Direct Energy Launches New Leaf Energy to Offer Texans 100% Renewable Energy

HOUSTON, Sept. 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Direct Energy has launched New Leaf Energy, a new Texas brand that offers 100 percent renewable, air-pollution-free energy, 100 percent from Texas wind turbines. New Leaf Energy brings expanded product choice in Texas' green energy market and a variety of plan options that ease the way for residential customers in Greater Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Corpus Christi and beyond to help support long-term sustainability of the region and the planet.

"New Leaf Energy is committed to renewing the future, one household at a time," said Rob Comstock, senior vice president at Direct Energy and general manager for the company's Texas residential business. "It meets one of the industry's highest standards by sourcing only 100 percent Green-e® Certified renewable wind energy, at rates designed to make renewable energy easily accessible for consumers. By choosing New Leaf Energy, they are making a statement to electricity producers that they support and prefer electricity provided by renewable sources. As more people sign up with New Leaf Energy, more renewable energy is produced."

New Leaf Energy (NewLeafGreenEnergy.com) offers straightforward online signup for its 6-, 12- and 24-month Clear Fixed (fixed-rate) plans that feature the security of price protection for the specified time frames, and a no-contract term Clean Freedom (variable) plan that offers the option to switch to a fixed-rate plan from New Leaf Energy at any time.

For each New Leaf Energy customer on a 12-month Clear Fixed Plan, the environmental impact of choosing clean energy is equivalent to the carbon sequestered by 193 tree seedlings grown for 10 years.*

"New Leaf Energy customers can make a difference in our environment for only about $25 per month over average market electricity rates," Comstock said. "That's about the same as one premium cup of coffee a week — helping to renew the future shouldn't break families' budgets."

But New Leaf Energy's environmental commitment goes beyond attractive rates that increase access to 100 percent renewable energy, Comstock said. New Leaf Energy has already lined up community partnerships across the state to help improve the region where Texans live, work and play.

The New Leaf Energy events series will be highlighted through the New Leaf Energy blog (Blog.NewLeafGreenEnergy.com), Facebook page (Facebook.com/NewLeafGreenEnergy), Twitter feed (Twitter.com/NewLeafEnergy), and other channels. These community partnerships will build upon the environmentally-friendly investments such as Reduce Your Use™ for Good Grants made by parent company Direct Energy in the communities it serves.

* based on the average Texas household's yearly electricity consumption of 14,388 kilowatt hours (kWh) per the U.S. Energy Information Administration and data derived from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator.

About New Leaf Energy
New Leaf Energy is a Direct Energy brand that only offers 100 percent Green-e® Certified renewable energy, at rates designed to make clean energy readily accessible to consumers.

New Leaf Energy is part of Direct Energy, one of the North America's largest competitive energy suppliers of electricity, natural gas and related services. With over 8 million residential and commercial customer relationships, the company is active in upstream production (electricity and natural gas) and downstream delivery, and helps customers effectively manage all of their energy needs. Direct Energy is a subsidiary of Centrica plc (LSE: CNA), one of the world's leading integrated energy companies and operates in 46 U.S. states plus the District of Columbia and 10 provinces in Canada. For more information, visit NewLeafGreenEnergy.com.

SOURCE Direct Energy