Texas is one of several states in the US that has deregulated electricity. Essentially, deregulation means that residents in over 80% of Texas have the power to choose their own electricity plan and provider. While this has led to stiff competition, competitive electricity rates, and more freedom for Texans, deregulation can also be a bit of a headache. There are more than 120 retail electric providers in Texas, which makes it very difficult to choose the perfect one.
Reliant Energy is one of these many retail electric providers (REPs). They’re one of the biggest energy companies in Texas and serve several areas outside of it. However, just because they’re big and have a variety of plans to offer, doesn’t mean they’re the right REP for you.
- Who is Reliant Energy?
- What Types of Electricity Plans Does Reliant Energy Offer?
- Is Reliant Energy Available in My Area?
- Is Reliant Energy Right for Me?
- Who is a Good Alternative to Reliant Energy?
Who is Reliant Energy?
Reliant Energy was founded in 2000, several years before electricity was deregulated in Texas. They’re based in Houston, along with dozens of other REPs, and offer electricity to most parts of Texas. They currently have more than 1.5 million residential and commercial customers in Texas. Once again, however, just because a lot of people like them and they’re popular doesn’t mean Reliant is right for you. Contact us at GoodCharlie Energy for an excellent electricity alternative to Reliant that offers perks and benefits no one else does.
What Types of Electricity Plans Does Reliant Energy Offer?
Part of the reason for Reliant’s popularity is because of the diverse electricity plans they offer.
Free Nights and Weekends
With a free nights and weekends plan, you get free, unlimited electricity during select parts of the night and weekend. Most types of free nights and weekends plans offer free power between the hours of 9 PM and 7 AM from Monday through Thursday. With free weekends, the concept is very similar. You get free electricity from Friday on 8 PM until Sunday at midnight.
While this type of plan may sound tempting, it’s only worth it if you use a majority of your electricity during these hours. At all other times of the day and night, your electricity will be much more expensive to compensate for any free energy you use.
Conservation Plan
Reliant Energy is one of the few companies that offers a low usage conservation plan. This type of plan is meant to encourage users to consume as little electricity as possible because the rates are less if you use under 1,000 kWh.
However, if you use more than 1,000 kWh, which is likely for households of more than one or two people, you’ll end up paying a hefty sum for your electricity. Knowing your average monthly usage is key when signing up for this type of electricity plan.
Fixed-Rate Plan
Most of the electricity plans that Reliant offers is some form of fixed-rate plan. With this type of plan, you sign up for a contract for between 12 and 36 months and get locked into a fixed rate for that timeframe. Both the conservation and free nights and weekends plans are fixed-rate plans.
Where these types of plans get tricky, however, is that your “fixed” rate changes according to how much electricity you use. With the Conservation plan, for example, your rate might be 12 cents/kWh when you use less than 1,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity. If you use more than 1,000, however, your rate could jump up to 20 cents/kWh.
Unfortunately, this is how nearly all fixed-rate electricity plans are structured. Contact us at GoodCharlie Energy if you want a fixed-rate plan where the gaps between usage tiers are small and easy to find. Our goal is to make sure you know exactly how much you’re paying for your electricity no matter how much you use.
Month-To-Month Plan
If you don’t want the commitment of a fixed-rate term plan, Reliant also offers month-to-month plans. These types of electricity plans are also known as variable-rate plans because your rate could change from one month to another. Because they’re so volatile, you don’t have to sign up for a contract, but instead have the option of finding a new plan at the end of each month. The downside of these plans is that you’ll usually have a higher electricity rate.
Is Reliant Energy Available in My Area?
If you live in a deregulated part of Texas, there’s a good chance that Reliant Energy is available in your area. They’re one of the biggest REPs in the state and have a wide-reaching range of operations.
Is Reliant Energy Right for Me?
There’s no question that Reliant is one of the top electricity providers in the state. However, part of the reason for that is because they were one of the first REPs to set up shop after deregulation. As such, they were able to get a large clientele right from the get-go.
However, dozens of new REPs have opened their doors since 2000, including one of the latest additions to the foray, GoodCharlie Energy. Not only are we one of the newest REPs, but we also have some of the best rates and benefits available.
Video Vet Access
The first perk we offer when you contact us to sign up for a new electricity plan is 24/7 access to licensed vets in case of a pet emergency.
Emergency Fund
We also offer a pet emergency fund to the tune of $750! Dogs and pets are at the core of what we do at GoodCharlie, and it’s our goal to help you keep your furry companions safe.
Roundup for Rescues
Additionally, GoodCharlie will round up each of your monthly electricity bills and donate the proceedings to local pet charities. Don’t worry, the donation is coming out of our pockets, not yours.
No Hidden Fees
While many of our benefits are geared towards helping and protecting pets, we want to keep our human customers happy as well. Our contracts don’t have hidden fees but they do have limited tiered rates that are easy to see and understand.
Who is a Good Alternative to Reliant Energy?
As you can see, there are a lot of things that we do here at GoodCharlie Energy that no other REP does. The amount of care and attention we put towards the pets of Texas is second to none, and we've even partnered with Houston Pet’s Alive and Dallas Pet’s Alive. If you love your dog as much as we do and want to save money with a great electricity plan, contact us at GoodCharlie Energy to make the switch today!
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