Green Mountain vs Cirro Energy: NRG's Two Green Brands Compared

At a Glance

Factor	Green Mountain Energy	Cirro Energy
Parent Company	NRG Energy (NYSE: NRG)	NRG Energy (NYSE: NRG)
Years in Texas	29	25
Credit Check	Yes	Yes
Prepaid Available	No	No
Green Plans	Yes (100% renewable, Green-e certified)	Yes (included in all plans)
On ComparePower	Yes	Yes

Bottom Line: Same parent company. Both deliver green electricity. Green Mountain charges a premium for 29 years of environmental credibility and Green-e certification. Cirro includes green energy at lower rates without the mission-driven story. $200-$400/year separates them.

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The Corporate Reality

Stop. Read this first. Green Mountain Energy and Cirro Energy are both owned by NRG Energy (NYSE: NRG). This is the same Fortune 500 corporation selling green electricity at two different price points.

NRG’s retail green strategy: Green Mountain is the premium environmental brand (29 years of credibility, Green-e certification, solar buyback). Cirro is the budget green brand (green included free in every plan, simpler structure, lower rates). Same parent. Same financial backing. Different positioning and pricing.

NRG also operates Reliant, Direct Energy, Discount Power, Stream Energy, and XOOM Energy in Texas. Your money flows to the same place regardless of which brand you choose.

What They Actually Sell

Green Mountain (premium green, all plans 100% renewable):

• Pollution Free Conserve 12/24 at 17.5 cents/kWh
• Pollution Free e-Plus 12/24 at 17.8 cents/kWh
• Green Savings Plus 24 at 21.7 cents/kWh
• Renewable Rewards solar buyback (three tiers: Essentials, Solar Credit, Solar Max)
• Go Local Solar (sourced from specific Texas solar farms)
• Green-e Energy certified by Center for Resource Solutions
• 24/7 phone and chat support
• 4.8/5 on Texas Electricity Ratings (17,329 reviews)

Cirro Energy (budget green, all plans include green):

• Fixed-rate plans (12-24 months) at mid-tier rates (9.7-20.2 cents/kWh range)
• Variable-rate plans
• Green energy included in every plan at no extra cost
• No solar buyback
• No specialty plans (no free nights, no time-of-use)
• Phone support closes at 10 PM, chat closes at 6 PM

The honest math at 1,200 kWh/month:

• Green Mountain at 17.5 cents: ~$210/month
• Cirro at mid-tier rates: ~$140-$170/month
• Gap: $40-$70/month, $480-$840/year

The Credit & Deposit Question

Both run credit checks. Neither offers prepaid. Same NRG deposit infrastructure.

Green Mountain: Soft credit check. No deposit if you pass. Deposit based on two months’ estimated usage if you fail.

Cirro: Same process, same parent company infrastructure. If you fail at one NRG brand, you’ll likely fail at the other.

Neither has a prepaid option. If credit is your problem, look outside the NRG family—Payless Power or Frontier’s prepaid.

The Verdict

Choose Green Mountain if:

• Environmental credibility is your identity, not a checkbox
• Green-e third-party certification matters
• You have solar panels and want Renewable Rewards buyback
• 24/7 support and 4.8-star service ratings matter
• You’re willing to pay $200-$400/year more for the authentic green story

Choose Cirro if:

• Green energy at lower rates is the goal
• You don’t need the environmental story—just the green outcome
• Simple fixed-rate plans without premium pricing sound right
• You want NRG stability without Green Mountain’s markup

Skip both NRG brands if: You want green energy at budget prices, Rhythm offers 100% renewable from 10.8 cents/kWh. Or if green doesn’t matter, Frontier and Gexa beat both on price.