Albertans brace for high August electricity bills
Global News
The hotter it gets, the higher the demand for power. Albertans part of the Regulated Rate Option (RRO) will see their August bills hit an uncomfortable record.
The rising temperatures are no match for the sky-high electricity rates. The hotter it gets, the higher the demand for power. Albertans part of the Regulated Rate Option (RRO) will see their August bills hit an uncomfortable record.
RRO plans like Enmax and the City of Lethbridge, are set to increase from 16 per cent to 22 per cent to an average of 32.267 cents per kilowatt hour.
Joel MacDonald, economist and co-founder of Energyrates.ca, explains the reasons for the rate hike are layered but he’s narrowing in on one.
“With climate change, we’ve seen a lot of people in the summer start to purchase and use air conditioners,” said MacDonald.
Cooling off comes at a cost for about a third of Albertans who are currently on the RRO.
Trevor Lewington, business development with Ridge Utilities, said there is a way to avoid the hiked price.
“The easiest and fastest thing people can do is get off the RRO,” said Lewington.
The RRO is the default energy option. The other options are floating and fixed rates.