Briefly

New Online Shopping Portal Zonesty Launches Texas Service

Zonesty.com launched an online shopping portal for small and midsize businesses in deregulated Texas electric markets. Zonesty said that when a customer enrolls with a REP through the Zonesty website, the REP pays Zonesty a flat rate per month ($0.003 per kWh) based on the customer's energy usage. By the end of 2013, Zonesty said that it plans to expand into deregulated electricity markets outside of Texas, as well as natural gas markets. Longer-term, Zonesty plans to expand into other markets that have similar fundamental characteristics. Retail industry veteran Steve Sheaffer is CEO and President of Zonesty

Reliant Promoting Previously Launched Critical Peak Rebate/Thermostat Bundle

Reliant yesterday promoted its previously launched Degrees of Difference critical peak rebate program, which pays the customer for load reductions, including a product bundling the program with a Nest learning thermostat. See prior story for more details on the program. Reliant said that results from a pilot program conducted last summer showed a reduction of electricity consumption by about 33 percent from active participants. Reliant estimates if 325,000 residential customers reduce their usage by 33 percent in a single high-demand period, there would be enough capacity added to the grid to power an additional 100,000 homes.