Direct Energy donated $10,000 to the Ronald McDonald House in northern Delaware.
Accepting the donation was Pamela Cornforth, CEO of the Ronald McDonald House. The partnership will include cash donations for each Delaware resident who switches their energy supplier to Direct Energy.
The initial $10,000 donation will be used to sponsor a guestroom in the house for families of seriously ill children. Direct Energy employees dressed as superheroes in making the donation. Children’s hospitals have found the costumed characters brighten the days of hospitalized children.
“Direct Energy’s mission is to make a difference in people’s lives,” said Cullen Hay, general manager for U.S. Energy at Direct Energy. “This donation to the Ronald McDonald House will make a difference in the lives of children and families in the Delaware community where we serve consumers electricity. We are thrilled to partner with such a well-deserving and impactful philanthropic organization.”
The State of Delaware formally named Direct Energy as the “Electric Retail Supplier Exclusively Contracted by the State of Delaware” on June 22nd for 315,000 residents and businesses in the Delmarva territory and Delaware Electric Cooperative’s 84,000 customers.
It is the first such program and designation made in the United States. The designation was designed to spur competition for electric service. That competition has languished over the years, with suppliers offering only short-term rate packages.
Direct Energy offers fixed rates for as long as two years as well as incentives like the Nest Learning Thermostat that can provide additional savings. It claims customers could save $10 to $15 a month.
Delaware did see competition increase after the designation with Constellation Energy offering two-year fixed rates
Direct Energy has also pledged an additional $5 donation for each online customer enrollment and $2.50 for each offline customer enrollment throughout the life of the two-year program. Nearly 400,000 customers are eligible to participate in this program.
