Broker Offering State PUCs White Label Shopping Platform for Energy Supplier Price Comparisons, Enrollment

An online energy broker has offered to several state public utility commissions a white label version of its online shopping platform to improve the PUCs' existing retail energy supply comparison charts and to allow enrollment onto competitive supply through the PUC websites.

Choose Energy, Inc. has reached out to several state regulatory commissions, including the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio and the Maryland Public Service Commission, offering a white label platform for the commissions' energy shopping price charts.

In an electronic communication to the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio made part of the public record in Docket 12-3151-EL-COI, Choose Energy said that when a customer visits the current Ohio Apples to Apples price comparison, "there is an inundation with plan details, termination specifics, pricing details, websites and dates."

"For the average consumer unsure about competitive supply, this is information overload. And, in the event that a consumer does have the confidence to select a plan, the consumer must then click on a website link to be re-directed to the generic page of a CEP [competitive energy provider] only to be re-started in the entire process. Net, this is not a consumer-friendly environment and likely leaves many consumers confused and hesitant to switch to competitive supply, benefitting the default service utility," Choose Energy said.

"Choose Energy, Inc. would like to further eliminate these barriers of adoption and provide the Ohio PUC a Choose Energy, Inc. white label platform. Using a white label platform, the Ohio PUC remains the brand for the site and maintains all description and materials represented authority. However, the design, implementation and selection of plans will be much more automated and interactive for both the consumer and the CEPs, with up-to-date pricing and terms. In addition, given the technology running the Choose Energy platform and supporting API integration with each CEP, Choose Energy will allow for migrations to happen directly on the PUC site, not introducing any CEP websites where the consumer has to re-start the entire search process from a homepage and has less likelihood of migrating," Choose Energy explained.

"Given that customers would be able to browse, select and enroll in a competitive plan all within the PUC website, the entire process will maintain a level of integrity, confidence and transparency that the consumer does not currently experience on the 'Apples to Apples' site. We at Choose Energy, Inc. believe that this process would benefit the Ohio consumer and will help accelerate migration in the state," Choose Energy said.

Speaking with Matters, John Tough, Director of Business Development for Choose Energy, said that Choose Energy would not be compensated in any manner by the retail suppliers under the white label proposal, and that there would be no commission or flat fee for a supplier's listing. As PUC-run sites, the sites would be open to all suppliers on a non-discriminatory basis.

While Choose Energy will not be compensated by suppliers, specific terms of how the white label platform would be made available to each PUC have not been determined.

Tough said that Choose Energy's goal is to maximize the customer's first encounter with energy choice, which often occurs through the state PUCs, and to leave them with a positive experience. Allowing the transaction to occur through the state PUC's website, rather than migrating to the supplier's site for enrollment, will simplify the process for customers while also making them more comfortable with shopping by staying within the confines of a trusted source like the PUC, Tough said.