Base vs. Green Mountain Energy
Green Mountain is the original 100% renewable provider — a credible, mission-driven brand at a premium price. Here's an honest look at its plans, reviews, and complaints, and where Base fits.
Compare your Base rate to Green Mountain Energy in about two minutes.
Researched and written by the Base Power team · Last updated May 27, 2026
How we review: we pull each provider's ownership, plan structure, and fees from public filings and Electricity Facts Labels, and cite every review score to a named third party. Rates and scores change — we link the sources so you can check the current numbers.
Green Mountain is the clear fit for Texans whose top priority is genuinely 100% renewable electricity from the category's pioneer, and who will accept a premium per-kWh rate to get it. It's a poor fit for strict price-shoppers — its rates sit among the market's highest, which is precisely the gap a flat-rate provider like Base targets.
Quick answer
Is Green Mountain Energy worth it compared to Base?
In its own bill comparisons, Base reports savings reaching 32% versus Green Mountain (basepowercompany.com/compare) — consistent with Green Mountain's premium green pricing. That's Base's own published figure, not a third-party finding; confirm against both EFLs at your usage.
The savings figure comes from Base's own member billing data.
Green Mountain Energy vs. Base
Green Mountain asks you to pay a premium for 100% renewable energy from the category pioneer — a fair trade if that's your priority. Base competes on transparent cost instead: one flat energy rate (advertised at 8¢/kWh) at any usage, a flat monthly membership, pass-through TDU delivery, and an optional whole-home battery as a separate product. If the environment is your top priority, Green Mountain's tenure is hard to match; if it's predictable cost, that's Base's focus.
Green Mountain Energy | Flat & clear | Texas average | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy charge | 11.87¢ per kWh | 8¢ per kWh | 11.24¢ per kWh |
| Example delivery charge | 5.15¢ per kWh | 5.15¢ per kWh | 5.15¢ per kWh |
| All-in rate | 17.02¢ per kWh | 13.15¢ per kWh | 16.39¢ per kWh |
| Avg. monthly bill | $187 per month | $144 per month | $180 per month |
You can obtain important standardized information that will allow you to compare this product with other offers. Contact Base Texas REP, LLC, 512-518-1009, and www.basepowercompany.com.
Who is Green Mountain Energy?
Green Mountain Energy is the original green electricity brand in America — founded in Vermont in 1997, headquartered in Austin since 2000, and the first retailer to offer renewable energy in Texas when the market opened in 2002. It has been owned since 2010 by NRG Energy (the same parent as Reliant and Cirro), but it has kept a distinct, mission-driven identity.
Its whole proposition is environmental: every plan is 100% renewable, backed by renewable energy certificates, and it has a long, verifiable green track record (REC matching, a renewable buyback program, and marquee projects). The trade-off is consistent and well-documented — Green Mountain's rates are among the highest in the Texas market, the premium you pay for the category's original green brand, in Texas since 2002.
Founded
1997 (entered Texas 2002)
Headquarters
Austin, TX
Parent company
NRG Energy (NYSE: NRG)
Ownership: Green Mountain was founded in Vermont in 1997 as the first 100% renewable retailer in the U.S., moved its headquarters to Austin in 2000, and became the first REP to offer renewable energy in Texas in 2002. NRG Energy acquired it for $350 million in 2010; it shares the NRG parent with Reliant and Cirro.
Scale & coverage: Green Mountain Energy hundreds of thousands of customers across seven states (exact Texas count not disclosed), across deregulated Texas — Oncor, CenterPoint, AEP Texas, and TNMP.
Green Mountain Energy plans and rates
Green Mountain's advertised rates are as advertised in late May 2026 and varies by utility zone and usage — treat these as representative, not a quote, and check the live Electricity Facts Label on Power to Choose before you sign up.
Pollution Free fixed plans
12–36 month 100% renewable fixed plans — the core lineup.
Conserve variants
Plans with a monthly charge structure aimed at lower-usage, conservation-minded homes.
Renewable Rewards (buyback)
A residential renewable buyback for solar export.
Rate at 1,000 kWh
~14.4–18.9¢/kWh
Among the highest in the Texas market — the premium for 100% renewable from the original green brand.
Pollution Free e-Plus 24
$0/mo charge, $295 ETF
Pollution Free Conserve 12
$5/mo charge, $150 ETF
ETF runs ~$150 (12–15-mo) to ~$395 (36-mo) by term.
