Direct Energy Donates $600K to Neighbor-to-Neighbor Program to Help Texans Pay Power Bills

HOUSTON, April 6, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- As COVID-19 continues to spread and affect more Texans each day, Direct Energy has pledged an additional $100,000 to their Neighbor-to-Neighbor program to further support relief efforts for Texas customers, bringing our total commitment $600,000. Funds are distributed to 32 community action agencies across the state.

Through the Direct Energy Neighbor-to-Neighbor bill assistance program, additional assistance is being provided to support Low Income List Administrator LILA-qualified customers. In addition, Direct Energy has suspended disconnections through April 30, 2020, for LILA-qualified customers. LILA maintains a list of eligible low-income customers in cooperation with the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC).

Past organizations receiving assistance through Direct Energy's Neighbor-to-Neighbor are:

• Community Services Agency of South Texas
• Dallas County Department of Health and Human Services
• Harris County Community Services
• Panhandle Community Services

In addition to the above relief efforts, Direct Energy suspend all door-to-door energy sales to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, beginning on March 13, 2020.

"Supporting the health, safety and wellbeing of our customers and the people in our communities at this time is our first priority," commented Bruce Stuart, President of North America Home at Direct Energy. "This is a time when we all have to come together to help those most impacted by this crisis. I also want to thank the Texas Public Utility Commission for taking early action to stabilize the Texas retail electricity market."

The Public Utilities Commission of Texas has also issued an order requiring retail electric providers to offer deferred payment plans to customers who have experienced financial hardship due to the state of disaster declared for COVID-19. Customers qualify if they are a residential electricity customer in areas of Texas open to retail competition who qualify for unemployment benefits and are in genuinely dire economic straits because of COVID-19. Customers can contact the state's Low-Income List Administrator (LILA) at https://www.txcovid19erp.org or the 24-hour call center at (866)-454-8387 for further information.

About Direct Energy:

Direct Energy is one of North America's largest retail providers of electricity, natural gas, and home and business energy-related services with nearly four million customers. Direct Energy gives customers choice, simplicity, and innovation where energy, data, and technology meet. A subsidiary of Centrica plc CNA, an international energy and services company, Direct Energy, its subsidiaries and/or affiliates, operate in 50 U.S. states plus the District of Columbia and 8 provinces in Canada. To learn more about Direct Energy, please visit www.directenergy.com.

SOURCE Direct Energy