Direct Energy Business Secures Commonwealth Accounts, Saves Massachusetts Ten Million Dollars

Boston, MA (7/23/2009) - Energy competition will save the Commonwealth of Massachusetts $10 million, by allowing them to secure a new energy provider. Direct Energy Business, one of North America’s largest commercial retail energy suppliers will now be powering some of Massachusetts largest agencies.

SAIC, a Fortune 500 scientific, engineering, and technology applications company, teamed up with World Energy, operators of internet exchanges for energy and green commodities, to host an online auction to bid on the energy needs of some of the top agencies in Massachusetts.

The World Energy Exchange (R) auction occurred on May 19, 2009 and saw more than 140 bids from energy providers. The bids were reviewed, prices were compared, and the decision was made to go with Direct Energy Business.

Mike Young, senior vice president of sales for Direct Energy Business, was pleased to hear they had won the auction. “Not only is this a win for Massachusetts and a win for us, it’s a win for competitive energy supply,” Young noted. “This is a significant amount of savings for the Commonwealth, savings that wouldn’t have been realized without retail energy choice programs.”

The Commonwealth calculates the savings from using Direct Energy Business to be $10 million over the life of the contract. Direct Energy Business can add Massachusetts State Police, Department of Corrections, Department of Capital Asset Management, Department of Conservation and Recreation, Trial Court, and Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, among others, to its list of valued customers.

About Direct Energy Business
Direct Energy Business is one of North America’s largest commercial retail energy suppliers and a Direct Energy company. With more than 20 years of industry experience, Direct Energy Business is dedicated to helping customers make cost-effective choices for their electricity and natural gas requirements. Headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA, Direct Energy Business serves nearly 50,000 customers in 14 states, the District of Columbia and five Canadian provinces. Direct Energy is wholly owned by Centrica plc. (LSE:CNA), one of the world’s leading integrated energy companies. To learn more, visit www.directenergybusiness.com.

For further information, please contact:

Bethany Ruhe
Manager, Public Relations
Direct Energy Business
412-394-5664 (office)
412.841.3818 (mobile)
Bethany.ruhe@directenergy.com

Direct Energy® is a subsidiary of Centrica plc. All rights reserved. Centrica was created following the demerger of British Gas plc in 1997 and is now a leading supplier of energy and related services. To read more about Centrica plc please visit www.centrica.com.