Electricity Rates for Farmers

1. Energy Readings
   Each month, your distribution company reads your meter to measure how much electricity you used. Then they send this information to us, the provider. On this bill, the customer used a total of 1,063 kWh for the month.
2. Energy Charges
   This customer’s on a guaranteed (fixed) rate of $.0685 (6.85¢) per kWh. His energy charges for 1,063 kWh were $72.82 ($46.24 + $26.58).
3. Green Offset Charge
   This customer chose to green his power. So he’s paying an optional charge of $.0166 (1.66¢) per kWh to support renewable energy sources. Since he used 1,063 kWh and chose to green 25% of his power, the charge works out to $4.41.
4. Regulated Charges
   These charges are regulated by the provincial government.
5. Transmission and Distribution Charges
   The Alberta Utilities Commission regulates transmission and distribution charges on behalf of the Alberta government. These charges are regulated to ensure Alberta has a safe infrastructure and that we all have reliable electricity service no matter what provider we’re buying it from. The money goes to distribution companies for distributing electricity throughout the province and maintaining the electricity infrastructure.
   
   Each month, your distribution company determines how much these charges will be based on factors like how much electricity you’re using. They share the amounts with us, and we add them to your bill. When you pay us, we take the money you paid for these two charges and pass it directly to the distribution company. We don’t apply any additional fees or mark-ups.
   
   Transmission and distribution charges will be the same amount for you no matter what provider you’re with. And when you add them together, they make up about 50% of your bill (or more). While we’d love to make these charges lower for you, that’s not one of the powers of Park Power—or any Alberta energy provider, for that matter. Transmission and distribution charges are the price we all pay to have reliable electricity service in Alberta.
6. Local Access Fee
   Many municipalities like Edmonton have a local access fee. Because this customer lives in Edmonton, she’s charged a local access fee payable to the City of Edmonton.
7. Balancing Pool Charge
   The Balancing Pool is an organization that helps with the management of the electricity market on behalf of the Alberta government.
8. Admin Charge
   For electricity service, we charge a fixed admin fee of $8.25 per site per month. This covers the transactions we do to process your bill and makes it possible for us to share profits with our community partners.
9. Interest on Prudential (Actually a Credit)
   If you choose a rate with a prudential, the interest from it will turn up on your bill as a credit.
10. GST
    Add 5% GST to it all, and you’ve got your bill!

How to estimate your Park Power bill

To figure out how your energy costs would differ with Park Power, compare our rates above with the rates on your current provider’s bill in the Energy Charges/Retailer section. When you multiply your usage (eg 800 kWh) by one of our rates ($0.XXXX/kWh or XX.XX cents/kWh) then you will have an energy charges total. Compare that to the Energy Charges/Retailer Charges on your bill to see how your costs will compare.

Keep in mind that all of the Distribution/Delivery, Transmission, and all Government Regulated Charges will be the same with every provider.

What is a variable rate?

The price of electricity in Alberta can climb high, but sometimes it swings low. We’ve seen rates as low as 2¢ per kWh in the past few years! If you’re comfortable with riding the highs and lows, consider our floating variable rate that changes each month with the market. As with our other rates, you can cancel or change to another rate anytime you like, as long as you give us 10 business days’ notice.

What is a guaranteed rate?

The price of electricity in Alberta changes every month. In the past few years, it’s climbed as high as 37¢ per kWh! Our guaranteed fixed rates protect you from the spikes by locking in your rate and holding it steady no matter what happens in the market. But even though the rate’s locked in, you aren’t. Cancel or change your rate anytime. All you have to do is to notify us at least 10 business days in advance.

What is a prudential?

A prudential is similar to a security deposit. It’s a one-time charge that you pay in order to get a discount rate on electricity or natural gas. If you choose a discount rate with a prudential, you’ll pay it when you sign up. And if you leave Park Power, you’ll get your prudential money back! All of it! The prudential is fully refundable. Even if you never leave Park Power, you still get a little bit back each month—and this is what makes the prudential different from a security deposit. Unlike a security deposit, your prudential money collects interest: 5% a year. And each month, this prudential interest turns up on your bill as a credit.

For farm customers, the prudential amount is based on your annual electricity use as follows:

• < 7,000 kWh a year: $100
• > 7,000 kWh a year: $200
• A lot more than 7,000 kWh a year: Enough to cover two months of your bills 

Note: If you sign up for the variable electricity rate, we might require you to pay a prudential depending on the results of our credit check.