Reliant Energy
 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Electric utilities |
| Founded | 2000 |
| Headquarters | Houston, Texas |
Area served | Texas, US |
Key people | Elizabeth Killinger (President)[1] |
| Products | Electricity generation Electric power transmission distribution |
| Parent | NRG Energy |
| Website | www.reliant.com |
Reliant Energy is an American energy company based in Houston, Texas.
History
Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Reliant Energy, a subsidiary of NRG Energy, is one of the largest Texas electricity providers serving over 1.5 million Texans.[2] Reliant provides over 23 million megawatts of power annually to residential and business customers.[3]
Reliant Energy was founded in 2000.[4] In June 2009, NRG Energy purchased Reliant Energy's retail electricity business. At the time, Reliant had 1.8 million customers and was the second largest electric provider in Texas.[5] The name Reliant Energy was retained and the surviving wholesale business was renamed RRI Energy, which was retired in 2012 after additional NRG acquisitions.
In 2010, Reliant Energy received a $20 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy as part of the DOE’s Recovery Act activities to fund a suite of Smart Grid products for upgrades of the nation’s electricity grid.[6].
In 2017, Reliant was awarded a MaritzCX CX (customer experience) Elite Award for excellence in customer experience strategy, execution, and results,[7] and the 2017 Temkin Group CX Excellence Award for customer experience transformation efforts, business and customer results, and sustainability.[8]
Over the last six months of 2017, the Public Utility Commission of Texas received a total of 118 complaints against Reliant including 22 slamming, and 2 cramming violations.[9].
Reliant Energy has received an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau. The BBB reports 194 complaints against the company in the last 3 years.[10]
Deregulation of electricity in Texas
On January 1, 2002, Texas deregulated the electricity industry and now there are 116 retail electric providers (REPs) currently doing business in the state.[11] Texas is one of 18 states that offers some level of deregulated electricity, with the state having the largest percentage (approximately 85%) of residents who are able to choose their service provider.[12]
With deregulation the transmission and distribution of the electricity is handled by Transmission and Distribution Utilities (TDUs) that must offer access to their wires to all REPs on a non-discriminatory basis.[13]
Deregulation eliminated monopolies and gave the residents and businesses in Texas competitive pricing options. Following the deregulation of the market, Reliant Energy began competing with other large energy companies in the state, including Direct Energy and TXU Corporation. Reliant Energy offers service to some of the largest cities in Texas including the Dallas/Fort Worth area in northeastern Texas, Houston and surrounding cities on the Gulf of Mexico including Corpus Christi and Galveston, and as far west as Midland.[14]
Renewable energy
Reliant Energy provides solar and wind turbine renewable energy options for its customers. The renewable energy options are only available in areas where the TDUs offer the service. Reliant provides sell back options for excess energy generated by an individual.[15]
In June 2013, the City of Houston signed a renewable energy agreement with Reliant, as part of Houston’s dedication to improving energy efficiency and increasing the use of solar and wind power as energy sources.[16] This deal included the purchase of 140 MW of wind energy output from 2013 to 2015.[17]
Community initiatives
NRG and Reliant Energy provided more than $2 million of disaster relief resources, in cash and in-kind relief efforts, for those impacted by Hurricane Harvey in Texas and Louisiana. Relief included deploying disaster-response power generation solutions, backup power and phone chargers, and direct financial relief for impacted customers.[18]
Reliant has provided electricity to Beat the Heat Centers in Texas since 2009. Partnering with local community centers, Reliant helps air condition buildings where the public can enjoy free AC, in a safe environment, throughout the summer while reducing home electricity use during the hottest days.[19][20]
In 2005, Reliant started the Scholarship for Champions program, which awards $5,000 to Houston-area student-athletes. Reliant has awarded more than $400,000 to 80 college-bound high school students.[21]
In 2016, Reliant started the crowd-sourced Reliant Gives program, where the public votes for their favorite charity to receive a prize of $100,000. Charities are nominated by Reliant employees, and the prize is given multiple times each year.[22] Since inception the program has given $460,000 distributed among 12 organizations.[23]
References
- ^ "Company Overview of Reliant Energy Retail Holdings, LLC". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
- ^ "Reliant offers free METRORAIL rides on gamedays". Houston Texans. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
- ^ Kaften, Cheryl. "Reliant's 'Power on the Go' Retail Plan Cuts the Cord with Free Portable Power Pack". Energy Manager Today. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
- ^ "Company Overview of Reliant Energy Retail Holdings, LLC". Bloomberg. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
- ^ "Customers won't see much change in NRG-Reliant deal". Chron. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
- ^ "Recovery Act State Memos" (PDF). Department of Energy. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
- ^ "MaritzCX Inducts 15 CX Elite Award Honorees at 2017 CXFusion Conference". MaritzCX. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
- ^ Temkin, Bruce. "2017 Temkin Group CX Excellence Award Winners". Customer Experience Matters. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
- ^ "Customer Complaint Statistics". Public Utility Commission of Texas. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
- ^ "Reliant Energy". Better Business Bureau. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
- ^ "Alphabetical Directory of Retail Electric Providers". Public Utility Commission of Texas. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
- ^ "State-by-State Look at Energy Regulation in the U.S." Spark Energy. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
- ^ "Transmission and Distribution Rates for Investor Owned Utilities". Public Utility Commission of Texas. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
- ^ "Areas We Serve". Reliant Energy. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
- ^ "Buying Renewable Power". Power To Choose. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
- ^ Ginsberg, Noah. "City of Houston Strikes Renewable Energy Deal with Reliant Energy". Acore. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
- ^ "Half of Houston's energy to come from renewables". Power Engineering. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
- ^ "Texans Helping Texans". Houston Texans. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
- ^ Gustafson, Heather. "Reliant Energy launches eighth annual Beat the Heat campaign". Kiiitv.com. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
- ^ "Mayor Turner, Reliant open 'Beat the Heat' Centers just in time for summer". CW39 NewsFix. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
- ^ "Scholarship for Champions". Houston Texans. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
- ^ "Vital Houston nonprofit receives $100,000 donation and recognition from Reliant". CultureMap Houston. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
- ^ "Reliant Gives". Reliant Energy. Retrieved 26 January 2018.