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Sign up FAQs

Sign up FAQs

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Deposit

Switch hold

Prepaid

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Texas customers
Your service can begin a minimum of 3 business days after you sign up. You can usually select the date that you want your service to start when you enroll. 

If you need service to start in fewer than 3 days, please call 1-888-305-3828. There may be an additional cost for an expedited move.

If you have a security deposit due, we must receive the payment or the deposit waiver before your service can start. 

Northeast & Midwest customers
Your service start date depends on your local utility’s meter read schedule. Your service will usually start within 1–2 billing cycles.

Texas customers
After switching to Direct Energy, your service will continue without interruption. Direct Energy will become your new provider and send your electricity bills each month. 

Northeast & Midwest customers
After switching to Direct Energy, your service will continue without interruption. Your local utility will continue to send your bill with Direct Energy listed as a line item under “supply charges.”

We recommend that you contact your current provider to ask about your contract expiration date and to learn about cancellation policies for switching to another provider. 

Direct Energy doesn't charge an enrollment fee. However, your current energy supplier may assess a cancellation fee if you're switching providers within your contract term. Your current supplier can confirm what those costs (if any) might be.

Also, the utility company for your area may charge a one-time fee for connection or disconnection. 

Texas customers
Direct Energy performs a credit check when you sign up to determine if a deposit is required. If a deposit is due, we must receive the deposit as soon as possible but no later than 30 days after you enroll.

No, you will continue to receive the same level of delivery quality, emergency response and meter reading from your current utility. Your utility company will not change, just the supplier of your electricity and/or natural gas.

Texas customers
You’ll receive a bill from Direct Energy for each billing cycle, or around once a month. This bill will contain your usage charges (assessed by us) and any transmission and delivery charges (assessed by your local utility company).

You can choose to receive this bill in 2 different ways:

  • A paper copy mailed to your preferred billing address
  • An electronic copy e-mailed to your preferred e-mail address when you sign up for Paperless Billing.

Northeast & Midwest customers
For most customers outside of Texas, you’ll still receive your bill from your local utility after you start service with Direct Energy. On your utility bill, Direct Energy will be listed as a line item under “supply charges.”

Texas customers
In Texas, each Retail Electric Provider (REP) is responsible for the billing for all its customers. So, any time you switch to a different REP for your Texas electricity service, your bill could look different. It will contain the same basic information explaining your rate and usage, but the layout can vary by REP.

Northeast & Midwest customers
For most customers outside of Texas, you’ll still receive your bill from your local utility after you start service with Direct Energy. On your utility bill, Direct Energy will be listed as a line item under “supply charges.”

Texas customers
This check is done to determine whether you can enroll without paying a deposit. The check is a utility payment data-based search that reviews your history of making payments on your utility services (electric, natural gas, water, etc.).

Northeast & Midwest customers
For most customers outside of Texas, we don’t require a credit check or a deposit.

If you cancel your Direct Energy electricity or natural gas service before your contract term expires, you may be assessed a cancellation or early termination fee depending on your service area. This fee is based upon the term length of your contract and your local utility company. Please see your plan details for more information.

Texas customers
You should fax your completed tax exemption certificate to our customer support at 1-800-457-9686 or mail us a copy of the certificate to the following address to process your exemption:

Direct Energy 
PMB #51, 7385 North State Route 3 
Westerville, OH 43082

Unless we have a certificate on file, we are required to charge you sales tax.

Northeast & Midwest customers
Your local utility handles billing and will have any information regarding tax exemptions in your area. 

For Texas customers enrolling on non-prepaid plans, Order Pending means we could not verify your identity using the information that was provided. To protect your identity and confirm we are signing up the right person and home with Direct Energy, we need to collect some additional information from you.

Call us at 1-800-332-7143 from Monday – Sunday, 7 a.m. – 10 p.m., and provide the following: 

  • Customer name 
  • Daytime contact phone number 
  • Account number 

An agent from our Exceptions Department will contact you within 24 – 48 business hours.

If you have any questions about this process, please call us at 1-888-305-3828 or e-mail us at ga-deonlinehelptx@directenergy.com.

For prepaid products, Order Pending means we either had an issue establishing the ESI ID for the account, or there was a data issue. Our Exceptions Department will contact you at the phone number provided, if needed, to resolve the issue. 

