Direct Energy Business is one of the largest electricity and natural gas providers in North America, with approximately 240,000 customers in the region. In Québec, the company has around 100 natural gas customers, from small businesses to large commercial organizations. As stated on its website, Direct Energy Business provides 78% of the energy consumed by companies in the Fortune 100 list.
In December 2017, Direct Energy Business made the news after being named by the Government of Canada as the new natural gas provider for specific departments in Manitoba, Ontario, Québec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and other provinces. Agencies such as Correctional Services Canada, the Department of National Defence and Public Services, and Procurement Canada will get their natural gas from Direct Energy Business for 10 years.
Since the electricity market in Québec is regulated, Direct Energy Business supplies only natural gas in the province. There are at least five different natural gas plans for businesses offered by the retailer in Québec, from the most fixed natural gas rates to considerably variable rate plans.
Direct Energy natural gas plans in Québec
Fixed Quantity: The Fixed Quantity plan enables businesses to set a fixed price per gigajoule (GJ) for a specific chunk of natural gas. The prices and quantities are based on your historical usage, and will protect your company from market volatility.
Secure Price Plan: This plan is a simple fixed-rate product, which allows you to purchase natural gas for a set rate in the long term — and secure you predictable costs in the months or years ahead.
Index: The index natural gas rates are suitable for companies that want the opportunities provided by floating rates, but also the predictability from fixed rates. This plan gives you both the flexibility to enjoy variable rates and the possibility of locking in prices when the market becomes too volatile.
Index Advantage: This plan will protect you specifically from risky price changes during winter, which is when the natural gas demand increases — and so do natural gas rates. During the cold season, customers signed up with this plan have a capped price per GJ. This way, they know they won’t exceed their natural gas budget when they use it the most.
GasPortfolio®: The main idea behind the GasPortfolio plan is to supply your organization with natural gas when none of the other products work for you. This plan is a custom program based on your needs and historical usage; it blends your energy data with market monitoring in order to find the most suitable natural gas solution for your business.
