TXU vs Reliant: which Texas electricity company is better?

TXU is the better company on the public record, and Reliant has the better price. TXU has fewer complaints, fewer fines and a far better BBB grade. Reliant charges less on its simple plan and keeps arbitration out of its contract.

Both scores come from one formula that uses only public records and each company's own papers. You can see how the 100 points work. No company pays to be scored.

Want every plan and fee? Read our full TXU Energy review and Reliant Energy review.

TXU wins three of the six categories, Reliant wins two, and they tie on one. TXU's leads in its three add up to 25 points. Reliant's leads add up to 7. That's the 18-point gap.

Price compares each simple 12-month plan's average at 1,000 kWh, across Dallas and Houston, with the Texas average of 15.88¢ (U.S. Energy Information Administration, July 2026). Complaint ratings cover March 1 to August 31, 2026.

Reliant is cheaper on the simple plans. At 1,000 kWh a month, Reliant's Secure Advantage 12 costs 15.2¢ per kWh in Dallas and 15.8¢ in Houston. TXU's Simple Rate 12 costs 16.6¢ and 17.2¢. In both cities, that's about $14 a month.

These prices come from each plan's Electricity Facts Label. That's the price sheet every Texas plan must have. It shows the average price at 500, 1,000 and 2,000 kWh, with delivery included. Here's how to read a facts label.

Here's what each simple plan costs a month in Dallas at three usage levels. The gap grows as you use more power.

Each label's average price times the usage, before taxes (Dallas, Oncor area). Reliant's 500 kWh figure includes its $9.95 charge for months under 800 kWh.

Reliant's lead shrinks for light users because of that $9.95 charge. It drops off at 800 kWh. The average Texas home uses about 1,096 kWh a month (EIA, 2024), well past that line. See what the average Texas bill looks like.

Both Dallas labels came out before Oncor raised its delivery rate on October 4, 2026. Oncor owns the poles and wires, and it charges every company the same delivery rate. So the change should hit both plans about equally. The same Oncor-area labels apply in Arlington and in Oncor's part of Plano. Houston homes get delivery from CenterPoint. For the rest of a local bill, see our Dallas and Houston guides, or how prices compare to Texas rates overall.

Reliant's contract scores a little better, 15 to 12 out of 20. It has no arbitration clause and only two extra fees. TXU's best contract feature is time: new customers get 60 days to cancel with no fee.

Sources: TXU's terms of service and 60-day offer page, and Reliant's December 2025 terms. Our reviews checked both Oct 2 to 5, 2026. Both cap a deposit at the larger of two months of bills or one-fifth of a year's.

If you do nothing when a plan ends, both companies move you to a month-to-month plan. That price can change every month. Read what to do when your contract ends and our guide to fixed vs variable rates.

Moving from one to the other? The new company handles the switch, and you get three federal business days to cancel it (16 TAC §25.474). See how to switch providers and your no-deposit options.

Reliant has more of both. The state rates TXU 5 of 5 on complaints and Reliant 4 of 5. TXU has one fine in the last 10 years. Reliant has four, worth $1,150,100 when a shared 2016 case counts in full.

Raw counts can mislead, since a company with more customers tends to get more complaints. The state's 1 to 5 scorecard rates each company's complaint rate instead, and our score uses it. For March to August 2026, the state labeled TXU "Lowest Complaint Rate" and Reliant "Lower than Average Rate of Complaints."

Next is the fines record. Here is every state penalty our reviews found against either company in the last 10 years.

1. Dec 16, 2016Reliant, $900,000 (Docket 46597), in a case shared with three other companies. The case covered slow removal of switch holds, which block a move to a new company, after customers finished payment plans. The deal also put $600,000 toward bill-help programs.
2. Dec 10, 2018Reliant, $100,000 (Docket 48773). The case covered late bills to 1,714 customers, most with solar, and 47,930 customers moved to email-only bills without agreeing.
3. Aug 13, 2020Reliant, $100,000 (Docket 51045). The case covered 292 switches by a store-kiosk sales vendor, with no records showing those customers agreed.
4. Oct 3, 2024Reliant, $50,100 (Docket 56890). The case covered 701 monthly bills that never went out to 499 customers in 2022 and 2023. Reliant called it unintended. It also gave $20,000 to its bill-help fund.
5. Oct 2024TXU, $91,500 (Docket 56560). The case covered shutoff orders TXU sent for 113 customers during extreme heat in summer 2023, when state rules bar them. None were carried out. TXU paid in November 2024.
6. Dec 16, 2026Reliant's 2016 case leaves the 10-year window. Its fines score stays at 0 of 20.

The BBB, a nonprofit that grades businesses, gives TXU an A+ and Reliant a D+ (checked October 2, 2026). TXU has been BBB accredited since 2007. Reliant isn't accredited, and the BBB has posted two alerts on its profile. One, up since January 2026, notes a pattern of complaints about sales, billing errors, account changes and slow refunds.

TXU has the stronger solar buyback plan. Its System Flex plan credits extra power at 15.3¢ per kWh, the same rate you pay for power, which is called 1:1. Reliant's best flat credit is 6.3¢ in Dallas and 5.9¢ in Houston.

Solar buyback means the company gives you a bill credit for extra power your panels send to the grid. It isn't part of the 100-point score. But for a solar home, it can swing the bill a lot.

A 1:1 credit isn't always the lower bill, though. System Flex charges more for the power you buy than Reliant's plan does. Here's one example home in a sunny month and a cloudy one.

In this example, TXU wins once you send back more than about 245 kWh a month. Below that, Reliant's lower energy rate wins. System Flex is also a month-to-month plan, so its rate can change. Reliant's Plus 12 is a 12-month plan with a $150 fee to leave early.

Compare every company's plan in our solar buyback guide. Then see whether solar pays off, when a home battery helps and how free nights plans work. Both companies also run a bill-help fund, TXU Energy Aid and Reliant CARE. We list more help paying your electric bill.

Tap how much each thing matters to you, and this check weighs both companies with our published points. It also prices both simple plans at your monthly use.

Your monthly use is on your bill. You can also see it on Smart Meter Texas, a free site for smart meter data. Unsure who delivers your power? Our utility finder can tell you.

Start with Champion Energy, the top scorer at 96 out of 100. Its simple plan, Champ Saver-12, costs 13.3¢ per kWh in Dallas at 1,000 kWh (October 2026 label). It has no arbitration clause, an A+ BBB grade and no state fines against it in 10 years.

Then compare a few plans in three steps.

1. 1
   Know your usage

   Look at your last 12 bills. Summer months run higher, so use a yearly average.

2. 2
   Price plans at that usage

   Read each fact label at 500, 1,000 and 2,000 kWh. Our plan cost calculator compares up to three plans at once.

3. 3
   Check the record

   Price is only one part. Look at complaint ratings, fines and contract terms too, as our scoring method does. Our lists of Houston and Dallas electric companies show the state’s complaint rating for each company selling there.

Buying power for a shop or office? See business electricity in Texas. Bill jumped for no clear reason? Start with why your electric bill is so high.

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