Anyone have any experience with energy (electricity) resellers?

CruisnGrrl

CruisnGrrl

Well-known member
Site Supporter
Forum Sponsor
Just got my bill from hydro one the other day and i'm steaming mad. :cussing:

I use less electricity than ever, (~15kW/D down from 30) yet my bill is higher than ever.

I want to give hydro one the boot, :thebirdman: i see from their web site I can go with a reseller and the reseller might be cheaper...

one in particular is http://www.canadaenergy.ca/index.php?hydro=residential canada energy, 4.7c or less anytime seems like a decent deal.

I know i'll have to pay the delivery fee (which is over 1/2 my bill) but 4.7c would cut my actual energy usage cost in 1/2.

The other option is going off grid but I haven't been able to figure out how many solar cells I would need to make 20kW a day. Big ticket items in the house are the stove, dryer, well pump and water heater. 3 of those I suppose I could replace with propane powered ones but I still need electricity for the well. Replacing those appliances and installation wouldn't be cheap either. I could also replace the back light (it's 500W) with a LED and the front light (250W) with LED to bring usage down another kW/d. Reselling to the grid isn't an option here because the grid is saturated and they're not taking any new customers.
 
What a racket Hydro 1 is! Just found out that they had a friends house set up as rural/recreational or something similar for the past 2 years. She lives there full time and the difference in her current rating and the correct (rural residential) totals for delivery is astronomical! When I discovered it and suggested she call they basically told her tough ****... its your job to tell us something is wrong - no credit/refund. No wonder that vet up in Orangeville told them to shove it - hope he pulls off the off-grid thing. Cant be much help with your question but I can say that I have a couple of friends up in the Bancroft/Haliburton area that are off grid completely - it was kinda expensive to set up but both say it was worth it and paying for itself. If you google it there are a few Ontario companies that can help you with the math and set-up.
 
Take a close look at the reseller contracts they are always more than they look like with extra fees. I have looked myself but it always costs more when I figured it out. Usually a bit less at peak times but more during off peak when I use most of my power.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4
 
Are you even allowed to go off the grid? I know with natural gas, you are welcome to disconnect however, you are still required to pay a non-connection fee of something like $30 a month.
 
Have you considered solar? is your house a bungalow (not back split)? what direction does the peak of your roof run? got pics? depending on your roof config it might be no cost to install and will cut your bills in half (or more). You might need to relocate some plumbing vents and switch to a ridge vent.
 
hpvchewy said:
Have you considered solar? is your house a bungalow (not back split)? what direction does the peak of your roof run? got pics? depending on your roof config it might be no cost to install and will cut your bills in half (or more). You might need to relocate some plumbing vents and switch to a ridge vent.
Click to expand...

Have seriously considered solar. Just need 20kw/day. Have mostly flat roof with the high end on the east side but have lots of room in the back yard. Selling back to the grid isn't an option here as its saturated.
 
CruisnGrrl said:
Have seriously considered solar. Just need 20kw/day. Have mostly flat roof with the high end on the east side but have lots of room in the back yard. Selling back to the grid isn't an option here as its saturated.
Click to expand...
You don't really need to sell it back to the grid. During the day the solar panel will offset all of your electricity (i.e., your meter won't' be spinning at all). Your roof sounds perfect. I'm not sure if they do yard installs though. Could you please e-mail BrianC@pure-energies.com for more information! Here is the information they provided my friend when they did his house. In his location he is able to sell back to the grid, so his electricity bills during the summer are negative figures (i.e. the hydro company gives him credits toward his winter time usage).

-------------

1. Video of one of our Installations in Oshawa with Rick Mercer,Mike Holmes and David Suzuki.


2. How the system works. - This will provide you with more information regarding the operations of a Photovoltaic (Solar) System.


3. Ontario Power Authority Micro-FIT program rules. - The Micro-Fit program is the government sponsored program that allows you to receive 20 years of founding for your solar system. You will find more information about the program on the official government webpage.

