Providing Electricity Packaged in Ways That Meet the Needs and Lifestyles of Customers

Aug 9, 2019 10:10 AM ET

Our residential and small business brands — NRG, Reliant, and Green Mountain Energy — provide electricity packaged in ways that meet the needs and lifestyles of our customers. Increasingly, these solutions are becoming sustainable solutions. Renewable energy plans are the most direct example, but we are also thinking more critically about more in-depth sustainability opportunities.

We’ve seen that better understanding of energy usage, combined with the tools to adjust and save power, provides a clear path to sustainable energy consumption. Taking this a step further, we have incorporated energy preparedness into our power programs. In an era of more frequent extreme weather events, it takes sustainability to a higher level for customers living in both hot and cold weather climates.

Waste reduction and operational efficiency has also improved through measures in e-billing and enrollments, e-disclosures, and providing residential sales representatives with tablets to make sales outreach more efficient. Our Goal Zero brand, which provides customers with portable, solar-powered products, is even utilizing sustainable packaging with low environmental impact. In addition, carbon offsets are received for every product imported via a selected freight-forwarding supplier. And looking beyond our business offerings, community outreach is also an important and impactful aspect of our residential brands.

As demonstrated by our Sustainable Business and Sustainable Customers pillars, we actively take opportunities to incorporate a more eco-conscious perspective into our product offerings and brand operations for both 2018 and beyond.

Renewable energy

We continued to bring renewable energy to customers in 2018 — through an ever- increasing range of energy plans, designed to optimize sustainability even for customers who might not be environmentally focused. Green Mountain Energy (GME) expands on its 20-year mission of 100% renewable energy plans with options like Go Local Solar, which taps into solar fields across Texas and accounts for 15 MW of power2. GME’s commitment to renewable energy accounts for 9.9 billion pounds of CO2 emissions avoided in 2018, which is equivalent to taking 1 million cars off the road for a year.

The drive to offer more renewable plans means offerings like our Reliant 100% solar plan, which includes fixed-price solar for 12 months, no panels needed. Additionally, Reliant offers a power plan that discounts energy charges at night, when EV vehicles are typically recharging, making it ideal for EV users. On the east coast, NRG, which supports customers in the region, offers electric and natural gas plan options with renewable energy components, namely wind and carbon offsets, to help customers make a greener choice.

Read the full report at: www.nrg.com/sustainability