U.S. energy company Direct Energy has launched New Leaf Energy in Texas. New Leaf is a brand of the utility intended to offer consumers in the Greater Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Corpus Christi areas an option to source their energy straight from renewables. For now, that means all energy would come from Texan wind farms.
Customers would also be able to lock their electricity rates for a two-year period or receive a contract-free variable tariff. In the renewables sector, Texas is not yet a leader in solar power, but the state has particular strengths in algal biofuels and wind power generation. Last year, for example, renewable energy mix on the Texas grid rose by 13 percent, driven largely by the state’s focus on wind energy.
New Leaf electricity will cost customers $25 more than conventional power, but the company hopes to urge customers to envision the benefits as they would any other purchase – how much value would it add to their lives?
Rob Comstock, senior vice president of Direct Energy, told New Energy World Network:
“It meets one of the industry’s highest standards by sourcing only 100 per cent green certified renewable wind energy, at rates designed to make renewable energy easily accessible for consumers. As more people sign up with New Leaf Energy, more renewable energy is produced.
New Leaf will also try and keep customers up to date on how the company’s energy efficiency grants (driven by customer purchases) work via non-profit organizations.