4. Top 10 Myths about Solar. - Find out what's true and what's not about solar power through this insightful piece.


5. Recent Installation of Wellspring Hospital.- Cancer patients and their loved ones will soon be receiving emotional and psychological support in a centre featuring Solar Energy by our company.


6. Pure Energies Purchases One Block Off the Grid to Expand into the U.S:- One Block Off the Grid is one of the most influential Solar companies in the United Sates and now it is part of PURE Energies. We are not just helping Ontarian's go Solar, but we're experts in doing it on an International scale.


7. Pure Energies and the David Suzuki Foundation created a partnership to help more homeowners in Ontario go solar; read more about it here.


8.Here you can read about the Finance Minister of Ontario endorsing PURE energies.

9.Here is an article announcing one of our many partnerships with Ontario's Group Homebuilders , this time with Brookfield homes.

10.Also, we were nominated for the Green Builder of the year by the Building, Infrastructure and Land Development Association (BILD), and we installed solar on the BILD headquarters, which you can read about here.


11. Click here to check out some photos of many of the Installs we have done all across the province.

Should you have any further questions regarding Solar, please feel free to reach me at the office or my cell: 289-983-6766 or my e-mail and I will be happy to clarify them for you.


I am looking forward to hearing from you and wish you an amazing week.

Brian

Brian Crochetiere | Solar Specialist

PURE energies inc.

30 Duncan Street, Suite 701, Toronto, ON, M5V 2C3

Office Main Number: (416) 340-7873
Toll-free: 1-855-833-PURE
www.pure-energies.com
 
hpvchewy said:
You don't really need to sell it back to the grid. During the day the solar panel will offset all of your electricity (i.e., your meter won't' be spinning at all). Your roof sounds perfect. I'm not sure if they do yard installs though. Could you please e-mail BrianC@pure-energies.com for more information! Here is the information they provided my friend when they did his house. In his location he is able to sell back to the grid, so his electricity bills during the summer are negative figures (i.e. the hydro company gives him credits toward his winter time usage).
Click to expand...

even if my electricity usage was zero I'd still have delivery charges and regulatory fees and debt repayment. Idea is to say **** you to hydro one
 
GreyGhost said:
Are you even allowed to go off the grid? I know with natural gas, you are welcome to disconnect however, you are still required to pay a non-connection fee of something like $30 a month.
Click to expand...

you can disconnect, ask them to remove your gas meter and there isn't any charge. If you want to keep your meter, then yes you pay a customer charge whether you are using or not.

Sent from my GT-N8010 using Tapatalk HD
 
There are really no viable alternatives to being on the grid. Just keep in mind that all of the turmoil you are experiencing was brought to you courtesy of the Mike Harris PC government who broke apart Ontario Hydro to pay off their big money buddies. Tim Hudak (current Ont. PC leader) was one of the architects of the Harris "Common Sense Revolution" that created this mess in the first place. Successive governments have just contributed to the turmoil by shutting down non-profit coal burning generating stations owned by you and replacing that generation with "for profit" generators. In addition, the Libs really messed up with their green energy plan. OPG has had to shut down generation that you paid 5.5 cents/kW-h so that wind and solar can have their guaranteed access to the grid at 18 - 75 cents per kW-h. Bottom line here is that Hydro One is not the guilty party here. The prices you are paying for electricity today can be laid squarely at the feet of the Ontario PCs and their Common Sense Revolution. Something to keep in mind during the next provincial election. At least the shareholders of these private electricity generators will be happy as they suck the cash out of your pockets.
 
Last edited:
oilycreek said:
you can disconnect, ask them to remove your gas meter and there isn't any charge. If you want to keep your meter, then yes you pay a customer charge whether you are using or not.

Sent from my GT-N8010 using Tapatalk HD
Click to expand...

I didn't know removing the meter was possible, thanks for the info. $280 to pull the meter, so it's about 1 year to break even.
 
oilycreek said:
you can disconnect, ask them to remove your gas meter and there isn't any charge. If you want to keep your meter, then yes you pay a customer charge whether you are using or not.

Sent from my GT-N8010 using Tapatalk HD
Click to expand...

