Texans aren't the only ones bombarded by free nights and weekend deals for electricity. Retail electricity sellers are becoming more commonplace around the nation, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Energy. Competitive power marketers —the electricity sellers that offer $500 gift cards, free thermometers and other gimmicks to encourage consumers to sign up —supplied about 21 percent of the nation's retail electricity in 2016, nearly double the amount from a decade earlier. At the same time the share of electricity sales from regulated investor-owned utilities dipped to 52 percent in 2016 compared to 62 percent in 2005.