Reliant Energy Electricity Plans Review

Reliant Energy plans are well known in the Texas market, after years of advertising and promotion. But the plan you hear about on the TV or radio may not be the best one for your home.

In this review of Reliant Energy plans, we’ll evaluate their free electricity plans, bill credit plans and basic fixed rate offers. We’ll compare and contrast their plans, so you can decide if one is right for you.

Note that plans listed below may not always be available on our web site as REP offers vary.

Table of Contents

• Reliant Energy Free Overnight Plan Review
• Reliant Energy Truly Free Weekends Plan Review
• Reliant Energy Bill Credit Plans – Power Savings
• Reliant Energy Tiered Rate Plans – Conservation Plan
• What is the Best Reliant Energy Plan?
• Additional Details About Reliant Energy Plans

Compare Reliant Energy Plans

Reliant Energy Plan	Plan Type	Plan Details	Who This Plan is For
Reliant Energy Pure Power	Fixed	Fixed energy rate + $5/month base charge	Most Texas homes
Reliant Energy Basic Power	Fixed	Fixed energy rate + $9.95 base charge if you use less than 1000 kWh	Homes using over 1000 kWh
Reliant Energy Power Savings	Bill Credit	$75 bill credit for months 1000 kWh or more	Homes that consistently use 1000 to 1500 kwh/month
Reliant Energy Free Overnights	Time of Use	Free energy and delivery from 9pm-6am	Consumers that can shift their power usage or EV owners
Reliant Energy Truly Free Weekends	Time of Use	Free energy and delivery from 8pm Friday to 12am Monday	Consumers that travel during the week.
Reliant Energy Conservation Plan	Tiered	Lower energy rate for usage below 1000 kWh + $5/month base charge	Not recommended; base charge leads to high effective rate below 1000 kWh.

Reliant Energy Free Overnight Plan Review

The Reliant Energy Free Overnight plan is their newest offering in the free nights and weekends category. And it’s their simplest plan yet, offering both free energy AND free delivery at night.

In calculating the average price per kilowatt hour, Reliant Energy assumes that you will use 32% of your power at night, between 8pm and 6am. That’s how a typical person uses power.

About Reliant Energy Truly Free Nights Plan

• Free electricity and delivery every night from 9pm to 6am
• Average rate assumes you use 32% of your power at night
• Monthly fee from the delivery company is passed through at cost
• Daytime rate is significantly higher than other plans to cover the free power and delivery

Is Reliant Free Overnight Worth It?

If no one in your household is home during the day, Reliant free nights may be worth it. But keep in mind that you’re probably coming home before your free power starts. You’ll be cranking up the air conditioning to cool your home for dinner time.

Free Overnight assumes you use 32% of your power from 9pm to 6am daily. That’s what a typical person uses.

To make the most of this plan, you need to shift even MORE of your electricity to the night time. You need to be more aware than the typical consumer in managing your power.

If you can move 50% of your power to 9pm-6am, your average price per kWh will be equivalent to the average price for Reliant’s fixed rate plans.

If you don’t think you can shift your usage like that, take a look at Reliant Flextra Credits or Reliant fixed rate plans instead.

Reliant Energy Truly Free Weekends Plan Review

The Reliant Energy Truly Free Weekends Plan gives you 100 days of free power per year.

Weekend usage from 8pm Friday to 12am Monday morning is free for both electricity charges and delivery charges, for every kilowatt hour you use. 

In calculating the average price per kilowatt hour, Reliant Energy assumes that you will use 32% of your power during the weekends. 

And that’s the key to making a free electricity plan work for you. To make the most of this plan, you will need to shift more electricity usage to the weekends.

About Reliant Energy Truly Free Weekends

• Free electricity and delivery from 8pm Friday night to 12am Monday morning.
• Assumes 32% of your power usage is during the free period
• Your monthly fee from the delivery company is passed through at cost.
• Very high rate during the week to make up for free power and free delivery on weekends
• 100% of your power is backed by solar energy

Is Reliant Truly Free Weekends Worth It?