Deposit, switch hold and prepaid FAQs only apply to Texas customers. 

Deposit

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The criteria is based on a Utility payment data-based Credit Check and many elements are taken into consideration. Direct Energy may require a deposit if you do not meet the company's credit requirements. The deposit that you pay is returned to you with interest after twelve consecutive on-time payments. If you leave Direct Energy, the deposit with interest, minus any outstanding balance will be returned to you.

We have many convenient options for you to pay your deposit:

  • Have your deposit payment automatically deducted from your credit card.
  • Find a walk-in pay station that will accept deposit payments in your area. Walk-in payment stations may charge an additional payment fee.
  • Waive the deposit if you meet certain requirements.

 It can take anywhere from 1-3 business days to post to your account. Once your deposit has been received, we can update your account and send your enrollment. If you need any more help, you can start a live chat or call us at 1-888-305-3828. We’re here to support you 24/7.

For a residential account, the deposit is returned to you with interest after twelve consecutive on-time bill payments. This refund will show as a credit on your bill.

If you leave Direct Energy, the deposit (plus interest) will first be applied to any outstanding balance on your account. Any remaining deposit amount will show as a credit on your final bill. The credit will either be refunded to you or transferred to your new energy company (if agreed between us and your new energy company.)

If a balance remains on your account after the deposit is applied, we will send you a final bill.

You may be eligible to have Direct Energy waive the deposit requirement if you meet one of the following criteria:

65 or older 
If you are 65 years of age or older, please send us a copy of your (or your spouse's) driver's license or state ID. You must not have any overdue electricity payments.

Victim of domestic violence 
If you are a victim of domestic violence as recognized by the Texas Council on Family Violence, you can send us a completed and signed certification letter from the Texas Council on Family Violence to confirm your status.

Letter of credit 
If you have been a residential customer of any retail electric provider or an electric utility within the last two years and were not late paying a bill more than once in the last 12 months, please contact your current electricity provider to provide a letter of credit on your behalf.

Medically indigent 
If you are considered medically indigent as certified by a government entity or government-funded energy assistance program provider and physician, please provide us with documentation. 

Incorrect Information 
You feel that the information received from the consumer credit reporting agencies listed below is incorrect or has been revised to meet our requirements for service.

For any of the situations above, you can send us your information by:

  • Fax at 1-800-251-5617, Attn. Deposit Waiver
  • Mail at:
    Attn. Deposit Waivera
    P.O. Box 180
    Tulsa, OK 74101-0180, United States
  • Email to: depositoptions@directenergy.com

Once we receive your documentation, we'll let you know that we've sent a request for your Direct Energy service to begin. Remember, we cannot send the order to start your electric service until we confirm your status, so please send us the forms as soon as you can. We will hold your enrollment for 15 days or until this information is received, whichever comes first.

We can split the deposit into two equal installments if you are a qualified, low-income customer. To have your deposit split, your credit check must show that you need to pay the full deposit amount, and we need to receive and validate your documentation of low-income eligibility.

Please send us one of the following documents as proof of low-income eligibility:

A copy of a state-issued statement of benefits for Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Medicaid, Low-Income Medicare, Texas Aid to Needy Families or SNAP food benefits (formerly known as food stamps)

A bill from another retail electric provider showing that you have received a low-income discount within the past six months

A letter from your current provider confirming that you are an eligible low-income customer

Send us your documents in one of the following ways:

We need to receive your first installment at least three days prior to your service request date. The order to start your electric service with Direct Energy will not be sent until we confirm your status and you pay any deposit you owe. We will hold your enrollment for 15 days until this information is received or the deposit payment posts to your account, whichever comes first.

Switch hold

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A switch hold is a delay on transferring service from one retail electricity provider (REP) to another. It can be placed on a service address by either the Transmission and Distribution Service Provider (TDSP) or the previous occupant's REP, often for an outstanding balance. This ensures that the previous occupant fulfills their financial obligation before switching to another REP. If you’re moving into a new address with a switch hold, then the previous occupant didn’t fulfill the obligation.

If you’re a new resident:
Submit a New Occupant Confirmation Form with a photocopy of one of the following documents. The name on the additional documentation must match the name and signature on the form. 

