• Texas will be a testing ground for Reliant's new Learn and Conserve Plan, which will distribute Nest thermostats to customers who sign two-year contracts.
• The deal represents Nest's first move to utilize a utility company as a distribution channel for their thermostats, which can automate and keep track of owners' habits over time to reduce energy use.
• “A properly programmed thermostat can save 20% off your home electricity bill, and Nest’s auto-schedule feature makes it very easy to reach your energy-saving potential,” Nest Vice President of Sales and Marketing Erik Charlton said in a statement.

From the press release:

Reliant is bringing customers a unique electricity plan featuring an innovative learning thermostat to help manage home electricity use. Reliant is the first and only electricity provider in Texas to offer the Nest Learning ThermostatTM with the new Reliant Learn & Conserve Plan SM.

The Nest Learning ThermostatTM learns about the customer’s lifestyle and automatically adjusts itself when they’re away; guides them to energy-efficient temperatures when they’re home; and frees them from programming hassles by creating a personalized schedule based on temperature-change history. ...