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Support CKUA With Your Power Bills

· · Community Building, Consumer Info, Electricity, Interesting

Park Power is excited to have the CKUA Radio Network as one of our Community Partners.

CKUA is a donor-supported arts organization that inspires and connects through the power of music, arts, culture and story. With a focus on musical discovery, they showcase the best creative work from Alberta and beyond and deliver it on-air, online and in-person.

Through the Community Partner Program, when a customer signs up with Park Power and designates CKUA as their Community Partner, Park Power will share 10% of our profits from that customer’s electricity bills with CKUA.

CKUA’s talented roster of hosts and producers are gifted guides to the creative world, drawing from deep knowledge, research and personal passion to give their audience the richest possible experience. Each host has free rein to curate their playlists, unencumbered by genre, decade or ‘hit’ lists. Often, they even draw from their own personal collections or CKUA’s legendary library which holds 140 years of recorded music. From jazz and blues to celtic and bluegrass, CKUA specialty shows dive deep into specific genres. Their eclectic programs give you nothing but the best of…nearly everything.

Outside of the music that CKUA plays, it is a wonderful Alberta cultural resource. The work that CKUA does to support, promote, and connect the Alberta cultural arts community provides so much value to this province. At Park Power we are very happy to support CKUA’s continued community building efforts through our Community Partner Program.

Get Signed up with Park Power to support the CKUA Radio Network.

Alberta Utility Deferral Update

· · Leave a Comment Consumer Info, Electricity

In This Together – Utility Deferrals Available to Assist Albertans

We all know someone who has been laid off, seen their work hours cut significantly, or had to shut the doors of their small business because of COVID-19. In response to this, the government has asked all energy retailers in the province to offer Albertans, who are in serious need of financial help, the option to defer all or a portion of their utility bills for up to three months. 

Under this initiative, Utility Network & Partners Inc and Park Power have implemented a COVID -19 Utility Relief Program to assist all customers under our umbrella that are experiencing financial hardship as a direct result of COVID-19. 

“Our government appreciates the cooperation and flexibility shown by utility providers to help their fellow Albertans through these challenging times,” said Dale Nally, Associate Minister of Natural gas and Electricity. “We recognize industry has also been greatly impacted by COVID-19. Safe and reliable electricity is critical to Alberta’s pandemic response, and the Utility Payment Deferral Program Act will provide temporary financial support necessary to implement the program.”

The program, which came into effect on March 18, 2020 and will run through June 18, 2020, is designed to provide temporary financial relief by allowing for a 90-day deferral of utility payments for residential, farm, and small commercial customers. 

Additionally, under this program Non-Sufficient Fund (NSF) penalty fees for outstanding charges have been waived and disconnections for non-payment have been suspended. 

“I applaud the government on the introduction of the deferral program as it provides much needed support for those in serious financial need,” said Nick Clark, Director of Utility Network & Partners Inc. “In times like these, no Albertan should have to fear being disconnected from essentials like electricity and natural gas.”

The total amount of the deferred invoices and the repayment of the full amount will be spread out over the 12-month period from July 2020 to June 2021. In total, deferred payments across Alberta are anticipated to reach approximately $337 million. 

“We have electricity and natural gas customers in more than 400 communities all over Alberta,” said Clark. “To date, about 3% of our own customers have signed up for this program.”

While this is a necessary cost to support Albertans, it is important to keep in mind and prepare for any unintended consequences that may arise from the program’s implementation. For now, the focus is on helping Albertans get through this challenging time. A deeper dive into this topic will come in a future blog.

If you lost your job, or you have had to leave work to isolate, or take care of an ill family member, you qualify for this program. The program is flexible. Since the amount deferred will eventually have to be paid back, consumers who do not need to defer their bill for the full three months can arrange for shorter deferral periods, or work with our local customer care team to set up unique payment plans.

If you would like to discuss the various options available or enroll in the COVID-19 Deferral Program, our local customer care team is available Monday to Friday, from 9 am to 5 pm to answer any questions you may have. Call us at 780-640-2128 or email us at customercare@parkpower.ca. 

