Reliant Energy vs Green Mountain Energy: Same Parent, Different Spin

At a Glance

Factor	Reliant Energy	Green Mountain Energy
Parent Company	NRG Energy (NYSE: NRG)	NRG Energy (NYSE: NRG)
Years in Texas	24	29
Credit Check	Yes	Yes
Prepaid Available	Yes ($75 min, no credit check)	No
Green Plans	Time-of-use plans are 100% solar	Every plan is 100% renewable (Green-e certified)
On ComparePower	Yes	Yes

Bottom Line: NRG Energy owns both companies. Your monthly payment goes to the same Fortune 500 corporation regardless. Green Mountain charges 17.5-21.7 cents/kWh for 100% renewable electricity. Reliant charges 12.5-20.6 cents. The gap is $60-$110/month on average usage—$720-$1,320/year. Same parent, same grid, very different pricing.

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The Corporate Reality

NRG Energy owns both Reliant and Green Mountain Energy. This is the same Fortune 500 corporation selling electricity at two different price points to two different customer segments.

NRG [NYSE: NRG] bought Green Mountain in November 2010 for $350 million. NRG also owns Direct Energy, Cirro Energy, Discount Power, Stream Energy, and XOOM Energy. Seven residential brands, one corporate parent with roughly 8 million customers and ~25 GW of generation capacity.

Here is what that means in practice: when you “choose Green Mountain for the environment,” your payment flows to a company that also operates natural gas and conventional generation assets. Green Mountain runs as its own brand within NRG, but the money goes to the same corporate treasury that funds Reliant’s Texans sponsorship.

NRG’s strategy is straightforward. Reliant captures mainstream customers with rewards, apps, and free-nights plans. Green Mountain captures environmentally motivated customers willing to pay a premium. Both charge above-market rates. Both generate profit for the same parent.

None of this makes Green Mountain dishonest. Their 100% renewable commitment is real and Green-e certified. But “green brand owned by a conventional energy conglomerate” is different from “independent green company.”

What They Actually Sell

Reliant’s Plans (12.5-20.6 cents/kWh at 1,000 kWh)

• Fixed-rate (12 and 24-month): 20-24% renewable content. ETFs of $150 and $295.
• Truly Free Nights (100% solar): Free 8 PM to 6 AM. 100% solar RECs.
• Truly Free Weekends (100% solar): Free 8 PM Friday through midnight Sunday. 100% solar RECs.
• Flextra Credits: 8 free days/month. 100% solar.
• Prepaid Power: No credit check, no deposit, $75 minimum.
• Solar Payback Plus: Single buyback plan at ~4.3 cents/kWh fixed.
• Clear Flex (variable): Month-to-month.

Green Mountain’s Plans (17.5-21.7 cents/kWh at 1,000 kWh)

• Pollution Free Conserve (12 and 24-month): 100% renewable via wind/solar RECs. Green-e certified. ETFs of $150 and $295.
• Pollution Free e-Plus (12 and 24-month): 100% renewable with enhanced renewable component.
• Pollution Free Green Savings Plus 24: $150 bill credit at 2,000+ kWh. 21.7 cents/kWh—their most expensive current plan.
• Go Local Solar: RECs from specific Texas solar parks (Dakota, Gable, Azure).
• Pollution Free Nights / Weekend Warrior: Time-of-use variants.
• Solar buyback (Renewable Rewards): Three tiers—Essentials (capped), Solar Credit (uncapped, lower rate), Solar Max (real-time wholesale pricing, no cap).

No prepaid plans. Every plan is 100% renewable by default.

The Price Gap in Real Numbers

At 1,200 kWh/month (average Texas household):

• Reliant at 12.5c/kWh: ~$150/month
• Green Mountain at 17.5c/kWh: ~$210/month
• Gap: $60/month, $720/year

At Green Mountain’s highest current plan (21.7c):

• Green Mountain: ~$260/month
• Gap vs Reliant: $110/month, $1,320/year

That is serious money. Over a 24-month contract, the difference ranges from $1,440 to $2,640.

The Green Energy Question

Both companies use renewable energy certificates (RECs). Green Mountain’s are Green-e certified by the Center for Resource Solutions—an annual third-party audit verifying they purchased enough RECs to match 100% of customer usage from wind and solar facilities on the ERCOT grid.

Reliant’s standard fixed-rate plans include 20-24% renewable content. The Truly Free Nights, Truly Free Weekends, and Flextra Credits plans are backed by 100% solar RECs. If you specifically choose a Reliant time-of-use plan, you get 100% renewable energy at a lower rate than Green Mountain charges.

The difference: Green Mountain’s commitment is unconditional. Every plan, every customer, every kilowatt-hour. Reliant’s is selective—100% renewable only on specific plans that cost more within Reliant’s own lineup.

Solar Buyback

Green Mountain wins on solar buyback depth. Three tiers give you options:

• Renewable Rewards Essentials: Credits capped at monthly grid usage.
• Renewable Rewards Solar Credit: Uncapped credits at a lower rate. Good for overproducers.
• Renewable Rewards Solar Max: Real-time wholesale pricing, no cap. Best for large systems.

Reliant offers one plan: Solar Payback Plus at ~4.3 cents/kWh fixed. Simpler but less flexible.

The Credit & Deposit Question

Both run credit checks. Both share NRG’s corporate infrastructure for deposit processing.

Reliant offers multiple deposit waiver paths (letter of credit, age 65+, military, medical/family violence) plus a prepaid plan that skips the credit check entirely.

Green Mountain offers deposit waivers for good credit, letter of credit from previous provider, and seniors/hardship cases. No prepaid option. If your credit is rough and you cannot cover the deposit, Green Mountain is not an option. You would need Reliant Prepaid, Payless Power, or another prepaid provider.

Customer Service

Both have 24/7 phone and chat support through NRG’s shared infrastructure. Service quality should be similar—same call centers, same systems.

Reliant: 1-866-222-7100, 24/7. Best-in-class mobile app. 90-day plan-switching window. Green Mountain: 1-866-785-4668 (existing), 1-833-561-9993 (new), 24/7. Mobile app for usage and bill pay. 90-day satisfaction guarantee.

Green Mountain’s staff tends to be more knowledgeable about renewable energy sourcing, which makes sense given their focus. Reliant’s app is more polished with more features (EV scheduling, solar tracking, Truly Free Tracker).

The Verdict

Choose Reliant if green energy is important but not worth $720-$1,320/year more. Reliant’s Truly Free Nights and Weekends plans are 100% solar at rates well below Green Mountain. You get renewable energy, specialty plan structures, prepaid as a backup, and a better app. The trade-off: 100% renewable is only available on specific plan types, not across the board.

Choose Green Mountain if 100% renewable energy on every plan is genuinely non-negotiable. Twenty-nine years of renewable-only track record. Green-e third-party certification. Three solar buyback tiers for solar panel owners. The premium is steep, but the environmental commitment is unconditional.

The budget alternative: If you want 100% green energy without Green Mountain’s premium, look at Gexa Energy. Every Gexa plan is 100% renewable with rates starting at 8.6 cents/kWh—half of Green Mountain’s price. Gexa is owned by NextEra, the world’s largest renewable energy generator. You get genuine green credentials without the NRG markup.