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Alberta Price Alert for Electricity in May

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AESOAlberta Price Alert for Electricity in May.                                                                                                                                                   RRO Prices for Electricity are on target to increase 32% for May 2014.

This is a message aimed mainly at customers on the RRO (Regulated Rate Option) but is good information for all energy consumers.

The Regulated Rate Option (RRO) is the default rate for electricity. The RRO fluctuates month to month because it is based on short term market prices, just like the regulated rate for natural gas. The RRO provider is the default provider of electricity for a consumer who has not yet signed up with a competitive retailer like Park Power.

RRO prices are set prior to the billing month.  May’s rates will be set soon based on current market prices and are trending towards a range of 8.9-11.4 ¢/kWh rate for May 1st.

If like me you live in the Edmonton Region then your RRO provider is EPCOR.  If you pay your power bill to EPCOR then you have been lucky lately paying just under 7.00 ¢/kWh for the past two months but you can expect to see a drastic jump in your bill soon. The forecasted rate increase for May is based on current and trending market data posted by the AESO.

By signing up for  the current Park Power Residential Value Rate  of 7.75 ¢/kWh you could avoid the 32% jump in price and you will end up paying a rate that beats the 3 year average for the Edmonton Region RRO of 9.06¢/kWh.

Shop Local and Power Our Community.

 

Website Maintenance April 11-13

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Just a heads up that we are doing some maintenance this weekend and the ‘Sign Up’ and ‘My Account’ sections will be unavailable from 5pm Friday April 11 until the morning of Monday April 14.

Thanks for understanding and have a great weekend

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Winter Sunshine Can Help Reduce Your Energy Costs

· · Leave a Comment Electricity, Interesting, Solar Power, Uncategorized

Have you ever considered how passive solar energy from the low winter sun can help you reduce your energy costs?

Passive solar is the concept of collecting, storing, and distributing solar energy without the aid of any mechanical devices.  Solar energy is collected during daylight hours through a building’s south facing windows, stored as thermal energy in the floors, walls, and furnishings, then distributed as heat during the later part of the day when the amount of solar energy entering the building decreases.  This concept can be quite useful in the sunny Capital Region where we rank #7 in Canada for Sunny Days During the Winter Months.

How can  you take advantage of passive solar energy to reduce your energy costs?  If you have any south facing windows in your home or office be sure to open the curtains or shades during the sunny hours of the day to capture the solar energy and ensure that those same curtains or shades are closed during the darker hours so as not to waste any of the heat collected.  Other things to consider when trying to capture passive solar energy is that materials with more mass or density (floors, walls, countertops) capture and hold that energy better and release it slower than materials with less mass, so try to expose the denser materials in your home or office to more of the sunlight entering through the south facing windows.  Capturing solar energy passively will help reduce the need to actively heat a building with a furnace thereby reducing both the electricity and natural gas consumption.

So as we carry on through a cold but sunny streak of weather consider trying to capture some of that lovely free energy that shines down upon us.

New Community Partner – The altView Foundation

· · Leave a Comment Community Building, Interesting, Uncategorized

Park Power is proud to announce the addition of our newest Community Partner, The altView Foundation for Gender Variant and Sexual Minorities.

The altView Foundation is a great group of people creating positive change in our community.  Their core values of Acceptance, Community, Openness, and Honesty and a Vision Statement of creating and encouraging acceptance and inclusion of diversity within Alberta aligns well with Park Power and our goal to help build community and create positive change.

Please check out www.altview.ca and see how open, inclusive minds can help create better communities.

The Community Partner program provides another source of funding and support for the altView Foundation.  When customers sign up with Park Power, with their monthly power bill they can choose to make a donation to the altView Foundation.  Also, Park Power has committed to sharing our revenue with our Community Partners, The Boys and Girls Club of Strathcona County and the altView Foundation for Gender Variant and Sexual Minorities.

Park Power – Local, Stable, Secure Electricity

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“Who is Park Power and why should I choose Park Power as my electricity provider?” “How much money can I save with Park Power?” “Is it easy to switch?” “Can I trust that my power supply is secure?” These are questions that I get from consumers as I talk to them about Park Power.  So, in this post I hope to answer these questions for all consumers and help educate you about your choice in the energy markets.

“Who is Park Power and why should I choose Park Power as my electricity provider?”

Park Power is a licensed electricity provider in the province of Alberta competing in the Capital Region with the big retailers Epcor, Enmax, Direct Energy, and Just Energy.  Park Power is the Local Choice owned by local entrepreneur, family man, and community builder Kris Kasawski.  You should choose Park Power because you can save money on your power bills and support the local community at the same time through the Community Partner program.

 “How much money can I save with Park Power?”

Park Power can save you money on your electricity usage by offering lower fixed rates than our big competitors and less than the Epcor’s Regulated Rate Option (RRO) floating rate. How much money Park Power will save you depends on how much power you use every month.

An example, an average Capital Region home that uses 600 kWh per month on the RRO with Epcor – 2013 Avg rate 8.61 cents/kWh.  Electricity Usage Cost – $51.66/Month.

With the Park Power Residential Value Rate of 7.75 cents/kWh and Interest Plus Account.  Electricity Usage Cost – $46.50/Month.

Over the 3 year term electricity savings of $185.76  plus the 5% annual return on their security deposit of $30 could have saved a customer  over  $215

“Is it easy to switch?”

The simple answer is ‘Yes’, however your Energy Retailer might charge you an early exit fee if you cancel before your contract expiry date. If you have a long-term fixed contract, we encourage you to read your contract terms and conditions to learn how to exit the contract and if you will be charged an exit fee.  Should you choose to remain with your current provider for the term of the contract, when your contract expires we hope you will consider switching to Park Power. Epcor (RRO) customers can switch over at any time. Switching is easy.

“Can I trust that my power supply is secure?”

Yes.  When you sign up with Park Power, nothing about how electricity is delivered to your home or business changes.  Your wires company (FortisAlberta or EPCOR) will continue to distribute electricity to you just as they do today. Alberta’s deregulation policy requires all utility wires companies to continue to provide their wire distribution, meter reading, and deliver services regardless of who you select as a retailer.