"Call Reliant when your power is out." Wrong number.
Most contact guides list one Reliant number and stop there. That gets you to the right place for a billing question. It is the wrong place for an outage, a downed line, or a meter problem. In Texas, the company that bills you (your REP) and the company that delivers the electricity (your TDU) are separate businesses, by law.
Reliant Energy is the REP. CenterPoint Energy owns the wires in greater Houston, Oncor owns them in Dallas-Fort Worth and most of North Texas, AEP Texas covers the South Texas coast and Central Texas, and TNMP covers a patchwork of growth areas. When your power goes out, the crew that rolls a bucket truck is a TDU crew. Calling Reliant about a downed pole is like calling Verizon about a broken pothole.
The historical kicker: until 2002, "Reliant Energy HL&P" was the integrated utility for Houston, owning both the wires and the retail business. Texas Senate Bill 7 forced that company to split. The wires went to what is now CenterPoint Energy; the retail name and customers became today's Reliant Energy. Same trademark, different company, different job.
The Reliant Energy contact channels.
Three categories of channel, each owned by a different team. Pick the right one and you skip the transfer.
Reliant residential
Customer service line
One number for billing, plan changes, deposits, payment arrangements, contract questions and chat. Available 24/7.
1-844-217-0177Reliant business
Business & commercial
Small, mid-market and large commercial accounts. Brokered quotes, multi-site agreements, demand-response programs. Business hours.
1-866-222-7100Your TDU, not Reliant
Outages & gas leaks
Power out, downed lines, meter problems, smell of gas. In Houston, that is CenterPoint. Elsewhere, your TDU. Reliant cannot dispatch crews.
CenterPoint 1-800-332-7143If you live outside Houston, swap the third card for your own TDU (Oncor 1-888-313-4747, AEP Texas 1-866-223-8508, TNMP 1-888-866-7456). The principle is the same: outage equals TDU, not REP.
Every issue, the right channel, the right hours.
A flat lookup table. Match your situation in column one, dial column two, expect to reach a human inside column three.
| Your situation | Who to call | Number | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Billing, payment plan, deposit | Reliant residential CS | 1-844-217-0177 | 24/7 |
| Sign up for new residential service | Reliant new orders | 1-866-735-4268 | 7 days, extended hours |
| Business or commercial account | Reliant business | 1-866-222-7100 | Mon-Fri 7am-7pm CT |
| Power outage in Houston metro | CenterPoint Energy | 1-800-332-7143 | 24/7 |
| Power outage in DFW / North TX | Oncor | 1-888-313-4747 | 24/7 |
| Power outage in South / Central TX | AEP Texas | 1-866-223-8508 | 24/7 |
| Power outage in TNMP territory | Texas-New Mexico Power | 1-888-866-7456 | 24/7 |
| Smell of gas (CenterPoint gas) | CenterPoint Gas emergency | 1-888-876-5786 | 24/7 |
| Unresolved complaint after Reliant | PUCT Customer Protection | 1-888-782-8477 | Mon-Fri 8am-5pm CT |
CenterPoint, Oncor, AEP and TNMP numbers verified against the Public Utility Commission of Texas TDU registry, May 2026. Reliant Energy residential CS verified from reliant.com.
Around 80% of "Reliant" outage calls reach Reliant by mistake.
Reliant's own IVR opens with a reminder: for outages, hang up and call your TDU. The reminder exists because the agents on the line cannot help. They have no access to the wires, the substations, the crews or the trouble tickets.
That is not a Reliant quirk. It is how every Texas REP works since deregulation in January 2002. Your TDU is assigned to you by your physical address, by the PUCT. You cannot choose it, you cannot shop it. Save its number in your phone the day you move in.
The small upside: TDUs have direct outage maps. CenterPoint runs one of the better ones in the country. You can usually see your ETR (estimated time of restoration) before a human picks up.
How Reliant ended up splitting into two companies.
A short timeline that explains why two organisations both carry "Reliant" DNA: one delivers your power, the other bills you for it.
Pre-2002: Reliant Energy HL&P
"Reliant Energy HL&P" (Houston Lighting & Power) is the integrated Houston-area utility. It owns the wires, the substations, the power plants and the customer relationships. One bill, one company.
January 2002: Senate Bill 7 splits the market
Texas deregulates retail electricity. Integrated utilities must legally separate wires (regulated) from retail (competitive). Reliant Energy HL&P is broken in two.