I want to get rid of enbridge gas for my business unit. Any charges for that? I pay $70 a month so I can use heating for 3 months of the year...
 
LiNK666 said:
I want to get rid of enbridge gas for my business unit. Any charges for that? I pay $70 a month so I can use heating for 3 months of the year...
Click to expand...

if you don't heat, just call them and tell them you don't use gas any more and want your meter removed. There isn"t a charge to remove it.There is a way you can keep your meter there but no working and not pay any charges, but that"s up to you to find out how.

Sent from my GT-N8010 using Tapatalk HD
 
ike said:
There are really no viable alternatives to being on the grid. Just keep in mind that all of the turmoil you are experiencing was brought to you courtesy of the Mike Harris PC government who broke apart Ontario Hydro to pay off their big money buddies. Tim Hudak (current Ont. PC leader) was one of the architects of the Harris "Common Sense Revolution" that created this mess in the first place. Successive governments have just contributed to the turmoil by shutting down non-profit coal burning generating stations owned by you and replacing that generation with "for profit" generators. In addition, the Libs really messed up with their green energy plan. OPG has had to shut down generation that you paid 5.5 cents/kW-h so that wind and solar can have their guaranteed access to the grid at 18 - 75 cents per kW-h. Bottom line here is that Hydro One is not the guilty party here. The prices you are paying for electricity today can be laid squarely at the feet of the Ontario PCs and their Common Sense Revolution. Something to keep in mind during the next provincial election. At least the shareholders of these private electricity generators will be happy as they suck the cash out of your pockets.
Click to expand...
Oh ya - it was Harris that encouraged the old regime to use corporate helicopters to get to their million dollar cottages in muskoka. He had a hand in writing their comp/retirement packages and I'm sure it was his idea as well to create a system where in many locations the cost to get the energy is more than the energy itself. I'm not saying politicians are better just suggesting that OPG/Ontario Hydro/Hydro 1 has been a cluster **** since I've been paying attention.
 
CanuckDuc said:
Oh ya - it was Harris that encouraged the old regime to use corporate helicopters to get to their million dollar cottages in muskoka. He had a hand in writing their comp/retirement packages and I'm sure it was his idea as well to create a system where in many locations the cost to get the energy is more than the energy itself. I'm not saying politicians are better just suggesting that OPG/Ontario Hydro/Hydro 1 has been a cluster **** since I've been paying attention.
Click to expand...

Abuses exist within every system - suggesting that the entire organization is corrupt due to the perceived abuses of a few makes little sense. This is simply because we don't know the terms of the employment contracts of the top executives to whom you are referring.

Breaking up Ontario Hydro with the aim of selling the components was based on the ideology that private enterprise can supply services more efficiently (and presumably at a better price) that public enterprise. This may be true for some parts of the economy, but as far as electricity production is concerned, there is overwhelming evidence that this ends up costing the consumer a LOT more in the long run. Private "For profit" generators are beholden to their shareholders and their aim is to maximize profit whereas public enterprise (the old Ontario Hydro) was beholden to the citizens with the aim of providing power "at cost." Government policy (ie:Green Energy Act, power plant cancellations, etc.) combined with the ever-increasing supply of privately generated electricity (particularly, unreliable renewables like expensive wind and extremely expensive solar) bear most of the responsibility for the increase in the electricity rates we pay today. It has even got to the ridiculous point of paying private wind generators to NOT produce electricity, and paying our American friends to take our electricity. There is little doubt that the "Common Sense Revolution" (which started the slow privatization of our electricity system) has been an abysmal failure.
 
Last edited:
with solar I'm guessing a 100W panel creates 100 Watts/hour peak and after 10 hours of full sunlight I would have 1 kiloWatt. With my usage of 15kW a day I'd want to be able to generate 20kW to cover when i use more than average, and winter time because we have less sun (do we even get 10 hours?) I would need to compensate for that with more panels... I suppose this is something I could do gradual adding one system at a time to my personal grid. I kinda wish I had propane installed when I replaced my water heater last spring, I could have had them plumb spots to the stove, furnace and dryer.
Forum Sponsor
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom