How does Reliant Energy score?
Reliant earns 62 out of 100, which we rate "fair." It gets full marks for time in business and strong marks for price and its contract. It loses most of its points for state penalties and its BBB grade.
90–100 Excellent80–89 Very good70–79 Good60–69 FairUnder 60 Poor
See the evidence behind every point
| Category | Points | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Complaints to the state | 20 / 25 | 4 of 5 on the PUCT complaint scorecard ("Lower than Average Rate of Complaints"), March 1 to August 31, 2026 |
| BBB rating | 1 / 5 | D+, not accredited, checked October 2, 2026 |
| Fines and penalties | 0 / 20 | Four PUCT penalties in 10 years: $900,000 (2016, shared with three other companies), $100,000 (2018), $100,000 (2020) and $50,100 (2024). The deductions add up to more than 20 points, so this category bottoms out at zero. |
| Contract fairness | 15 / 20 | $150 cancel fee on 12-month plans (5 of 5); no arbitration clause or class-action waiver (4 of 4); two extra fees (2 of 4); a simple fixed plan (4 of 4); no cancellation window beyond the 3-day legal minimum (0 of 3) |
| Price | 16 / 20 | Secure Advantage 12 averages 15.5¢ at 1,000 kWh across Dallas and Houston, 98% of EIA's 15.88¢ Texas average for July 2026 |
| Time in business | 10 / 10 | Licensed January 5, 2001; runs the Reliant CARE bill-help program; parent NRG Energy publishes audited financials |
A simple fixed plan has one energy rate and no bill credits, usage tiers or time-of-use pricing. A flat monthly charge is allowed. Secure Advantage 12 qualifies: its $9.95 charge applies only in months under 800 kWh. Full method: how we score.
Reliant Energy quick facts
What is Reliant Energy's phone number?
Call 1-866-222-7100, or 713-207-7777 in the Houston area. Reliant's terms of service say both lines are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. For a power outage, call your utility instead. Reliant sells the power, but it doesn't own the lines.
Power out? Call the company that owns your lines
Reliant's terms say payment centers may charge their own processing fee. Paying online or by mail avoids it.
How many complaints does Reliant Energy get?
Texans filed 364 complaints about Reliant with the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) from April through September 2026. For its size, Reliant gets the state's second-best rating: 4 of 5.
The PUCT's names: billing, discontinuance, provision of service, slamming (switching your provider without permission), cramming (unauthorized charges) and all other. Source: PUCT Customer Complaint Statistics, pulled October 2, 2026.
The state ranks every provider by complaints per 1,000 customers over six months, then sorts them into five equal groups. Reliant is in the second-best group, labeled "Lower than Average Rate of Complaints."
220 complaints in three years. The BBB gives three reasons: the number of complaints, a pattern it says wasn't fixed, and slow replies. Reviews average 1.13 out of 5 across 93 reviews. Reviews don't count toward the grade.
What does Reliant Energy charge in 2026?
Reliant offers 14 home plans in Dallas and Houston. At 1,000 kWh a month they cost 11.9¢ to 20.7¢ per kWh, delivery included. Its simplest 12-month plan, Secure Advantage 12, works out to about $152 a month in Dallas and $158 in Houston, before taxes.
Average price per kWh from each plan's fact label, dated September 2026, for ZIP 75201 (Dallas) and 77002 (Houston). Prices include delivery but not taxes. Green: the simplest 12-month plan.
Which Reliant plan is cheapest for my usage?
Pick your city and the usage closest to your bill. The finder ranks all 14 Reliant plans and shows about what you'd pay each month.
When does Reliant's cheapest plan cost more?
Power Savings 24 looks cheap at 1,000 kWh, thanks to a $75 bill credit. But you only get the credit at 1,000 kWh or more. At 500 kWh it costs about $104 a month, about $17 more than Secure Advantage 12. At 2,000 kWh it costs about $30 more.
Source: Reliant Electricity Facts Labels for ZIP 75201, September 2026.
