Ontario Home FAQs
Condos, apartments or residents who
have a contract with an electricity retailer |
 |
| > Click here for general inquiries |
 |
| > Click here for Residential Signup and
Support FAQs |
|
| > Click here for green electricity
FAQs |
General Inquiries
Residential Signup
and Support
Green
Electricity
General Inquiries
What mix of energy generation sources
does Bullfrog Power use?
All of our power comes from 100% renewable energy sources that have been certified as environmental by Environment Canada’s EcoLogoM program. For more information on our clean power suppliers, click here.
Is Bullfrog Power licensed by the Ontario Energy Board (OEB)?
Yes, Bullfrog Power is licensed by the OEB as an electricity retailer. Our license number is ER-2005-0288. This license allows Bullfrog Power to operate as an electricity retailer throughout Ontario
Is Bullfrog Power publicly traded?
Bullfrog Power is a privately held company, and is not currently listed on any stock exchange.
Residential Signup
and Support
Do
I need any special equipment or wiring?
No. You do not need any
special equipment or wiring to switch to renewable energy.
Nor are service calls to your home necessary to get you
started. You will continue to draw power from the Ontario
grid as you always have, and we ensure that the amount
of renewable power you purchase is put onto Ontario's
electricity grid.
How will I be billed?
You will receive a bill from Bullfrog for the additional cost of renewable electricity. The cost to green your power supply through Bullfrog is 3.5 cents per kilowatt hour.
Note: if you currently pay for electricity directly, you will continue to pay for your basic electricity service through your usual payment channel (e.g., for many condo owners, through a third party billing agent). You will also receive a separate bill from Bullfrog for the additional cost of greening your power supply.
If you do not pay for electricity directly (e.g., most apartment renters whose electricity costs are absorbed in their rent), you will begin receiving a bill from Bullfrog for the greening of your power supply.
When will I receive my first Bullfrog Power bill?
Once you have completed the Bullfrog Power application and sent in your payment information, we will begin billing you for green power. The greening of your power will become effective immediately following your completion of the online signup process. One month after sign up you will receive an email that will invite you to access mybullfrog to view your electronic billing statement online. We will withdraw the amount on a monthly basis from your pre-authorized MasterCard, Visa, or bank account. If you currently receive a bill from your electricity supplier, you will continue to receive it after you are bullfrogpowered.
What is the current rate for Bullfrog Power?
3.5 cents per kilowatt hour plus applicable taxes. This is the cost for greening your electricity supply and is in addition to what you are paying to your current supplier for your base electricity costs.
What is the rate for "regular" electricity
from my local utility?
Your local utility charges you 5.6 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) for your first 1000 kWh/month of consumption and 6.5 cents per kWh above 1000 kWh.
How will the premium for the greening of my electricity be calculated?
As a residential customer of Bullfrog Power in Ontario, the cost to green your electricity supply is calculated based on your average monthly electricity usage. The price for green power is 3.5 cents/kWh. Bullfrog estimates your annual electricity usage in kilowatt hours (kWh) by calculating a monthly average based on your premises’ historical electricity usage or residence type and size.
How can I determine my electricity usage if I don’t receive an electricity bill directly?
If you do not receive an electricity bill directly and thus do not have access to any historical electricity usage data for your home, simply select the average usage for your residence type as provided in our sign up form.
What if my home does not match any of the residence options Bullfrog provides?
When selecting your residence type, please consider the number of bedrooms in your home as well as its square footage and pick the option that you believe is the most accurate.
Aside from the price for green electricity and applicable taxes, are there any other charges or fees for customers switching to Bullfrog Power?
No. There are no other charges or fees for switching to Bullfrog Power.
How much will Bullfrog Power cost me?
Bullfrog will invoice you on a monthly basis for your monthly usage (one twelfth of your annual usage based on your premises’ historical electricity usage or residence average). Your usage is multiplied by the rate to green your electricity supply (3.5 cents per kWh) and is subject to applicable taxes. For example, if your monthly usage is 250 kWh, you will be charged 250 x $0.035 = $8.75 plus applicable taxes. For the average 2-bedroom condo, Bullfrog Power will cost less than $20 a month.
