Guide to programs to help pay a Reliant Energy Bill.
Reliant Energy, now part of NRG Energy, is one of the largest retail electricity providers in Texas. Because Texas has a deregulated electricity market, Reliant is your retail provider — the company you pay — while a separate company (like CenterPoint in Houston) owns and maintains the actual wires. That matters when you're looking for help, because some programs that we document below come from Reliant directly and others come from the state or the “wires” company serving your area.
Call Before You Fall Further Behind
If your account is past due and you're worried about disconnection, calling Reliant before you get a shutoff notice gives you more options. Payment arrangements and short-term extensions are available for customers dealing with a temporary hardship, and working something out before the account reaches cutoff avoids the reconnection fees and deposit requirements that come after the fact. Reliant can also point you toward social service agencies in your area that may have funds available. Call the number on your bill or visit https://www.reliant.com/ to start that conversation.
CARE — Community Assistance by Reliant Energy
CARE is Reliant's main assistance program for customers who can't pay their electric bill due to a genuine hardship — job loss, a serious illness, death in the family, or similar circumstances. The program is funded by Reliant, customers, and community contributions and distributed through local nonprofit social service agencies across Texas. Reliant partners with organizations like Baker Ripley, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, and Memorial Assistance Ministries in the Houston area, and Concho Valley Community Action Agency in other parts of the state, among others.
Because funds are held and distributed by those agencies rather than by Reliant directly, the way to find out whether CARE money is available in your area — and to apply — is to call 2-1-1 from anywhere in Texas or visit 211texas.org. The agencies using CARE funds determine eligibility based on their own hardship criteria, so the process varies by location.
One-time grants from CARE are not guaranteed — funding is limited and runs out — so contacting an agency sooner rather than later matters.
Deposit Help — Low Income Deposit Program
Starting new electric service typically requires a deposit, which can be a significant upfront barrier. Reliant's Low Income Deposit program can help qualifying customers with that cost, and seniors 65 and older may have the deposit waived entirely. Eligibility for the deposit program generally covers seniors between 60 and 64, people with disabilities, and families with children under six. The program works through partner agencies including social services offices in Harris and Fort Bend counties. For details and current availability, contact Reliant directly or ask through 2-1-1.
Average Billing
Reliant's Average Billing option spreads your projected annual electricity costs across equal monthly payments instead of letting your bill spike in August and dip in March. It doesn't lower your total usage cost, but it removes the unpredictability that can turn a bad summer month into a crisis. It's available to residential customers and you can sign up through your Reliant account online.
CEAP and Government Assistance
Texas's Comprehensive Energy Assistance Program (CEAP) — the state's version of federal LIHEAP — provides grants toward electricity bills for low-income households and can cover crisis situations when shutoff is imminent. Details on how CEAP works, what it covers, and how to apply are on the Texas CEAP and Weatherization page. Reliant's customer service team can also help point you toward local agencies that handle CEAP applications.
Summer Assistance
Reliant runs a separate set of programs specifically for the summer months, including Beat the Heat cooling centers, AC unit donations, and increased CARE funding. Those are covered on the Reliant summer cooling assistance page.
A Note on Plan-Switching Scams
In Texas's deregulated market, scammers sometimes call Reliant customers pretending to offer a better electricity plan or a billing credit, then ask for your account number, Social Security number, or a payment to lock in the rate. This is a known fraud pattern in deregulated states. Reliant will not call you out of the blue asking for personal information or payment to access a discount. If you get a call like that, hang up and call the number on your Reliant bill to check whether anything on your account actually needs attention.
This page provides general educational information about assistance programs available to Reliant Energy customers in Texas. It is not legal or financial advice. Program availability, eligibility rules, and funding levels change. Confirm current details directly with Reliant Energy or the relevant assistance agency before relying on anything described here.
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