Rule of thumb: a bill-credit plan only pays off if you clear its usage line every month, even in mild spring and fall months. Power Savings 8 and Power Savings 2,000 kWh 24 work the same way. If your usage swings, Secure Advantage 12 is the steadier choice.
What fees does Reliant charge, and how do I cancel?
Reliant charges $150 to cancel a 12-month plan early. Its 8-month plans charge $75, its 20- and 24-month plans $295 and its 36-month plans $395. Month-to-month plans have no fee. Reliant waives the fee if you move and give a forwarding address.
- No arbitration clause or class-action waiver
- You don't pay a disputed amount while Reliant investigates
- No deposit with good credit, a clean payment letter, or age 65+ and current
- Low-income customers can split a deposit over $50 into two payments
- Only the legal 3 business days to cancel free after switching
- The last expiration notice can come just 14 days before your contract ends
- After that, you roll onto a variable-price plan that can change monthly
- The $25 recovery charge applies even with a payment extension
Behind on a bill? Ask Reliant about a deferred payment plan or Reliant CARE, or call 211 for local help.
Keep readingBill still too high? Find out why, step by stepHas Reliant Energy been fined?
Yes, four times since 2016. The PUCT approved penalties totaling $1,150,100. That includes a $900,000 penalty shared with three other companies. The cases were about switch-holds, late or missing bills, and switches without proof of consent.
- Reliant is licensed as a retail electric provider (certificate 10007).
- Reliant and three other companies took too long to lift switch-holds after customers finished payment plans. The penalty was shared, plus $600,000 more to bill-help programs.
- 1,714 customers, most with solar, got late bills, and 47,930 were moved to email-only bills without agreeing.
- A store-kiosk sales vendor switched 292 customers without proof of consent, and 33 customers didn't get service on time.
- Reliant didn't send 701 monthly bills to 499 customers. It also gave $20,000 to Reliant CARE.
- The PUCT's complaint scorecard rates Reliant 4 of 5 for March to August 2026.
How we checked: we searched the PUCT's case files since 2016 for "Reliant Energy Retail" (40 cases). Four were enforcement cases; the rest were customer complaints and applications. We found no Texas Attorney General lawsuit against Reliant's retail company.
What do Reliant's records actually say?
Reliant's fact labels, its terms and the four PUCT orders are scanned PDFs. They have no searchable text. So we read every page and wrote out the key figures below, with a link to each document.
Terms of service: December 2025, form R1F1962A
| Topic | What it says | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Returned payment | $30 for each returned check, returned bank transfer or rejected card payment | Pricing, p. 1 |
| Disconnect notice | $25 each time Reliant sends a disconnection notice | Pricing, p. 1 |
| Disconnect recovery | $25 if the past-due amount isn't paid before the notice expires, "regardless of whether your electric service is actually disconnected," and even with an extension | Billing, p. 1 |
| Late payment | 5% of the previous month's past-due amount; not charged to eligible low-income customers on the state's LILA list | Billing, p. 1 |
| Deposit limit | No more than the greater of two months of estimated bills or one-fifth of a year's estimated billing; interest is paid on deposits held over 30 days | Deposits, p. 2 |
| Avoiding a deposit | A guarantor, a letter showing no more than one late payment in 12 months, good credit, age 65+ with no past-due balance, medical indigence, or a family-violence certification letter | Deposits, p. 2 |
| Moving | No cancellation fee if you move and give a forwarding address; Reliant may ask for proof and asks for 3 days' notice | Canceling, p. 2 |
| Changing your mind | Customers switching to Reliant can cancel without a fee until midnight of the third federal business day after enrolling | Rescission, p. 2 |
| Contract end | Three expiration notices, the last at least 14 days before the end date; then a month-to-month default plan with a variable price | Fixed rate products, p. 5 |
| Disputes | You don't have to pay a disputed portion while Reliant investigates, and you can then go to the PUCT; no arbitration clause or class-action waiver appears | Disputes, p. 4 |
| Contact | 1-866-222-7100 or 713-207-7777, 24 hours a day; [email protected] | Contact, p. 1 |
Source: Reliant Residential Terms of Service (PDF, 6 pages). Cancellation fee amounts are on each plan's fact label, not in the terms.
