Utilities, Enmax or better options?

[autosm]

Just had to renew my contract with enmax @ 8c for electricity and a floating rate for gas. I previously had electricity @ 7cents for the last 5 years. They give you a 100$ credit once a year.

Anyone have any better options?

[ExtraSlow]

If you are fixed at five years for 8 cents, that's a a good deal. Electricity prices aren't going anywhere but up. That's the one I just chose over this winter.

I'm still on floating price for natural gas. But there is an argument to be made on that side too. however, the huge gap between the fixed rate and the floating rate is too much for me.

[DEATH2000]

The electricity rate right now is about 13 cents a Kwh. So 8 cents is definitley better. Mine was 15 cents over the last two months. Definitley noticed the increase.

[Cooked Rice]

Easymax. Fixed electricity, floating gas. Electricity, as mentioned, has been 14+ cents the last 2 months. I doubt it will drop below 8 anytime soon.

https://www.enmax.com/Power/Tariffs/RRO+Energy+Rates/RRO+Energy+Rates.htm

[codetrap]

I'm actually thinking about taking the risk and relocking in early at 8c. I'm up in June and I figure the locked in rate will probably be going up by then. Any insight of you electricity futures traders? :P

[ExtraSlow]

I Did just that. I was good on 7 cents until May, and I locked in around early jan at 8 cents.

[C_Dave45]

WTF....so between this thread and Rage's lightbulb thread I started to go through my Enmax bills.

From Nov 14 to Dec 12 I used 535 Kwh.

Paid .09 and .13 between the two months for a total of $107 for electricity. Not bad.

THEN!! From Dec 13 to Jan 16 I used 2941 kwh!!!!!!!!! :eek:
Paying $.13 and $.15 for the two months my electrical charge alone was $579.87 for one month!!! HOLY FACK!!!!!!
Add my water, sewage, etc, my Dec/Jan Enmax bill was $687.76!!!

Do Christmas lights alone rack up that much more power?!!

[CanmoreOrLess]

My bill from Enmax jumped from the norm 180 in Dec to 290 for the latest! That is for Electric only.

Guess the fired Enmax ex-CEO is still getting paid and they are having one hell of a party in 2012.

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by C_Dave45
WTF....so between this thread and Rage's lightbulb thread I started to go through my Enmax bills.

From Nov 14 to Dec 12 I used 535 Kwh.

Paid .09 and .13 between the two months for a total of $107 for electricity. Not bad.

THEN!! From Dec 13 to Jan 16 I used 2941 kwh!!!!!!!!! :eek:
Paying $.13 and $.15 for the two months my electrical charge alone was $579.87 for one month!!! HOLY FACK!!!!!!
Add my water, sewage, etc, my Dec/Jan Enmax bill was $687.76!!!

Do Christmas lights alone rack up that much more power?!!

Chances are likely they didn't do an actual reading for your Nov-Dec bill (and probably a couple of months before that too), and just "estimated" it.

Then they actually came around and did a reading, and that's why you "used" 2941 kwh. What a coincidence, at the exact time when elec. prices skyrocketed, lol.

[C_Dave45]

Originally posted by Tik-Tok


Chances are likely they didn't do an actual reading for your Nov-Dec bill (and probably a couple of months before that too), and just "estimated" it.

Then they actually came around and did a reading, and that's why you "used" 2941 kwh. What a coincidence, at the exact time when elec. prices skyrocketed, lol.

I was wondering that. The bill says actual "reading", but I'm taking that it says that whether they estimate or take an actual reading?
Because my electrical meter is viewable from the street and I always see the guy come up and take a reading. With my Gas meter, it's in the house, and for sometimes a couple of months in a row, the bill will actually say "estimate" and then maybe by the third month, when they've come inside the house the bill will say "actual reading".

Regardless...Jesus...fucking electricity!

[Cos]

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[benyl]

I fucking hate all those riders...

[Cos]

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[benyl]

I was listening to CBC last week and they were saying that Power prices in Alberta are some, if not the, highest in Canada and it was made worse by deregulation.

[Toma]

Originally posted by benyl
I was listening to CBC last week and they were saying that Power prices in Alberta are some, if not the, highest in Canada and it was made worse by deregulation.

Of course... "deregulation" simply means someone is gonna make a profit lol.

[Toma]

EasyMax electric question....

Call me suspicious.... but what's the catch? I mean, .08 for the entire 5 year term with no penalty?

In the last 2 years, electric has fluctuated month to month from .06 to 0.15 per KWH....

so, there has to be a catch. They would not do this if they weren't making more money somehow.

Higher other "fees"?? Or are they expecting electricity to drop?

[D'z Nutz]

So you just call them and tell them you want it locked in at $0.08 for the next 5 years? What's the catch? Why would they do this because they have me by the balls at 0.13-0.15 anyways?

[Sugarphreak]

...

[benyl]

Originally posted by Toma
EasyMax electric question....

Call me suspicious.... but what's the catch? I mean, .08 for the entire 5 year term with no penalty?

In the last 2 years, electric has fluctuated month to month from .06 to 0.15 per KWH....

so, there has to be a catch. They would not do this if they weren't making more money somehow.

Higher other "fees"?? Or are they expecting electricity to drop?

The catch is that the average over the course of the year is usually 8 cents or less.

http://www.enmax.com/NR/rdonlyres/7C8E29AE-9A78-4423-92DF-8E6FFF5969C8/0/EasyMaxResidentialElectricityRates.pdf

[autosm]

I got 7c for the last 5 years with enmax so no catch from what I can see.
They also called me to remind me that the contract is up and do I want to sign up again.

Anyone have another company that has a better offer?

http://residential.directenergy.com/EN/Energy/alberta/Pages/Dereg/Energy-Products-Dual.aspx

[ExtraSlow]

The "catch" is that they have a stable income stream, and they can use these locked in contracts as equity and get loans against the future income.

for the consumer, it's a great deal. That's pretty rare, so I understand your skepticism, so do some due diligence on your own.

[autosm]

http://www.enmax.com/NR/rdonlyres/7C8E29AE-9A78-4423-92DF-8E6FFF5969C8/0/EasyMaxResidentialElectricityRates.pdf [/B][/QUOTE]


I get about 10c for the last 14 months on average. Calgary floating rate.

[CanmoreOrLess]

Called Enmax, switched over to a locked in rate, this does not take hold for 20 days, transferred my gas to Enmax as well and "saved" $100. Now I am running around switching off lights muttering "Who left this light on?", nailed the thermostat at 19 degrees. Put on a sweater if you're cold! Dishwasher on "air dry".... so it goes.

Sounding like my father more and more each day.

[project240]

Just locked in (few months ago) with SpotPower for 6.5/kwh for the next 2 years. Just checked their website and they no longer are offering anywhere close to this rate.

WOOP WOOP

[The Wanderer]

The reason they can lock in the price at 8c even thought the rate is about 13c right now us is that the regulated rate is calculated solely on current market conditions, whereas the locked in rate is calculated based on futures.

Oh yah and no catch, If the rates go down you can exit your locked in rate to switch back to a market rate at no charge.

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by benyl


The catch is that the average over the course of the year is usually 8 cents or less.

http://www.enmax.com/NR/rdonlyres/7C8E29AE-9A78-4423-92DF-8E6FFF5969C8/0/EasyMaxResidentialElectricityRates.pdf

Yet that shows the average over last year was 9.636 cents.

[benyl]

Haha, I was too lazy to do the calc. I bet if you went back to 2010, it was 8 cents.