Reliant Energy free weekends is worth it if you travel for work during the week or you need a great electricity plan for a second weekend home.

If that’s not you, you will have to work to shift usage to the weekend. That means laundry and dishwashing only during certain times, and a higher thermostat setting all week.

To really make Reliant free weekends worth it, you need shift 39% of your power to the weekend. Doing so will drop the average rate down to parity with Reliant’s fixed rate plans.

If you don’t think you can shift your usage to the weekends, take a look at Reliant Flextra Credits or their fixed rate plans instead.

Reliant Energy Bill Credit Plans – Power Savings

One of Reliant Energy’s best plans is their newer plan, Power Savings. This plan has a fixed price per kWh for all your electricity usage, plus you’ll get a $75 bill credit in months where you use over 1000 kWh.

Most homes in Texas use 1300 kWh per month. So most months you will take advantage of that bill credit and get a lower average price.

Take a look at your bills and usage history. If you use between 1000 and 1500 kWh at least 8 months out of the year, the Power Savings Plan is a great fit for your home!

Reliant Energy Tiered Rate Plans – Conservation Plan

For years, consumers have asked why they don’t get rewarded for using less power. Reliant Energy’s Conservation Plan does exactly that. You’ll pay a lower price per kWh for all usage under 1000 kWh. Everything over 1000 kWh is at a higher price. The monthly base charge of just $5 a month applies regardless of your usage level.

What is the Best Reliant Energy Plan?

If you prefer an easy, no nonsense approach, Reliant’s Pure Power Plan is your best bet. It’s a basic fixed rate electricity plan and a simple $5 per month base charge. No tiered rates, no bill credits, no usage-based monthly fees.

---

Additional Details About Reliant Energy Plans

About Reliant Energy

At Reliant Energy, the customer comes first — both when it’s time to choose an energy plan and any moment after requiring assistance. The company, backed by NRG Energy, offers fixed-rate and variable month-to-month plans and always has a representative on call to address any questions or concerns.

Reliant has been a mainstay in Texas’s deregulated market since 2001 and now delivers power to over 1 million homes across the state. Behind their appeal, they aim to make electricity simple and straightforward, including through:

• An app designed to help customers track their energy usage and identify ways to reduce what they consume each month.
• Award-winning customer support every step of the way, from when you sign up and choose a plan to calling about an issue down the line.
• Access to a representative over the phone and through online chat.
• Competitive prices extended to homeowners, apartment dwellers and businesses.
• Plans that allow EV users to charge their vehicles at home for less.

You can learn more in our Reliant Energy company profile.

Retired Reliant Energy Electricity Plans. Reliant Energy has offered many plans in the past that are no longer available. These include Reliant Keep Your Cash Nights & Weekends and Reliant Truly Free Flex Days. Your best alternative plans are a choice of Reliant Truly Free Nights, Reliant Truly Free Weekends or Reliant Flextra Credits.

Reliant Energy Plans for Seniors. Reliant Energy does not offer any special plans for senior citizens. If you are over 64, consider Champion Energy Champ Silver plan. This plan has a discount vs. their standard offer, plus a special priority customer service phone line.

The fine print on Reliant Energy Flextra Credits: Monthly bill credits must be utilized in a separate billing period during your term. Customers may apply credits through their online account, via the Reliant app, or by contacting Reliant’s customer care team. Only one credit can be applied to any outstanding bill amount. Customers on AutoPay must redeem a bill credit up to 24 hours before the bill due date. Credits may not be combined in any individual month. Any unredeemed bill credits will automatically be applied during the last available bills of a customer’s term. Unused bill credits will not transfer if you switch away from the Flextra Credits plan and are not redeemable for cash.

Why you can trust our reviews: The ElectricityPlans team has over 30 years of combined experience in the Texas electricity industry. One of our team members worked at a retail electricity provider developing electricity plans. We understand the math behind these plans and the answer to “do free electricity plans really save you money?”