PUCT enforcement orders: four cases, 2016 to 2024
| Docket | What the order found | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 46597 Dec 16, 2016 | Reliant, Everything Energy, Green Mountain Energy and US Retailers waited 5 to 10 business days after customers finished deferred payment plans before asking utilities to lift switch-holds. Staff counted 7,902 switch-holds; 4,264 of them (53.97%) waited 10 business days or more. | $900,000 combined penalty, with the companies jointly responsible; no per-company split. $600,000 more to bill-help programs. NRG Energy filed the payment affidavits. |
| 48773 Dec 10, 2018 | From August 2017 to May 2018, 1,714 customers got at least one bill more than 30 days after usage data arrived. Most had solar, and a billing database failure caused it. From January 2017 to June 2018, 47,930 customers were moved from mailed to email-only bills without agreeing. | $100,000 penalty. Reliant credited the affected solar customers and restored mailed bills. NRG Energy filed the payment affidavit. |
| 51045 Aug 13, 2020 | In April and May 2019, a store-kiosk sales vendor switched 292 customers, and Reliant had no records proving they agreed. In the first half of 2019, 33 customers didn't get service on the agreed date, and 28 of them lost power for a time. | $100,000 penalty, paid by Reliant. |
| 56890 Oct 3, 2024 | From January 2022 to April 2023, Reliant didn't issue 701 monthly bills to 499 home and small-business customers. Reliant called it inadvertent. | $50,100 penalty plus a $20,000 donation to Reliant CARE, both paid in October 2024. |
Fact labels: September 2026
| Item | Dallas (Oncor) | Houston (CenterPoint) |
|---|---|---|
| Delivery charges passed through | $4.06 a month + 6.0295¢/kWh | $4.90 a month + 6.5333¢/kWh |
| Secure Advantage 12 energy rate | 8.7174¢/kWh | 8.7716¢/kWh |
| Secure Advantage 12 usage charge | $9.95 under 800 kWh; $0 at 800+ | $9.95 under 800 kWh; $0 at 800+ |
| Free Overnight daytime energy | 18.5982¢/kWh | 19.5034¢/kWh |
| Renewable content | 22% on most plans, 100% on Flextra Credits 24; the labels list the Texas average as 37% | |
Example labels: Secure Advantage 12, Dallas · Secure Advantage 12, Houston. Houston labels already use CenterPoint's October 1, 2026 delivery rates.
Is Reliant Energy better than TXU?
TXU scores higher overall, 80 to 62. TXU leads on complaints, its BBB grade and penalties. Reliant leads on price and has no arbitration clause.
Complaint counts aren't adjusted for company size; the PUCT rating is.
Keep readingRead our full TXU Energy reviewReliant Energy questions, answered
Is Reliant Energy a good electricity provider?
It's fair, by our numbers. Reliant scores 62 out of 100 on our public-records scorecard. Its simplest plan costs less than the Texas average, and its contract has no arbitration clause. It loses points for a D+ from the BBB and four state penalties since 2016.
What is Reliant Energy's phone number?
Call 1-866-222-7100, or 713-207-7777 in the Houston area. Reliant's terms of service say both lines are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. For outages, call your utility instead, such as Oncor at 1-888-313-4747 or CenterPoint at 713-207-2222.
Who owns Reliant Energy?
Reliant is part of NRG Energy, a publicly traded power company. NRG's lawyers represent Reliant at the PUCT. NRG also paid two of Reliant's state penalties directly, according to PUCT filings.
How much does Reliant charge to cancel?
$75 on 8-month plans, $150 on 12-month plans, $295 on 20- and 24-month plans and $395 on 36-month plans. Month-to-month plans have no fee. Reliant waives the fee if you move and give a forwarding address. It has no free-cancel window beyond the 3-day legal minimum.
