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PROVIDER REVIEW
Reliant Review 2026
Reliant Energy has established itself as one of Texas’s largest and most recognized retail electricity providers, serving the deregulated market for over two decades. Customer sentiment data shows a solid 4.5-star rating and a True NPS of 54, indicating generally positive experiences among reviewers. The Customer Service Score of 61/100 reflects moderate satisfaction, though the Billing Clarity Score of 38/100 suggests room for improvement in transparent billing practices. On the regulatory side, Reliant recorded 664 PUC complaints over the past 12 months—above the 202-complaint average, though this count isn’t adjusted for the company’s large customer base.
RELIANT
Complete Provider Analysis
Billing-related issues represent the largest share of regulatory complaints at 324, aligning with the lower Billing Clarity Score from customer reviews. Service and disconnection concerns account for 280 complaints, while slamming and cramming issues total 57. Despite these regulatory filings, Reliant’s positive NPS indicates many customers remain willing to recommend the provider. Prospective customers should weigh the strong overall ratings against billing transparency concerns when comparing plans.
2TIO NPS REVIEW
Customer Satisfaction Analysis
Our NPS (Net Promoter Score) methodology scores each customer review and filters out spam, off-topic and employee reviews to give you an accurate picture of real customer satisfaction.
Score Breakdown
How We Calculate NPS Scores
We analyze each provider’s Google customer reviews and score every review on a 1-10 recommendation scale. Reviews that are spam, off-topic, or written by employees are filtered out. NPS is the percentage of promoters (9-10) minus the percentage of detractors (1-6), mapped to a 3.0-5.0 star scale.
PUC COMPLAINT HISTORY
Public Utility Commission Data
The Texas Public Utility Commission tracks complaints filed against retail electricity providers. Below is Reliant’s complaint history from the PUC database.
Total Complaints (12 mo)
664
Avg. Across 15 Providers
202
Billing
324
Service & Disconnection
280
Slamming/Cramming
57
Other
3
Monthly Complaint Trends (Jan 2022 – Sep 2026)
Complaint Categories Explained
Issues related to incorrect charges, unexpected fees, meter reading disputes, and payment processing problems. This is the most common category of complaints across all providers.
Slamming: Switching a customer’s electricity provider without proper authorization or consent.
Cramming: Adding unauthorized charges or services to a customer’s electricity bill.
Issues with customer service responsiveness, account management, and starting or providing service, plus complaints about improper disconnection, insufficient notice before disconnection, or reconnection after payment.
Complaints the PUC files outside the billing, service, and slamming/cramming categories.
CUSTOMER REVIEWS
What Customers Are Saying
Recent Google reviews from Reliant customers, quoted as written (long reviews are shortened). We display a balanced selection of positive and critical feedback to give you the complete picture.
Positive Experiences
“We have been a Reliant Energy customer for 16 years. Service is great and cost is competitive. Online service is user friendly and getting in touch with a customer service agent was easy and helpful.”
“It was so nice to call a company and speak to an American. I was stressed about having to explain my issue to an agent and there was no issue. Alex was professional, efficient and took care of my problem easily. Awesome customer service. If only more companies were like this.”
“It was very easy for me to enroll, getting the weekend free was very attractive to me. I just did it everything over the phone. Plus I will get a free gift.”
“From a $289 bill I will be paying $120 isn’t that great! What a relief, if you want to save money with your power call Reliant or check them out on their booths..”
“He explained plan and even though I had computer trouble he stayed with me until we finished”
Critical Feedback
“Disappointing Customer service I’ve been a loyal Reliant customer for over three years, but this was the worst customer service experience I’ve had. When my payment method expired, the app wouldn’t let me add a new one. I called several times, and the only solution I was given was to pay in person, even after explaining I couldn’t. I eventually discovered on my own that PayPal worked. It’s disappointing that no representative could offer such a simple solution.”
“Reliant thanked me for being a 5 year loyal customer by hiking my rate 60% higher than the market. I was not properly noticed of my ending contract in wrirting in mail per the state law requirement. The practice is not ethical and potentially illegal. They have provided me no proper notification. And again, 6o% higher rates than market? That’s is not the practice of a good company.”
“Avoid this company at all costs for residential energy. There is the reason they have the highest cancellation fees in the industry ($395). I was outright lied to by a customer service rep over chat. We were convinced to change our plan and told our rate would not change. There was no fee to change to this plan. We were told our bill would go down by $150-$200 each month. The next month our bill went up $158. Our rate was increased from 11 to 17 cents per kilowatt hour. After being sold on this “free nighttime energy plan” we ran our pool pump, dishwasher and washer all at night. We waited to…”
FINAL VERDICT
Our Recommendation
Reliant: Recommended
Strong customer satisfaction despite billing complexity
Reliant earns a Recommended rating based on strong customer sentiment metrics. With a 4.5-star rating and an impressive NPS of 54, customers generally report positive experiences with this established Texas provider. The customer service score of 61/100 indicates above-average support interactions. However, the billing clarity score of 38/100 reveals a notable weakness—customers often find their bills confusing or difficult to understand. On the regulatory side, Reliant recorded 664 PUC complaints over the past 12 months, above the 202 average among tracked providers, though this raw count isn’t adjusted for customer base size, and larger providers naturally generate more complaints. The complaint breakdown shows billing and service/disconnection issues as primary concerns. Reliant works well for customers who prioritize reliable service and don’t mind occasionally calling support to clarify billing questions.
