The Reliant Truly Free Nights plan is a popular plan offered by Reliant Energy, offering you free electricity every night from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., meaning you won’t pay any energy or delivery charges during those hours.
A time-of-use plan, this offering may suit your needs if you don’t have significant heating or cooling needs during peak daytime hours and use the brunt of your energy at night.
This plan uses 100% solar energy, but does not require you to install any solar panels. Plus, it comes with a fixed rate to help protect you from unexpected spikes in your bill, making it a convenient and stable plan option for those passionate about sustainability.
The Reliant Truly Free Nights Solar 12 Plan rate typically ranges from 18 to 20 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh), depending on your location and usage. You can compare the Reliant Truly Free Nights 12 Plan with other Reliant options on Home Energy Club or simply enter your ZIP code to find the most affordable electricity plans available in Texas.
Reliant Truly Free Nights Rates by City
The Reliant Truly Free Nights plan offers free electricity during select overnight hours, but the rates during the paid windows may vary city to city. In Houston, for instance, the average rate is approximately 18.8 cents per kWh, while in Dallas, it’s about 19.2 cents per kWh, based on 2,000 kWh monthly usage.
These rates reflect the plan’s structure, where daytime energy charges are higher to offset the free nighttime usage. Actual rates may differ based on individual consumption patterns and market changes, but you can use the table below to get a sense of this plan’s rate in major Texas cities.
| City | Rate @ 500 kWh (Cents per kWh) | Rate @ 1,000 kWh (Cents per kWh) | Rate @ 2,000 kWh (Cents per kWh) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carrollton | 21.7 | 20.9 | 20.5 |
| Dallas | 20.2 | 19.8 | 19.5 |
| Lubbock | 21.5 | 21.5 | 21.5 |
| Houston | 19.7 | 19.2 | 18.9 |
| Abilene | 22.0 | 21.7 | 21.5 |
| Corpus Christi | 20.0 | 19.7 | 19.5 |
Prices are accurate as of May 2025.
Reliant Truly Free Nights Plan Features
The Reliant Truly Free Nights plan offers customers free electricity every night for 10 hours, allowing significant savings for those who can shift their energy usage to nighttime hours. This plan is powered entirely by solar energy, enabling environmentally conscious consumers to support renewable energy without installing solar panels.
Key features of the plan include:
- Fixed-rate plan: This plan locks in one rate for the 12-month contract, ensuring price protection with a consistent energy charge.
- 100% renewable energy: Reliant matches all electricity usage with solar renewable energy certificates (RECs).
- $150 early termination fee: Penalty fees apply if you end the contract before the term concludes, unless moving to a new address.
Is the Reliant Truly Free Nights Plan Right for You?
The Reliant Truly Free Nights plan is a time-of-use electricity plan, which means you receive free electricity during a specific time window — every night from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.. Whether this type of plan will help lower your energy bills depends largely on your daily usage habits.
If most of your electricity use happens during the free hours, the Reliant Truly Free Nights plan could offer real savings. However, electricity rates outside the free period are generally higher; carefully review the rate structure in the electricity facts label (EFL) before signing up.
While you’ll enjoy $0 energy during the off-peak, free hours, you’ll pay much higher rates for daytime usage. This plan’s energy charge in the Houston area, the cheapest utility service area at the time of writing this review, the energy charge is 27.9 cents per kWh. That’s nearly double the statewide average energy rate of 14.89 cents per kWh, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).
Additionally, that energy charge doesn’t even include the utility delivery charges. Add those fees in, and you’ll find yourself paying well over 30 cents per kWh for any energy used during the peak, daytime periods.
How To Sign Up for Reliant Truly Free Nights
To sign up for the Reliant Truly Free Nights plan, simply visit Reliant’s website, punch in your ZIP code and search for the Truly Free Nights plan. You can sign up online or over the phone. Reliant will guide you through the sign-up process, which will require your address, identification and start date.
Before signing up for any energy plan, we encourage you to review the plan details, including the EFL and the average price per kilowatt-hour across all usage levels.
Compare Reliant Energy Plan Options
Reliant Energy offers a wide range of plans, including month-to-month plans, green energy plans, bill credit plans and fixed rates with up to 36-month contracts.
If a time-of-use plan such as Truly Free Nights isn’t right for your energy usage habits, consider signing up for one of the following Reliant plans.
| Plan Name | Rate(Cents per kWh) | Term Length (Months) | Key Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reliant Secure Advantage 12 | 18.1 | 12 | Straightforward, gimmick-free plan |
| Reliant Power Savings 2,000 kWh 36 | 21.1 | 36 | Bill credit for monthly usage of 2,000 kWh or more |
| Reliant Get More, Save More 36 | 17.5 | 36 | Lower rate after 1,000 kWh |
| Reliant Get More, Save More 12 | 18.1 | 12 | Lower rate after 1,000 kWh |
| Reliant Flextra Credits 24 | 19.2 | 24 | 2 highest-usage days a week free + 100% solar |
| Reliant Secure Advantage® 24 | 17.1 | 24 | Straightforward, gimmick-free plan |
| Reliant Clear Flex | 10.1 | Month-to-month | No commitment, variable rate plan |
| Reliant Apartment 12 | 18.5 | 12 | Best for apartments |
| Reliant Truly Free Weekends 100% Solar 12 | 19.2 | 12 | Free from 8 p.m. Friday to midnight Monday |
| Reliant Choose to Give 12 | 18.7 | 12 | $100 donation to the American Heart Association |
| Reliant Solar Payback Match 12 | 17.2 | 12 | Solar panel required, 5.9¢ payback rate |
Frequently Asked Questions
Reliant Energy offers time-of-use plans that provide free electricity during specific periods, including nights and weekends. These plans may help customers save on energy costs by shifting their usage to designated free periods. The Truly Free Nights plan offers free electricity every night from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., while the Truly Free Weekends plan provides free electricity from 8 p.m. Friday to 12 a.m. Monday every weekend.
Reliant Energy’s peak hours depend on the specific electricity plan you choose, especially for time-of-use plans such as the Truly Free Nights or Truly Free Weekends. For the Truly Free Nights plan, peak hours are between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. For the Truly Free Weekends, peak hours run from 12 a.m. Monday to 8 p.m. Friday.
In Texas, electricity providers, such as Reliant Energy, must adhere to regulations set by the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) regarding service disconnection for non-payment. If you miss a payment, Reliant will send you a disconnection notice after your bill’s due date. This notice will specify a disconnection date at least 10 days from the date the notice is issued. Note that disconnections are not scheduled on holidays or weekends unless the provider offers service on those days.
Both Reliant Energy and TXU Energy offer “Free Nights” electricity plans, each with distinct features. Each plan offers free electricity during nighttime hours and utilizes solar energy during the day.
