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MXenergy is a North American electricity and natural gas marketer.
It was founded in 1999 by Jeffrey Mayer and Robi Artman-Hodge. Its first office was in Louisville, KY. Its second office, located in Stamford, CT, was opened in 2,000 to handle finance, accounting, and executive management.
In 2000, the organization purchased supply contracts for 20,000 customers of Keyspan Energy. Keyspan is a natural gas and electricity supplier operating in NY, NH, and MA.
In 2001 the company relocated its main office to Annapolis Junction, MD. This location is now its main call center. In the same year, the company also purchased Summit Energy.
In 2002, the growing company began reselling energy to customers of Consumer Gas and Northern Indiana Public Service Company.
Growth continued in 2003, when a purchase was made of NICOR Gas in Indianan and Ohio. In 2003 as well, customers in New Jersey began receiving services from the company as well.
In 2004, the organization purchased a subsidiary of Star Pedro called Total Gas and Electric. This was the beginning of its electricity supply business. (Not to be confused with electricity reselling).
In the same year, it entered the Canadian market through the Enbridge Natural Gas System in Ontario.
The NY marketplace was entered through Rochester Gas & Electric.
In 2006, MXenergy purchased Shell Energy Services Company and relocated its principle operations to Houston, TX.
In 2007, the organization purchased customer contracts from Vantage Power Services. It then began to service customers of United Illuminating and Connecticut Light and Power.
In 2008, the company purchased Gaskey in Georgia.
In 2010 the organization began to serve clients in PPL, which was known previously as Pennsylvania Power and Light. It also began to service customers of PECO, which had been previously known as Philadelphia Electric Company. During the same year, the company also began to service customers of Pacific Gas and Electric.
MXenergy was involved in a controversy that deserves attention and clarification. A number of complaints were filed by customers who claimed that they received unexpectedly high bills after international energy prices rose in spring of 2008. Many customers who had enrolled during the spring in four-month fixed rate plan said their prices rose to variable rates in June 2008. This was during the time that all energy prices where high, including the price of crude oil, which was selling at 147 dollars per barrel.
In August of 2008, an investigation of MXenergy was launched by the Department of Public Utility Control. The Office of the Attorney General and Office of Consumer Counsel later joined the investigation. The investigation concluded that customers had only been given 30 days notice of price changes and not 45 days notice required by state regulation. However, there was NO EVIDENCE of customer protection violations. There was only a matter of a 15 day discrepancy of timing.
It was also noted by the DPUC that MXenergy, when it became aware of its own mistake, willingly volunteered information regarding these complaints to the DPUC’s attention, and that it offered to voluntarily extend fixed prices and to refund customers who had been affected by the discrepancy.
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