Ok Google

5 reasons why you need this hot Black Friday deal from Reliant

Reliant is giving you one of these — plus a Google Home Mini — for free.

Photo courtesy of Nest

If you are still adjusting your thermostat by hand, it's time to get with the times and embrace technology. Specifically voice-activated technology, like the kind offered by Reliant with its new plan that includes the Google Home Mini, which you can use to control your home's temperature through the Nest Thermostat E.

Launching on Black Friday, November 24, Reliant can hook you up with the Speak & Save 12 plan, which promises a year of price security plus the opportunity to save energy with the Nest Thermostat E and make your life easier with a Google Home Mini.*

How much easier? Here are five ways.

1. Just say the word
Feeling a little chilly? Say, "Ok Google, make it warmer." Google Home Mini is powered by the Google Assistant, so you can easily adjust your new Nest Thermostat E, play music, get answers from Google Search, manage everyday tasks, and more. It even recognizes different voices, so answers are personalized for you.

2. You will save money
The Nest Thermostat E programs itself so you can help reduce your AC usage by up to 15 percent.** Like the original Nest Learning Thermostat, the E turns itself down when you're away, so you don't waste energy heating or cooling an empty home. Over time, it even learns your schedule and makes suggestions for more energy efficient settings. And with a Nest Thermostat E and price security from the Reliant Speak & Save 12 plan, the savings can stack up.

3. Control temps from your phone
Not at home to tell your Google Home Mini what to do? The easy-to-use Nest mobile app lets you control your home's temperature even while you're away. Check the current temp, plan for a sudden weather change, or adjust the setting when you're officially leaving for vacation. It's almost as satisfying as putting up your out-of-office email message.

4. It will simplify other aspects of your life
Reliant’s mission is to power, protect and simplify lives for its customers that’s why Reliant offers the Google Home Mini, which lets you control more than 1,000 smart home devices from over 150 brands with just your voice. Using only a simple voice command, get the latest on weather, traffic, finance, sports, local businesses, and more, or play music and your own personal playlists from popular online services. Its high excursion speaker delivers HiFi sound quality and will always hear you reliably, thanks to far-field microphones.

5. They fit with almost any decor
The redesigned Nest Thermostat E features a frosted display that blends in beautifully to complement any home’s decor, and the Google Home Mini is sleek and compact. Both look even better when you remember that they're included in your Reliant Speak & Save 12 plan.

*Changes in law or regulatory charges allowed by the Public Utility Commission of Texas will impact your price. Enrollment in the Reliant Speak & Save 12 plan provides one Nest Thermostat E and one Google Home Mini per household and requires a residential service address served by Reliant. Allow up to 8 weeks for delivery. Nest Thermostat E is a trademark of Nest Labs, Inc. All rights reserved. Google Home Mini is a trademark of Google LLC. Reliant is a registered service mark of Reliant Energy Retail Holdings, LLC. Reliant Energy Retail Services, LLC (PUCT Certificate #10007). ©2017 Reliant Energy Retail Holdings, LLC. All rights reserved.

**Based on independent studies by Energy Trust of Oregon and Vectren of actual Nest Thermostat devices.

let loose dallas

Dallas earns a slot on new list of America's most fun cities

Photo by Mark Patterson on Unsplash

Dallas is a fun place to be, the study says.

Dallas' fun entertainment and nightlife scenes have helped the city improve in WalletHub's just-released ranking of the most fun American cities in 2025. Dallas now stands tall as the 26th most fun U.S. city this year.

WalletHub's "Most Fun Cities in America (2025)" study compared 182 U.S. cities across 65 metrics — spanning from the number of sports venues, music venues, and shopping centers per capita to the average cost for a restaurant meal — to determine how "fun" each city is. The metrics were split among three main categories: entertainment and recreation, nightlife and parties, and cost.

Las Vegas, Nevada continued its multi-year streak as the No. 1 most fun American city.

Across the three key dimensions, Dallas scored the highest for its nightlife and parties rank (No. 23), but its entertainment and recreation ranks (No. 35) and costs (No. 99) still have room for improvement. But overall, Dallas' level of "fun" is far higher than most U.S. cities.

Dallas' current "fun" status is five places higher than its 2024 rank as the No. 31 most fun American city.

Elsewhere in North Texas, Fort Worth ranked as the 60th most fun American city, while Arlington (No. 71) and Plano (No. 78) lagged farther behind.

Texas' most fun cities
Houston overtook Austin as the 6th most fun city in America and the No. 1 most fun Texas city for 2025. Austin, which ranked No. 6 last year, dropped two spots and now ranks No. 8 on the list.

Three more Texas cities that appeared in the top 100 include: San Antonio (No. 23), El Paso (No. 62), and Corpus Christi (No. 94).

"The decision of where to live could save or cost you a lot of money and fun, so it’s fair to wonder what makes a fun city," the report's author wrote. "In a city with enough variety, you won’t have to compromise with your friends, family, or even yourself about the next fun activity to do alone or together."

Surprisingly, both Chicago and New York City dropped out of the top 10 most fun American cities. Chicago now ranks as No. 11, and New York City ranks 14th on the list.

WalletHub's top 10 most fun U.S. cities in 2025 are:

No. 1 – Las Vegas, Nevada
No. 2 – Orlando, Florida
No. 3 – Miami, Florida
No. 4 – Atlanta, Georgia
No. 5 – New Orleans, Louisiana
No. 6 – Houston, Texas
No. 7 – San Francisco, California
No. 8 – Austin, Texas
No. 9 – Portland, Oregon
No. 10 – Cincinnati, Ohio

rankings wallethub dallas