Direct Energy Innovation to Inspiration Tour Highlights Technology-Driven Transformation of Energy Service

HOUSTON, Sept. 18, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Energy service is no longer just about flipping a switch and paying a bill. It's about using new technology to manage energy with greater convenience and efficiency, adding value to your life or business and savings in your pocket. That's the driving theme of the Innovation to Inspiration tour launched this week by Direct Energy, North America's largest provider of electricity and energy-related home services. The centerpiece of the tour is a large mobile tractor trailer sized exhibit filled with new and innovative smart home technologies, putting the new face of energy service and savings on display to see, touch, and engage with.

"Energy service is transforming and Direct Energy is helping lead the way. We're not a utility. Rather, we are focused on offering our customers advanced, innovative services, clear choices, and complete solutions – not just electrons or molecules," said Badar Khan, Direct Energy President and CEO. "On this tour, we'll show and tell our customers about the new way forward in energy service, and how they can embrace the many amazing ways to manage energy use to make their lives better and easier."

The Innovation to Inspiration tour will highlight Direct Energy's partnerships with leading innovators like the Nest learning thermostat and SmartThings smart home solutions, and the many ways Direct Energy and its family of companies are bringing leading edge energy management technologies to homes and businesses.

The tour starts in the company's hometown of Houston on September 17, with a stop at the campus of the University of Houston. Later in the month, the mobile tour will travel to Columbus, Ohio; Pittsburgh and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Woodbridge, New Jersey; and New York City. The tour will include lively panel discussions about the future of energy service with regional and national experts, influencers, and policymakers, along with staging of the Innovation to Inspiration mobile exhibit. Visitors to the 40 by 26 feet exhibit will be able to see and learn the many benefits of technology-driven energy solutions, such as:

• Next generation Nest carbon dioxide/smoke detectors and monitors that literally speak with a human voice when a problem occurs;
• Automated, connected appliances with mobile app-enabled real time status information;
• Intelligent, automated water sprinklers that function based on location-specific soil and weather conditions;
• Nest learning thermostats that automatically adjust temperature settings based on customers' actual energy usage patterns.

For businesses, the exhibit features sensor, cloud- and software based solutions that report on and help automate energy usage settings, including detailed reporting on individual circuit breakers.

"With solutions powered by mobile apps and other new technology, Direct Energy is putting the future of energy service directly into the hands of our customers. We expect this new, customer-empowered future to accelerate as service providers, policymakers, and others work together to foster greater innovation and competition," said Khan. "Last winter was a reminder that transitioning to the new era of energy service includes challenges, but we're confident that moving forward in a positive direction will benefit consumers, businesses, and the environment."

Direct Energy 
Direct Energy is one of North America's largest energy and energy-related services providers with more than seven million residential and commercial customer relationships. Direct Energy provides customers with choice and support in managing their energy costs through a portfolio of innovative products and services. A subsidiary of Centrica plc (LSE:CNA), one of the world's leading integrated energy companies, Direct Energy operates in 46 U.S. states plus the District of Columbia and 10 provinces in Canada.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121004/MM87276LOGO

SOURCE Direct Energy