2002-2003: Wires renamed CenterPoint
The wires side keeps the Houston territory and is rebranded CenterPoint Energy. It is a regulated monopoly: IOU classification, PUCT oversight, no retail competition.
2002-2009: Reliant becomes a stand-alone REP
The retail side keeps the "Reliant Energy" name and Houston customer base, becomes a competitive REP, and runs as an independent public company. It serves customers across all four TDU zones.
June 2009: NRG buys Reliant
NRG Energy acquires the Reliant retail business in June 2009. At the time Reliant had 1.8 million customers and was the second-largest REP in Texas. Reliant joins NRG alongside Green Mountain (2010) and Direct Energy (2021).
The names are confusing on purpose. Twenty-plus years after the split, many Houstonians still say "Reliant" when they mean "the power company" without specifying whether they want the wires guy (CenterPoint) or the bill guy (Reliant). The first question any agent asks is which one you actually need.
5 mistakes when you contact Reliant.
Five real patterns from Reliant call recordings and complaint files. Each one costs time, money or both.
CenterPoint Energy: the number you actually need.
CenterPoint is the regulated wires company for greater Houston. It inherited the Reliant Energy HL&P distribution network in 2002. Save it next to Reliant in your phone.
Three Reliants, one parent: NRG Energy.
Reliant shares its corporate parent with Direct Energy and Green Mountain. Their contact lines are separate, but the wholesale desk behind your supply is shared.
What to do before you dial Reliant.
Confirm the problem is yours, not the wires
If neighbors are also out, it is a TDU issue. Power on but bill weird, it is a REP issue. Wrong meter read, both teams must talk; start with your TDU.
Pull your last 3 bills
Account number, plan name, contract end date, last 3 kWh totals. Saves five minutes of agent search and avoids "let me transfer you".
Have your EFL handy
Your EFL is the contract. Bring up the exact line you want to debate; verbal "I was told" rarely beats the EFL.
Ask for a reference number
Required for any payment arrangement, plan change, deposit waiver or disconnection hold. Without it, the verbal promise rarely survives the next billing cycle.
If you struggle to pay, ask about CEAP
Texas administers federal LIHEAP as CEAP through TDHCA. Apply before disconnection; Reliant must offer a deferred payment plan.
Escalate to PUCT if stuck
After Reliant has had a fair shot, file a complaint with the Public Utility Commission of Texas at 1-888-782-8477. Free, neutral, regulator-enforced response timeline.
Common questions about contacting Reliant Energy.
For all residential customer service (billing, plan changes, deposits, payment arrangements, contract questions): 1-844-217-0177, available 24/7 by phone and chat. For new residential service or to sign up: 1-866-735-4268. For business or commercial accounts: 1-866-222-7100, weekdays during business hours.
No. In Texas, retail providers like Reliant do not own the wires or dispatch repair crews. Outages, downed lines, sparking meters and tree-on-line situations go to your TDU. In greater Houston that is CenterPoint Energy at 1-800-332-7143, available 24/7. Outside Houston: Oncor 1-888-313-4747 (DFW and North TX), AEP Texas 1-866-223-8508 (South and Central TX) or TNMP 1-888-866-7456.
Reliant Energy is a wholly-owned subsidiary of NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NRG), a Fortune 500 power producer headquartered in Houston. NRG acquired the Reliant retail business in June 2009, when Reliant had about 1.8 million customers and was the second-largest REP in Texas. NRG also owns Green Mountain Energy (since 2010) and Direct Energy (since January 2021).
No, but they share a history. Before 2002, Houston was served by an integrated utility called Reliant Energy HL&P (Houston Lighting & Power). Texas Senate Bill 7 split that company in two when retail deregulation took effect in January 2002: the wires became CenterPoint Energy (a regulated IOU with no retail competition), and the retail name and customers became today's competitive Reliant Energy REP. CenterPoint delivers your power; Reliant bills you for it.
Yes. Live chat is available 24/7 at reliant.com and inside the MyAccount portal at myaccount.reliant.com. Reliant does not publish a general customer service email address; for written complaints, use the postal address on your bill or file directly with the PUCT if Reliant cannot resolve the issue.
Texas REPs are regulated by the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT). After giving Reliant a chance to resolve the issue, file a complaint with the PUCT Customer Protection Division at 1-888-782-8477 or online at puc.texas.gov. The service is free; Reliant must respond on a PUCT-set timeline.
More U.S. states with energy choice
Same playbook, different utility. Pick another deregulated state to compare utilities, suppliers and switching rules.
