Direct Energy Business and Phoenix Technologies Partner to Create PowerCommand, the Next Generation in Energy Management Technology

Pittsburgh, PA (3/18/2011) - Direct Energy Business, one of North America's largest commercial and industrial retail energy providers, and its strategic partner, Phoenix Energy Technologies, based in Irvine, CA, are announcing the release of a joint offering:

PowerCommand ™

PowerCommand delivers the first marriage between real time energy supply and real time energy demand. Customers have direct access to the wholesale energy market and real time demand data - all in a single interface.

"We were able to take a sophisticated energy procurement offering from Direct Energy Business and combine it with Phoenix's EnterpriseDX technology to deliver a product that can change the way customers use energy, " says Mike Senff, Vice President of Direct Energy Business. "PowerCommand is the full integration of demand and supply that will materially increase the ability of energy managers to optimize both energy use and procurement."

Lisa M. Varga, CEO of Phoenix Technologies, is excited about what this product means to the way companies think about their energy usage. "The PowerCommand offering is a game changer and we are excited to bring it to the marketplace with one of the leaders in the industry. Having the ability to see what customers use, when they use it, and to then find the best prices, all in one place is truly going to revolutionize the way companies think about consumption," she said.

PowerCommand will be officially launched at the EEI conference this Sunday, March 20th, in Atlanta, GA. For more information on PowerCommand, please visit www.phoenixet.com .

About Direct Energy

Direct Energy is one of North America's largest energy and energy-related services providers with more than 6 million residential and commercial customer relationships. Direct Energy provides customers with choice and support in managing their energy costs through a portfolio of innovative products and services. A subsidiary of Centrica plc (LSE:CNA), one of the world's leading integrated energy companies, Direct Energy operates in 46 U.S. states plus the District of Columbia and 10 provinces in Canada.

About Phoenix Energy Technologies

Founded in 2004, Phoenix Energy Technologies is a leading provider of Enterprise Energy Management (EEM) software and services. Phoenix works with retail, commercial and university customers to diagnose opportunities and implement strategies that reduce energy consumption and costs. Through real time measurement and verification of energy use, related costs and contextual data (such as weather, occupancy, schedules), Phoenix helps its customers get a full view of energy consumption and costs to maximize ROI. Phoenix currently manages over $2 billion in annual energy spending across thousands of buildings for many Fortune 500 Companies.

For further information, please contact:

Bethany Ruhe
Manager, Public Relations, Direct Energy Business
1-412-841-3818
Bethany.ruhe@directenergy.com

Nicole Bray
Director, Marketing, Phoenix Energy Technologies
1-887-340-8855 ext 1136
nbray@phoenixet.com