Internet-based electricity and natural gas provider SmartEnergyannounced that it has entered an agreement to become a featuredmerchant on Yahoo! Shopping, marking the first residential energyservice provider on the e-commerce provider. Yahoo! Shopping willnow give customers in deregulated energy markets a choice in thepurchase of electricity and gas.

“This relationship between Yahoo! Shopping and SmartEnergy willenable people nationwide to take advantage of energy deregulation,”said Gautam Chandra, SmartEnergy’s CEO. “We believe Yahoo!Shopping’s large customer base and strong brand recognition willincrease demand for our energy service products.”

Included in the agreement, SmartEnergy will have graphic linkson various Yahoo! Get Local sites and will be a participant inYahoo! Delivers’ e-mail direct marketing campaigns. Arepresentative for Earle Palmer Brown, SmartEnergy’s communicationsfirm, said the term of the agreement is between six and 15 months,and the cost of the contract is based on performance.

SmartEnergy said its electronic platform offers an onlinesign-up process, unique and simple rate plans, and claims probablesavings on current utility costs.

SmartEnergy, formed in April 1999, allows customers 24-houraccess to their energy bills, and energy usage via the Internet. Italso allows customers to pay for service with a credit card online,and participate in loyalty reward programs such as United Airlines’Mileage Plus. Currently, the online energy provider is sellingelectricity and gas to customers in the five boroughs of New YorkCity and Westchester County.

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