What is Reliant's cheapest plan?
At 1,000 kWh, Power Savings 8 is cheapest: 11.9¢ per kWh in Dallas and Houston. But that price needs a $75 credit you only get by using 1,000 kWh or more. The simplest 12-month plan, Secure Advantage 12, costs 15.2¢ in Dallas and 15.8¢ in Houston.
How many complaints does Reliant Energy get?
The PUCT logged 364 complaints about Reliant from April through September 2026. Billing was the top issue, with 180. For its size, Reliant earns a 4 of 5 complaint rating, which the state labels "Lower than Average Rate of Complaints." The BBB shows 220 complaints over three years.
Has Reliant Energy been fined?
Yes, four times since 2016. The PUCT approved penalties of $900,000 in 2016 (shared with three other companies), $100,000 in 2018, $100,000 in 2020 and $50,100 in 2024. The cases involved switch-holds, late and missing bills, and switches without proof of consent.
Why does Reliant have a D+ at the BBB?
The BBB lists three reasons: 220 complaints, not fixing the cause of a pattern of complaints, and slow responses. Since January 2026, it has also posted an alert about a pattern of complaints over sales practices, billing errors, account changes and refunds.
Does Reliant have free nights or weekends?
Yes. Free Overnight 12 charges nothing for energy and delivery from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. Truly Free Weekends 12 is free from 8 p.m. Friday to midnight Sunday. At other hours, energy on both costs about 18.6¢ per kWh in Dallas and 19.5¢ in Houston, plus delivery.
What happens when my Reliant contract ends?
Reliant sends three expiration notices, the last at least 14 days before your contract ends. If you don't pick a new plan, you move to a month-to-month plan with a variable price. That price can change every month.
Is Reliant better than TXU?
On our scorecard, TXU scores 80 and Reliant 62. TXU has better complaint and BBB ratings and fewer state penalties. Reliant's simplest plan costs less at 1,000 kWh, 15.2¢ versus 16.6¢ in Dallas, and its contract has no arbitration clause.
Sources and updates
Sources (14)
- Reliant Energy, residential plans and Electricity Facts Labels for ZIP 75201 and 77002, captured October 3, 2026 (for example, Secure Advantage 12, Dallas and Secure Advantage 12, Houston).
- Reliant Energy, Residential Terms of Service, December 2025 (form R1F1962A).
- Reliant Energy, How to cancel your Reliant service.
- Public Utility Commission of Texas, Customer Complaint Statistics, April 1 to September 30, 2026.
- Power to Choose (PUCT), Retail Electric Provider Complaint Scorecard, September 2026.
- Better Business Bureau, Reliant Energy profile, checked October 2, 2026.
- PUCT Docket 46597, final order, December 16, 2016.
- PUCT Docket 48773, final order, December 2018.
- PUCT Docket 51045, final order, August 13, 2020.
- PUCT Docket 56890, final order, October 3, 2024.
- PUCT Docket 56715, filing by NRG Energy counsel for Reliant (certificate 10007).
- U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A: Texas average residential price, July 2026.
- CenterPoint Energy, contact page: outage numbers.
- TXU Energy, terms of service: Oncor's outage number, and TXU figures in the comparison.
Changelog · last updated October 3, 2026 · 1 update
- October 3, 2026: Review published. Score: 62 out of 100. Prices from Reliant's September 2026 fact labels, captured October 3, 2026.
How to cite this page: The Day Company, "Is Reliant Energy any good? Our 2026 review", updated October 3, 2026, https://theday.company/tx/reliant-energy-review.
Scores use public records only and the same formula for every company; see how we score. Prices are Reliant's own fact-label averages for the ZIP codes shown and change often; your price depends on your address and plan. The Day Company is not affiliated with Reliant Energy, NRG Energy or any retail electric provider. No company pays for placement or a better score, and we earn no referral fees from this review.