Comcast entered into an electricity supply agreement with Reliant, which will provide nearly 8 Megawatts of peak power to more than 10,000 metered locations on its network throughout the greater Houston metropolitan area.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The MSO's previous electricity provider in Houston was GDF Suez Energy Resources, according to Comcast senior public relations manager Michael Bybee.
"Competitive pricing was a very important factor in our decision," Darren Rish, vice president of finance and accounting for Comcast Houston, said in a statement. "Reliant offered a great price plus enhanced billing features that give us the insight we need to effectively manage our energy use."
At a corporate level, Comcast has launched an energy-efficiency initiative aimed at reducing the total power requirements the operator needs for its network operations as well as inside the home. Comcast senior VP of strategic planning Mark Coblitz, speaking at the SCTE's Smart Energy Management Initiative Forum this spring, said that "without taking some important steps, we cannot always be assured of a sufficient and reliable supply of locally available power."
In addition to providing power to Comcast's Houston facilities, Reliant is working with the MSO to connect electricity, phone, TV and Internet services with a single phone call. That agreement, which started in December 2010, allows Reliant and Comcast to route customers between their call centers and offers discounts on those services.
