Austin, TX -- July 31, 2006 -- Verde Energy, a new online referral network made up of contractors specializing in renewable energy services, is inviting contractors to sign up for a free trial at www.VerdeEnergy.com to evaluate the service. The company is announcing its launch on August 1, 2006, and is already sourcing hundreds of leads each month.    

VerdeEnergy.com is a free online service that matches interested customers with pre-screened, experienced renewable energy professionals called Verde Pros.  Customers provide their project information using an intuitive, user-friendly online survey.  Service requests are pre-qualified and sent to Verde Pros in the area who then contact the prospect directly.

"We are providing contractors with free, unlimited customer referrals in their area for 30 days following the launch,” said Rob Powell, chief executive for Verde Energy, Inc. “We work with contractors to continuously improve our process to collect, qualify, and target the best leads in the industry, and our conversion rates are already ahead of other major lead generation sources.”

Customers receive project assistance and competitive bids from up to four pre-screened professionals with specialized experience and training in renewable energy services including solar, wind, hydroelectric, fuel cells, and energy auditing. Verde Energy has no affiliations with any product manufacturer or supplier and does not audit contractors for closure rates or other statistics.

"We simply follow up with prospects to ensure they are promptly contacted and satisfied with services performed by Verde Pros.  In that way, we provide a competitive marketplace of services for our customers, and a qualified, targeted marketing channel for contractors," said Powell.  "It’s our objective to provide our contractors with more targeted, more successful sales leads than all of their other marketing activities combined and for a fraction of the cost."

Verde Pros are pre-screened on the following criteria: experience and training, licensing, outstanding legal judgments, insurance and bonding, and customer references.

With rising electricity prices and widespread availability of renewable energy rebates, customers are beginning to install solar electric systems on homes and offices nationwide at a rapid pace. According to private equity firm CLSA, the worldwide solar industry grew by a record 44 percent last year.  

About Verde Energy
VerdeEnergy.com serves as a resource to homeowners and businesses researching and planning renewable energy projects by matching service requests with pre-screened contractors. Additionally, we help renewable energy contractors obtain valuable referrals by systematically attracting qualifying, and targeting prospects.  Verde Energy, based in Austin, Texas, is made up of dedicated people passionate about building a sustainable business and delivering our customers cost-effective renewable energy services.