  • Signed lease – Include the first page that provides the occupants name(s), dates and service address along with the signature page that has the tenant(s) and landlord signatures.
  • Closing documents – The closing document must be dated after the switch hold was placed on the address and should include the service address, plus both buyer and seller signatures.
  • Utility bill – Gas/electric/water/cable/internet bill from a different residence issued in your name and dated within the past two months.
  • Certificate of occupancy – This certificate is issued by the city or the county and serves as proof that the property is fit for occupancy.  The certificate must be dated after the switch hold was applied to the service address.

If you’re a landlord:

Submit a New Occupant Confirmation Form plus a notarized Affidavit of Landlord.



If you have an active Continuous Service Agreement with Direct Energy:

Submit a Continuous Service Agreement form.



You can send your documents via email, fax or mail. We recommend email or fax for faster processing.

Email:

SwitchHold@DirectEnergy.com  (Attachments must be formatted as a .pdf, .jpg or .doc)

Fax:

1-866-233-3429 or 832-584-2958

Mail:

Direct Energy

Attn: New Occupant Confirmation

P.O. Box 3767

Houston, TX 77253-3767

Prepaid

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Prepaid electricity is a payment option that lets you buy electricity as you need it. There's no deposit, no contract term required and the price is comparable to other plans in the market.

You pre-pay for your electricity upfront, then receive daily account balance and usage updates via text message or email. Payments can be made online, by phone or at one of our authorized payment centers.

Power-To-GoⓇ is a variable price product with an Energy Charge and a daily Base Charge. The Daily Base Charge is a fixed charge that covers Direct Energy's charges from the Transmission and Distribution Utility (TDU), which include base metering charges, a smart meter pass-through charge and the base costs to operate our system that sends daily messages to the customer about their account.

Your price may vary day to day if there are changes to TDU delivery charges, regulatory charges or changes in law that impose new or modified fees. The Energy Charge and Daily Base Charge may change up to once a month at our discretion; however, each change during the month will not increase more than 30% from your previous period's price. Your actual price for electric service and your actual electricity usage will be shown on your daily Account Update. This will be used to calculate your daily usage amount.

When you sign up for Power-To-Go Ⓡ, you will be required to put $30 on your account to start service. You have the freedom to add any amount you want on future payments.

You will not receive a monthly electricity bill. Instead, you pay in advance for your electricity, making a monthly bill unnecessary. Just put $30 on your account to start service and you'll have the freedom to pay any amount you want on future payments. As a Power-To-Go® customer, you will receive daily notifications regarding your usage, estimated number of days remaining, low balance warnings, and payment confirmations.

You can view your billing and payment history in your Online Account Manager.

Depending on your preferred communication method, you will receive daily notifications about your usage and account balance over text or email. These are the communications you can expect: 

  • You will receive a message via text or email with your Payment Number. 
  • Once you make your first payment, you will get a payment confirmation via text or email. 
  • Once your service begins, your smart meter keeps track of your energy usage and we inform you daily regarding your usage and account status. 
  • When your balance gets low, we send you a message via text or email telling you it is time to add money to your account to maintain a positive balance. 

You can always make a payment at any time by logging into your Online Account Manager.

If your Power-To-Go by Direct EnergyⓇ account balance is equal to or less than $0.00, Direct Energy may request that the Utility interrupt your electricity service. You can avoid service interruptions by managing your account balance and adding funds to your account when it gets low. Direct Energy recommends that you have at least $20.00 in your account balance each day. As a Power-To-Go by Direct EnergyⓇ customer, you will receive daily notifications regarding your usage, estimated number of days remaining, low balance warnings, and payment confirmations.

If you are concerned about forgetting to monitor your account or being unable to make a payment before dropping below $0, you can enroll your credit card in Automatic Payments. With this program, you sign up online to set your account to automatically deduct a payment from your credit card if your account falls below $25. You can choose from several payment amounts to refill your Power-To-Go by Direct EnergyⓇ account balance.

Signing up for Direct Energy is easy!

We offer a wide range of plans and even help you customize them to fit your needs! Shop our plans to find your best fit today.  

Need help placing an order?
Texas customers: Call us at 1-855-461-1926
Northeast and Midwest customers: Contact us

Questions about your current service?
Texas customers: Call us at 1-888-305-3828
Northeast and Midwest customers: Contact us