IRVING, Texas – Ahead of a summer predicted to be hotter and drier than normal in Texas, Vistra is offering its Texas residential customers the opportunity to save money and reduce demand on the grid with TXU Energy Free Nights & Solar Days. Initially launched in 2017, the popular first-of-its-kind plan gives customers 100% solar every day and free electricity every night, encouraging a shift of energy use to times outside of the state’s typical peak-demand periods. All of the energy purchased comes from solar and wind renewable energy credits and solar farms, including the company’s Upton 2 Solar and Energy Storage Facility. This innovative offering from Vistra’s flagship retail electricity brand, TXU Energy, couples the company’s retail business with its rapidly growing renewable generation portfolio.
Vistra, which already operates a 180-MW solar and energy storage facility in Upton County, Texas, previously announced several new solar projects in the Texas ERCOT market, two of which will come online this year. These zero-carbon solar developments, totaling nearly 600 megawatts, along with its other emission-free generation assets, are part of its Vistra Zero portfolio and further support the company’s strategic plan to meet retail needs with renewable generation development.
“TXU Energy Free Nights & Solar Days is a prime example of Vistra’s integrated business model at work – bringing renewable products to our retail customers while turning to our own generation to meet a growing demand for solar,” said Scott Hudson, president of Vistra Retail. “As these customers shift electricity use to their free nighttime hours, the plan is working to ease the strain on the state’s electric grid during high-demand, afternoon and early evening time periods – and all with 100% renewable energy.”
With Free Nights & Solar Days, Vistra utilizes advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) data to turn customer usage information into greener savings. Customers get free electricity all night from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. and solar electricity all day from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m., resulting in ~40% free energy usage for the average household.
Hudson continued, “Access to our own generation allows us to offer renewable electricity products at scale, year-after-year. Our customers, whether they are residential, commercial or industrial, are looking for renewable solutions, and our integrated model enables us to meet those needs.”
