Houston Rockets Seeking New Court to Host Direct Energy Driveway Challenge Rockets and Direct Energy Team Up on Sweepstakes to Send Shane Battier and Carl Landry to Houston Home to Shoot Hoops

Houston, TX (1/30/2009) - The Houston Rockets are tapping into Houston-area fans to find a home for the inaugural Direct Energy Driveway Challenge. The Challenge gives one lucky fan, along with friends and family, the opportunity to shoot hoops with Rockets players Shane Battier and Carl Landry. Working with Direct Energy, the official electricity provider to the Houston Rockets and Toyota Center, Battier and Landry are even giving up home-court advantage to the lucky contest winner, who will host the players in their own driveway.

“We all grow up shooting hoops in our neighborhood, pretending we’re going up against our NBA heroes,” said Battier. “This is a cool opportunity for Carl and me to turn that dream into reality for a lucky fan here in Houston, and hopefully some of their friends.”

Registration for the Direct Energy Driveway Challenge with the Houston Rockets is currently underway and ends on Feb. 27, 2009. The sweepstakes is open to all legal Texas residents who live within a 40-mile radius of Toyota Center and who are 21 years or older at the time of entry.

“Direct Energy and the Rockets have been working together since 2006, and we’re looking forward to bringing this once-in-a-lifetime experience to a Rockets fan this spring,” said Jim Steffes, Vice President for Direct Energy. “It’s a chance for us to create some excitement and buzz here in Houston to get people to consider Direct Energy when they’re choosing their retail electric provider – and to work with two community-minded NBA stars to host a fun afternoon in someone’s neighborhood.”

Houstonians can register to win at www.directenergy.com/rockets or by mail-in entry before February 27, 2009. Three semi-finalists will be chosen by random draw and will receive a pair of tickets to an upcoming Houston Rockets game, where they’ll compete on court for a chance to win the Grand Prize.

The Challenge is similar to other contests Direct Energy has run with professional sports teams in other markets. The winner is able to invite a group of friends and family to share in the experience, which includes pictures and autographs with Battier and Landry, as well as a catered meal.

About Direct Energy
Direct Energy is part of the Centrica group of companies, one of the largest multi-state providers of retail energy services in North America. The North American operations have grown to more than 5 million residential and commercial customer relationships. Through its Direct Energy, CPL Retail Energy and WTU Retail Energy brands, the company is the third largest retail energy provider in Texas, and owns a series of energy-related services companies. Globally, the Centrica group of companies is a leading provider of energy and other essential services with approximately 32 million customer relationships. For more information, visit www.directenergy.com.

For additional information, contact:

Lisa Dornan
Direct Energy
713-877-3925

Bob Schranz
Rockets
713-758-7206

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.