Five Reasons We Are Thankful This Year

Tis the season to give thanks. At NRG, we are thankful for so much in our lives, but here are five things we’ve decided that have had a particularly positive impact on our past year.

1. Our devoted employees

First and foremost, we are thankful for our hard-working and dedicated employees. They’re the ones who make it all happen and bring our products and services to fruition. It is their time, effort, and dedication to excellence that makes NRG one of the best energy companies in the world, and a top-50 employer in the U.S., according to a recent Forbes article. Some of our employees approach their roles with creative mindsets, some are naturally analytical, and some are ace problem solvers. This diversity across our staff creates the ideal environment for collaboration, which ultimately gives rise to the exciting products and services we offer.

2. Culture of volunteerism

A large part of NRG’s mission is to better the communities in which we operate. Our customers and employees live and work in these areas so it’s important to us that our products and services provide a positive impact on them. This notion extends far beyond providing reliable and efficient electricity — and into the realm of community outreach and volunteerism. Each year, NRG dedicates a whole week when we focus heavily on volunteering all across the country. This year, 800 of our employees volunteered over 4,100 hours to nearly 80 different charities and nonprofits. Particular focus was placed on two food banks in Princeton, NJ, and Houston, TX. Collectively, our teams sorted 450 boxes of donations (12,600 pounds) into 10,500 meals. This holiday season be sure to keep your local food banks in mind and try to help out in any way you can. Through compassionate volunteerism, we can help make the holidays special for everyone. 

3. Robust sustainability goals

Positively effecting our communities comes in many different forms and fashions. In addition to pushing the limit in volunteer work, NRG has initiated some of the most aggressive sustainability goals in the country — a 50% reduction five years early (by 2025) and to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. This goal aligns with new Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which calls for limiting global warming to a 1.5° Celsius increase.

Achieving our newly announced goals will avoid approximately 1 billion tons of CO2 emissions by 2050. We care about our planet and our future generations, and we believe an effective strategy for ensuring a healthy future starts with setting industry-leading goals that encourage other companies to improve theirs.

4. The opportunity to innovate

Part of what makes our day-to-day so exciting is the opportunity to achieve groundbreaking goals. It’s in our DNA to take customers down the road to innovation, leading us and them to many positive outcomes. Examples include our online customer portals, a sustainability-driven energy plan for businesses, and a version for residential customers.

Whether managing a home or a business, our online portals empower customers by providing them with an intuitive, easily accessible resource. From here, they can make changes to their energy plan, monitor usage in real-time, pay their bill, or discover industry trends. Renewable Select is a game-changing plan for businesses that delivers renewable energy with a simple contract, no lengthy negotiations, and no need for an on-site installation or significant investment. Similarly, our retail brand, Reliant, brings ease to homeowners through the Reliant Truly Free Plan + Google Hub — an easy way to keep an eye on energy efficiency, manage their account with voice commands, and create personalized routines.

5. You, our customers

Lastly, but definitely not least, we are thankful for our customers. You are the ones who drive us to create and develop the very best electricity and energy services and solutions in the market. We take pride in knowing that what we’re doing is making a difference for you — whether that means keeping the lights on for your facility’s busy night shift, or keeping your large on-site data center up and running during times of peak grid stress, our motivation comes from you — and for that, we are thankful.