Renewable energy: Green Mountain advertises 100% renewable energy on every plan, backed by renewable energy certificates, and was the first REP to offer renewable energy in Texas. A 'green' product still draws from the shared grid; the renewable claim is met through REC matching, which Green Mountain has done longer than anyone in the market.
Green Mountain Energy fees and the fine print
Green Mountain's bill is its energy charge plus the pass-through TDU delivery charges your utility sets. The defining fact is price: its rates are consistently among the highest in Texas — that's the cost of 100% renewable energy from the category pioneer, not a hidden fee. Early-termination fees scale with term length (roughly $150 to $395). Notably, reviewers credit it for not price-gouging during Winter Storm Uri.
Every Texas provider passes the same regulated TDU delivery charges through to you, so delivery isn't where providers actually compete — the energy charge and plan structure are. Always pull the Electricity Facts Label and compare the all-in cost at your real usage.
Green Mountain Energy customer reviews
Green Mountain's review picture is almost entirely about price. Its unsolicited scores are low (Texas Electricity Ratings 1.7/5), and the recurring complaint is straightforward: the rates are high. Its regulatory record is actually middle-of-the-pack with reportedly zero service-quality complaints — the friction is the bill, not the service. For the customer who specifically wants 100% renewable from the original green brand, that premium is the point; for everyone else, it's the catch.
Texas Electricity Ratings
1.7 out of 5
364 reviews
Unsolicited reviews; the dominant theme is price (as of May 2026).
View source →~3.9–4.2 out of 5
Solicited; figures vary by source and date, May 2026 — verify live.
View source →Better Business Bureau
~1.3 (customer reviews) out of 5
~41 customer reviews; confirm the current letter grade live.
View source →Review scores are point-in-time and were last checked May 27, 2026; follow each link for the current figure. We cite third-party sources rather than publishing our own customer quotes.
Common Green Mountain Energy complaints
- Premium pricing — by far the dominant theme; its plans are among the highest-priced in the market.
- Billing clarity and unexpected charges.
- Customer-service responsiveness on disputes, such as cancellation and ETF friction.
Green Mountain logged on the order of 122–132 PUC complaints in a recent trailing year — roughly at or slightly above the per-provider industry average — but reportedly with zero service-quality complaints, the volume skewed toward billing. The takeaway: the complaints are about price, not broken service.
In fairness
What Green Mountain Energy is genuinely good at
Every Green Mountain plan is 100% renewable, backed by renewable energy certificates, and it's the longest-running green retailer in the country — a genuinely mission-driven brand with a real environmental track record (REC matching since 2002, plus a renewable buyback program for solar). Reviewers also credit it for not price-gouging during Winter Storm Uri, when many variable-rate customers got hit hard.
If 100% renewable energy from the category's original brand is your top priority, Green Mountain has the strongest track record in the market.
- Renewable leadership and tenure — the original (1997) and longest-serving 100% green REP in the U.S., with a credible, verifiable environmental track record.
- Mission-driven brand trust among eco-minded customers, plus NRG's financial backing.
- A reputation for not price-gouging during Winter Storm Uri, when many variable-rate customers were hit hard.
Before you switch from Green Mountain Energy
Green Mountain's rates are consistently among the highest in Texas — the premium for that renewable pedigree. It's also one of the lowest-reviewed providers we cover: 1.7 out of 5 on Texas Electricity Ratings across 364 reviews, with price the dominant complaint — it reportedly logs zero service-quality complaints.
Compare the full Electricity Facts Label rate at your own usage before deciding the green premium is worth it.
Green Mountain Energy review FAQs
Shopping by city instead? See electricity rates by city or how to choose a provider in your city.
See how Base compares in two minutes
Enter your address for an all-in rate — one flat energy charge, pass-through delivery, and a flat membership, with no teaser pricing or bill-credit games.
Takes about two minutes.
Sources
- Wikipedia — Green Mountain Energy (history, NRG 2010)
- Green Mountain Energy — NRG acquisition (company release)
- Texas Electricity Ratings — Green Mountain Energy
- Power to Choose — official PUCT marketplace (compare EFLs)
- U.S. EIA — Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A (Mar 2026)
Plan documents: Electricity Facts Label (EFL) · Terms of Service & Your Rights as a Customer. Products and pricing are offered to qualified customers in Texas only.