Residents and small business owners in the City of East Palestine who are enrolled in the Direct Choice Program will see their natural gas prices drop from the current $7.49 per Mcf to $6.577 per Mcf for the July to December 2010 billing cycles.
The Direct Choice Program is the result of an agreement with the City of East Palestine that allows Direct Energy to offer a competitively-priced natural gas to the city's residents and small businesses. Under the plan, the gas price is set for a predetermined period of time.
"We are pleased that our agreement with Direct Energy continues to enable our residents and small businesses to take advantage of such a great price. This allows them to budget for their energy spending over the period of time during which the price is stable," said Gary A. Clark, city manager of East Palestine.
This price decrease will automatically be applied to those who are currently enrolled in the Direct Choice Program. A senior citizen discount is also available for customers 65 years of age and older, who are the primary owner of their residence or are the primary account holder on their utility bill.
In addition, the Direct Choice co-branded marketing program is available to residents who are not currently enrolled, if they are eligible to participate in the State's Customer Choice Program and have a residence or business located within the city limits of East Palestine. These residents must actively enroll in the Direct Choice Program to receive the competitive price. If residents are already under contract with another supplier, but wish to enroll with Direct Energy, they are encouraged to review their current contract to determine if they will be charged an early cancellation fee to switch suppliers.
"Direct Energy is proud to work with communities such as East Palestine to offer the benefits of Direct Choice, including protection from price volatility, improved control over natural gas costs, and greater choice for their energy needs," said Cory Byzewski, Vice President and General Manager for Direct Energy. "We look forward to continuing to work with the City of East Palestine and providing the highest-quality service and value to its residents and small business owners."
To learn more about Direct Energy's Direct Choice offer, residents can contact Direct Energy's Customer Service Department toll-free at: 1-866-803-4618, Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. EST, and Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST.
The City of East Palestine also has an agreement with Direct Energy for a natural gas Opt-Out Aggregation Program, a separate program that is available to residential and small business consumers currently served by Dominion East Ohio (DEO). Under the Opt-Out Aggregation process, consumers currently served by DEO are automatically included in the Opt-Out Aggregation plan unless they contact Direct Energy to be excluded. Residents do not have to contact Direct Energy to be included in the Opt-Out Aggregation.