Maura Clark of Direct Energy Business wins Energy Leadership Award

Posted on by

Maura Clark, president of Direct Energy Business, graciously accepted a Pittsburgh Business Times’ Energy Leadership Award on May 8 at the awards ceremony. The awards celebrate the Pittsburgh region’s burgeoning energy market recognizing key organizations and individuals.

Maura thanked many including the PAPUC and the hardworking state legislators whose tireless work and advocacy allow Direct Energy Business to make a real impact on the customers; the company’s customers, because without them, Direct Energy Business would not exist; the city of Pittsburgh for its talent pool, the communities and energy of the city, which continues to help Direct Energy Business stand as a major player in the Western Pennsylvania energy hub; and the Pittsburgh Business Times for selecting her as an Energy Leadership Award winner.

Read the coverage via The Pittsburgh Business Times:
PBT honors region’s energy leaders (video)
What’s next for O Ring, Direct Energy Business (video)

.
Reply

Energy Competition: No Longer a “Dirty” Word

Posted on by

I spoke at the Energy Matters Summit in Ontario on May 7. Below are snippets of my presentation about the benefits of energy retail competition.

Residential and business customers want choice and control in all aspects of their lives, so why not their energy supplier? Energy should be like a telephone service. You choose landline and/or mobile phone(s), select the plan(s) that meet your needs, decide on contract or no contract, get special offers or discounted rates, AKA choice!

Watch a video by our sister company British Gas showing how “smart” our homes can be.

Continue reading →

.
Reply

Tips to Battle Skyrocketing Summer Energy Prices in Texas

Posted on by

It’s that time of the year in Texas that everyone loves (or dreads): summer time! Hello grilling, swimming and running your air conditioner. Simultaneously, it’s also the time when your electricity bill skyrockets as you attempt to keep your home or business cool.

Two summers ago, many Texans experienced sticker shock as the state dealt with one of the hottest summers on record and in turn, electricity prices skyrocketed. The heat was unbearable and was made worse by the lack of rain. This year could be a repeat but only time will tell. The risks due to a hot summer are greater this year because the state’s drought situation has worsened over the past six months. Last year we didn’t experience that as the state saw a significant amount of rain specifically in the eastern part of the state which kept temperatures down and the ground moist which helped cap the radiation heating throughout the hottest parts of the daytime. It’s a good time to think about what you can do to protect yourself from the possible upcoming energy price spikes. Read more for some tips.

Continue reading →

.
Reply

Weekly Energy Market Update

Posted on by

Hans RottmannPlease note there will not be a video for the Weekly Energy Market Update for the week of May 6, 2013. Receive weekly updates that are sent right to your email inbox: click here to subscribe.

The following is a summary of last week’s market activity and the market outlook:

  • Natural gas prices fell significantly this week, amidst significant volatility. NYMEX futures rallied on Monday, but then fell by 20 cents on Thursday — the biggest decline in almost two years. The drop was caused by a very bearish natural gas storage report and forecasts for moderate weather across much of the U.S.
  • The EIA reported a storage injection of 43 Bcf for the week ending April 26. Current domestic storage inventories are now at 1,777 Bcf, which is 795 Bcf(30.9%) below 2012 and 118 Bcf (6.2%) below the 5-year average for this date.
  • According to Baker Hughes, U.S. natural gas rig counts fell by 12 rigs last week to 354, which is 286 rigs (41.2%) below a year ago. Horizontal rigs increased by eight and are now 49 rigs (4.2%) below a year ago.
.
Reply

Direct Energy Business expands demand response team

Posted on by

I just want to take a quick moment to introduce Brian McGuirk, the newest member of the Direct Energy Business 360Direct Team.

This is very exciting because Brian has one year of demand response industry experience under his belt, making him a valuable asset in achieving our ambitious goal to expand our demand response/demand management customer base.

Brian began his energy career in 2012 at ClearChoice as Manager of Demand Response Operations supporting more than 80 MW of demand response resources and 320 customers. Direct Energy is committed to delivering innovative energy solutions to our customers, and expanding our demand response capabilities help us make businesses better.

Not familiar with demand response/demand management? Read my last blog post. Learn more about 360Direct.

.
Reply