Bringing Wholesale gas
solutions to Norwich, Connecticut

Established in 1904, Norwich Public Utilities (NPU) provides four utilities to the City of Norwich, Connecticut – natural gas, electricity, water and wastewater collection. Recently, they underwent an RFP process to select a wholesale procurement provider for the natural gas needs of their 40,000 citizens.

After the vetting process, NPU felt that the proposal from Direct Energy Wholesale Services would deliver the greatest value to their constituents. "We have really enjoyed working with Direct Energy Wholesale Services. It's been very seamless working with them. What stood out immediately was their transparency into the process and their responsiveness has been excellent," said Brenton Terry, Accounting Analyst for Norwich Public Utilities.

The energy needs of a municipality are also obviously unique, something Terry says Direct Energy Wholesale Services understood completely. "They really know what solutions are best suited for a municipality and customize their solutions accordingly. Their experience really helps guide us in decision making and we often turn to them for their opinion. It's all a very seamless process which makes my life easier—I really don't know how much simpler it gets."

With Norwich being located in the northeastern United States, it faces numerous winter weather-related conditions, so a reliable natural gas supply is paramount. "It's a simple thing, but first and foremost you need the guarantee that natural gas will show up in the quantities that are needed and Direct Energy have ensured that we have had a reliable supply," Terry said.

Terry and NPU also enjoy that Direct Energy has a physical presence in the region. "The Northeast is such a dynamic and stressful place in the winter that it's great to have someone who experiences what we do. It gives us added confidence knowing that their team is close-by which also allows us to have more face-to-face interaction."

Finally, Terry says he would definitely recommend Direct Energy to other municipalities, "they had such a great understanding of what our needs were. To me, they're what the wholesale business is all about."