More than $30,000 earned in Cash Back Credits and Rebates by Solar Club Members in Alberta.

· · Leave a Comment Consumer Info, Electricity, Interesting, Solar Power

April 7, 2020

Did you know that Alberta is one of the sunniest places in all of Canada? It is estimated that the usable annual solar potential in Alberta is 26 exajoules (EJ) – that’s 26 BILLION gigajoules! For comparison, the average urban consumer uses 120 GJ (~272 GJ for rural consumers) of energy in natural gas each year. Interesting numbers – but what does this really mean?

What if you could take that energy potential and turn it into cold, hard, cash? That is what thousands of solar PV Micro-Generators in Alberta have been doing for years.

Micro-Generators who are members of the Solar Club, saw even more of that cash in their pockets. As part of the unique program offered by Park Power. Not only do members receive a great rate for energy exported to the grid, but they also earn cash back rebates for energy imported from the grid. This is not a government subsidy, but rather money paid out by ourselves and other Energy Marketers, in order to help support the birth of an industry.

Members earn cash back every day of the year, even in the middle of winter. During the first quarter of 2020, members across the network earned almost $4,000 in cash back credits plus green offsets. As we approach the first year anniversary of the Solar Club – more than $13,000 has been earned by members under the cash back reward program, plus another $17,000 in green offsets which were gifted to Micro-Generators by Green Alberta Energy.

At the end of March, local Energy Marketers deposited thousands of cash back dollars directly into Solar Club member’s bank accounts. Given the current downturn in the economy due to COVID-19, this is likely a welcome bonus for members.

Further Greening Alberta’s Grid

In addition to the cash back rebates, Green Alberta Energy (GAE) continued to do its part to help the province realize its goal of achieving 30% renewable energy by 2030. Rather than wait another ten years though, GAE helped our Solar Club members green 30% of their electricity imports for free in 2019! The total amount of electricity offset (known as Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs)), since the introduction of the program on behalf of Solar Club members totaled over 1,000,000 kWh.

We will double this amount of offsets in 2020 as green offsets are being increased from 30% to 50%! Members will now be able to green half of their electricity imports from the grid. Offsets are provided free of charge to Solar Club members and the cost of the offsets are being funded as a gift to our members. 

Even More Benefits to Membership

For those who don’t know, the original solar PV Micro-Generation program was called the Light Up Alberta program, founded in 2012. It was part of the foundation for what the Solar Club is today. The program has been 8 years in the making, and continues to get better every year.

To qualify to be a member of the Solar Club, you must be a solar PV Micro-Generator and the only cost is a promise to donate to your local food bank. 

In addition to the free green offsets and the cash back benefit, members can select from special rates designed exclusively for solar PV Micro-Generators. They can easily switch between these exclusive rates, penalty free, to accommodate seasonal generation fluctuations. 

April 1 we introduced a new low export rate of 6.7 cents per kWh and as we approach the summer solstice in June, solar club members can take advantage of our new 22 cents/kWh High Export rate. These rates are a great way for those that have solar PV systems to earn more from their investment. 

As we approach the one-year anniversary of the Solar Club, we invite you to join now, become part of a unique loyalty club, and do your part to green Alberta’s energy grid.

Park Power During in Covid-19 in Alberta

· · Leave a Comment Consumer Info, Electricity, Interesting

At Park Power, the health and safety of our team and extended network is of the utmost importance. As you are most likely aware, the number of COVID-19 cases continues to grow in Alberta and across the globe, and recently the Alberta Government declared a Public State of Emergency. Because of this, we have taken some steps to help reduce the spread of the virus and reduce the risk to our staff. 

As of Tuesday, March 17, 2020, we have coordinated with the majority of our team in order to have them work from home. Scaling back the number of team members congregating in the office is our commitment and an effort to mitigate risk. 

Over the years we have invested heavily in technology and solutions that have given us the flexibility, in situations like this, to work remotely. It is important to note that even though our Customer Care and Billing location is closed for the time being, it is business as usual at Park Power.