Pros
- Excellent 4.5 out of 5 star rating overall
- Strong customer loyalty with NPS score of 54
- Above average customer service score of 61/100
- Positive customer sentiment indicates reliable service experience
- Well-established provider with large Texas customer base
- Service quality metrics consistently score in good range
Cons
- Billing transparency score of 38/100 needs significant improvement
- Bill communications and explanations could be much clearer
- 664 PUC complaints filed, though not size-adjusted
- Service and disconnection complaints total 280 in twelve months
- Time-of-use and credit details may be confusing to understand
Best For
- Customers who value responsive customer service
- Those comfortable navigating moderately complex billing structures
- Shoppers seeking an established, recognizable Texas provider
- Customers who prioritize overall service quality over billing simplicity
- Those willing to review bills carefully each month
PRICE COMPARISON
How Reliant Compares
See how Reliant’s electricity rates compare to other Texas providers. Prices are average all-in rates (including utility delivery charges) across each provider’s plans in every Texas utility area we track, at the selected monthly usage level.
Reliant Avg Price
16.1¢/kWh
Market Rank
#14 of 17
vs Market Average
4.0% above
Market Average
15.5¢/kWh
Texas Providers We Track (1,000 kWh/month)
| Rank | Provider | Avg ¢/kWh | Lowest | Highest | # Plans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Rhythm Energy | 13.51¢ | 7.23¢ | 19.58¢ | 35 |
| #2 | Energy Texas | 14.03¢ | 7.23¢ | 19.58¢ | 40 |
| #3 | Constellation | 14.32¢ | 12.82¢ | 16.32¢ | 10 |
| #4 | Gexa Energy | 14.46¢ | 7.03¢ | 20.61¢ | 42 |
| #5 | Cirro Energy | 14.82¢ | 7.06¢ | 20.83¢ | 38 |
| #6 | 4Change Energy | 14.90¢ | 7.03¢ | 20.09¢ | 61 |
| #7 | Discount Power | 14.93¢ | 7.06¢ | 20.83¢ | 38 |
| #8 | Just Energy | 14.97¢ | 6.90¢ | 22.21¢ | 83 |
| #9 | APGE | 15.06¢ | 6.70¢ | 23.40¢ | 107 |
| #10 | Atlantex Power | 15.15¢ | 13.40¢ | 16.42¢ | 12 |
| #11 | Frontier Utilities | 15.52¢ | 7.03¢ | 20.61¢ | 36 |
| #12 | Tara Energy | 15.57¢ | 15.06¢ | 17.01¢ | 6 |
| #13 | Amigo Energy | 15.62¢ | 14.26¢ | 17.70¢ | 29 |
| #14 | Reliant This Provider | 16.13¢ | 11.86¢ | 20.83¢ | 41 |
| #15 | Direct Energy | 16.69¢ | 14.36¢ | 19.03¢ | 16 |
| #16 | TXU Energy | 18.40¢ | 13.81¢ | 22.79¢ | 36 |
| #17 | Payless Power | 19.56¢ | 18.55¢ | 21.22¢ | 10 |
No 100% Renewable Plans
Reliant does not currently offer any 100% renewable energy plans. If green energy is a priority, consider providers like Rhythm Energy, Energy Texas or Atlantex Power.
Our Methodology
How We Calculate NPS Scores
Our scoring system analyzes customer reviews to provide an unbiased assessment of each electricity provider.
- Data Source: Google reviews of each provider
- AI Analysis: We score each review on a 1-10 recommendation scale and filter out spam, off-topic, and employee reviews
- Minimum Data: Providers with fewer than 25 scored reviews are shown as “Not yet rated”
- True NPS Calculation: We calculate Net Promoter Score as (% Promoters) – (% Detractors), where Promoters rate 9-10 and Detractors rate 1-6
- Star Rating: NPS scores are mapped to a 3.0-5.0 star scale for intuitive comparison
About “Billing Clarity” Scores
This score measures how clearly a provider communicates billing to customers—not billing accuracy. Texas electricity providers have robust, audited billing systems that are highly accurate.
- What we measure: Clarity of bill statements, proactive notifications, explanation of credits and charges, time-of-use rate communication
- Why it matters: Customers often report confusion about bills even when charges are correct—this score reflects how well providers help customers understand their bills
- PUC “billing complaints”: Most are about confusing statements or unexpected (but legitimate) charges, not actual billing errors
Pricing Data Collection
We collect electricity plan pricing daily from ComparePower’s live plan data.
- Data Source: ComparePower, the original Texas electricity consumer advocate
- Update Frequency: Prices are synced daily from every competitive Texas utility area (Oncor, CenterPoint, AEP Texas Central, AEP Texas North, TNMP, and Lubbock Power & Light)
- Usage Levels: We display pricing at 500, 1,000, and 2,000 kWh/month to show how rates vary by consumption
- Coverage: 17 major retail electricity providers in the Texas deregulated market
PUC Complaint Data
Complaint data provides insight into provider accountability and customer issues.
- Data Source: Texas Public Utility Commission (PUC) official complaint records
- History: Monthly complaint data since January 2022
- Categories: Billing, Service & Disconnection, Slamming/Cramming, and Other
- License Holders: The PUC reports complaints per license holder, so brands that share a license share the same counts
- Size: Counts are not adjusted for the number of customers a provider serves
- Update Frequency: Monthly updates as new PUC data becomes available
Questions about our methodology? Contact our team.
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