poles, wires, and infrastructure that physically gets electricity to your home), which comes from your local utility. This infrastructure is non-negotiable and something you can’t change as a customer.
The second part of the bill is the supply of the electricity itself, and in many states, that part actually is negotiable. You can shop around and choose which supplier you buy it from. Most people never do, mostly because they didn’t know it was an option, and the few who try to shop around run into dozens of confusing plans with promotional rates that look great until they spike a few months later.
So most households stay on whatever default rate the utility assigns them, which isn’t always designed with your best interests in mind. In a year when grocery bills, insurance premiums, and just about every other household expense has spiked, the expenses you can actually lower deserve your attention. Or, in the case of Arbor, just two minutes of your time.
How Arbor Works
Arbor sits between you and the electricity supply market – and does the work most people don’t have time or patience for.
Signing up takes about two minutes – just make sure you have your utility account number handy. You provide Arbor with your utility account information so they can assess your current rate and identify better options from a network of vetted suppliers. Once Arbor secures a better rate, you begin saving.
Your utility stays the same and your bill still comes from the same company. And, the wires bringing electricity to your home don’t change because Arbor requires no new meters or equipment. The only thing that changes is the supply rate and what you pay for it. A new rate typically starts within one to two billing cycles, and from there, Arbor keeps monitoring the market. If a better plan becomes available before your current one ends, they secure it and you don’t have to think about it again. And, if for whatever reason you want to opt out, you can cancel at any time with no penalty.
There’s Really No Catch
When I was young, I used to watch my grandmother clip coupons at the kitchen table. These days, the modern equivalent of saving anything involves signing up for emails, opting into texts, and essentially handing over your firstborn for a 10% discount. So when something comes along that’s no cost and with no strings attached, it’s natural to feel skeptical.
But with Arbor, there really isn’t a catch (other than you might not instantly get a better rate). With their business model, suppliers pay Arbor for bringing them customers (that’s you and me). Arbor is independent so they don’t sell electricity and they don’t work for the utility. Their incentive is to find you a better rate, because that’s what keeps their customers happy.
And, judging by Arbor’s 4.7-star rating on Trustpilot, they have many, many happy customers. Turns out, setting and forgetting your bills works a lot better when Arbor is the one handling it.