While converting to a remote office format means the way we do business is changing, our commitment to exceptional customer service will not. There will be no interruptions to our operations. Our office hours of Monday to Friday from 9 am to 5 pm will remain unchanged and our staff are available to answer any questions or concerns you may have over the phone at 780-640-2128 or via email customercare@parkpower.ca.

Park Power is committed to providing our customers with the highest level of service and customer care.

We are a small local business, and like many of you, have been closely monitoring the news on COVID-19 and the rapidly changing circumstances in which we find ourselves. We recognize that employers and workers alike will be affected by the downturn in business that has been caused by the virus.

In response to this, we have implemented new temporary measures to support those customers who are affected.

For customers affected by COVID-19, we will:

  • Waive all Non-sufficient funds fees beginning March 17, 2020
  • Assist customers in arranging payment plans if needed
  • Continue to provide alternative payment options for NSF customers, including credit card and Paytm

COVID-19 Information and Resources

Customers seeking additional financial assistance can contact the Alberta Government at https://www.alberta.ca/emergency-financial-assistance.aspx. Additionally, the Government of Canada has announced a $1 billion COVID-19 Response Fund to support employers and workers during this difficult time. 

The Alberta Government also recently announced their plan for immediate financial assistance. Included in this assistance program is the “Utility Payment Holiday” which would allow a customer to defer their bill payments for up to 90 days. As more info on this arrives we will update this post.

Changes to Employment Insurance, support for entrepreneurs, and details on how the Work-Sharing program is implementing special measures to support employers and employees affected by the downturn in business can be found on the Government of Canada website. 

If you have additional questions and concerns, our customer care team is available to answer any questions Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm.

It is important for Albertans to be educated on how the virus is transmitted, symptoms, and prevention methods to ensure they are doing their part to help reduce the spread of the virus. The Government of Canada website has many helpful resources which touch on these items and much more. 

Thank you in your continued support of Park Power. During this challenging time, we will continue to work hard to meet your electricity and natural gas needs.

Compare The Electricity Rates of Park Power and the RRO.

· · 2 Comments Consumer Info, Electricity, Interesting

In response to some customer inquiries, I would like to provide a short report and comparison of the electricity rates from Park Power and the Regulated Rate Option (RRO).

Starting in December, the provincial government subsidized rate cap on the RRO was no longer applicable to the electricity bills of Alberta power consumers. As the RRO is a market based rate, it fluctuates up and down with the Alberta wholesale electricity price, similar to Park Power’s Variable Electricity Rate. The RRO differs in that it is set at the beginning of the month and is based upon 3 month cycles of pricing while the Park Power Variable Rate is a monthly average based upon historical price performance during each month.

From the AUC website, the RRO electricity rates from 3 geographically mandated
providers in Alberta.

In the image above you can see the RRO rates for nearly the past year. When you see the (actual), that is the rate that the RRO providers would charge based upon market conditions but were forced to cap. The differential between the rate cap and the actual rate was subsidized by the Alberta government to the RRO providers.

In comparison, the below image shows the performance of Park Power’s Variable Rate for the past 6 months. The average of these 6 months (in EPCOR territory) was 6.474 cents/kWh. Lower than the capped rate of 6.8 cents/kWh.

While a variable style rate has its up and downs that customers must weather (see below for an example of some major ups), a Fixed Rate is something Park Power can offer, that an RRO provider cannot, that can protect consumers from such price volatility.

See below for an example of 24 hours of wholesale electricity pool pricing, taken from the AESO January 17, 2020 14:00hrs at the back end of a week long cold snap.

If Park Power’s Fixed Rates are compared to the recent performance of the RRO, they seem to be a great choice. Both the 3 year and the 5 year flexible Fixed Options from Park Power are lower than the RRO for December 2019 and January 2020. Plus the recent weather driven high demand and expensive pricing could drive the RRO up even further.

Park Power’s electricity rate options, January 2020.

I hope this comparison helps inform Albertans further about their choices for electricity providers. Keep in mind that switching providers does not affect the delivery of electricity to your home or business, only the price you pay for it. With Park Power you can choose an independent provider that offers low rates, awesome service, and shares is profits with local charities.