What if my usage changes over the year? How are energy conservation initiatives reflected on my bill?
Upon signing up with Bullfrog Power, the estimate of your electricity usage is based on your previous year’s consumption (if data is available) or the average for your residence type or size. You have the ability to update this estimate at any time so that if your consumption changes, you will pay to green only the power that you actually use.
Why does green energy cost more?
Green energy is more expensive to produce than dirty power, but is more valuable as it does not pollute our air or our water. We pay our generators a premium for green electricity, which acknowledges its greater value and signals the market to build more. Bullfrog Power also uses a portion of the green premium to help develop new, renewable generation. A growing number of new turbines have been commissioned as a direct result of the demand for green power from Bullfrog’s commercial and residential customers. In the longer term, with advances in renewable power generation technologies, and with increased demand for renewables, production is likely to become more cost-effective. The price difference between green and conventional electricity should therefore reduce over time.
How do I make my payments?
As a residential customer in Ontario, you have the option of paying your bill via pre-authorized credit card or pre-authorized payment through your banking institution. At least sixteen days prior to the withdrawal date you will receive an electronic bill. This bill is for your review and will show the amount to be withdrawn.
What if I want to terminate my contract?
You may cancel your Bullfrog Power agreement at any time simply by notifying Bullfrog. There are no cancellation fees.
How much notice must I give for cancellation?
You may terminate at any time. You’re not locked in. You will be responsible for any charges for Bullfrog Power incurred up to the date of termination.
Are there any cancellation fees?
There are no cancellation
fees.
Will becoming bullfrogpowered affect my current supplier agreement?
No. The greening of your electricity service is billed separately from your base electricity costs. As a result, becoming bullfrogpowered will not affect your current power supplier agreement, including any long-term power contracts.
Is there any charge from my local utility for greening my power through Bullfrog Power?
There is no charge from your local utility for becoming bullfrogpowered.
What happens if there is a power outage?
Your local utility will continue to maintain the infrastructure that delivers power to your home, and you will continue to draw power from the Ontario grid as you always have. The reliability of your service will therefore be unaffected by the switch to Bullfrog Power. In the event of a power outage, you should call your local utility or sub-metering company directly. Visit our power outage information area for the relevant telephone numbers.
Who maintains the wires that deliver electricity to my home?
Your local utility will continue to maintain the infrastructure that delivers power to your home, and you will continue to draw power from the Ontario grid as you always have. The reliability of your service will therefore be unaffected by the switch to Bullfrog Power.
What happens if I move?
You can easily update your Bullfrog account information with your new usage information or residence type. Call us at 1-877-360-3464 or email us at info@bullfrogpower.com as soon as you have your move date and new address
What is mybullfrog?
Your personalized and secure customer support area is called mybullfrog. It provides convenient online access to your Bullfrog Power account information including access to your billing statements and emission reduction information. After your first bill from Bullfrog Power is mailed to your home, you will be sent a mybullfrog welcome email inviting you to register for this feature. A second activation email is then sent as an added security measure so that our systems can verify your email address.
Green
Electricity
How is
Bullfrog Power generated?
Bullfrog Power sources
all of its electricity from power generation facilities that meet
the federal government's Environmental Choice Program
EcoLogoM standard for renewable, low-impact
electricity. Our energy mix is a blend of clean wind
and low-impact hydro power that is 100% renewable, emission-free,
and whose impact on local habitats has been mitigated.
Will my power source be reliable?
What if the wind isn't blowing?
All Bullfrog Power's electricity is sourced from EcoLogoM-certified water and wind generation facilities. The electricity produced by these sources is injected onto the Ontario grid, the common power pool that delivers power to homes and businesses throughout the province. When you sign up for Bullfrog Power, you continue to draw your electricity from the grid, meaning that your power supply is just as reliable as it always was. The difference is that you are now supporting renewable power with your electricity dollars, rather than coal, nuclear, oil and gas.
How does wind power work?
Wind turbines produce electricity by capturing kinetic energy from surface winds, and converting that energy to electricity. Wind power produces no smog-inducing emissions.
How much power can a wind turbine
produce?
A single large-scale wind turbine produces enough energy to power 350 to 500 homes. Clustered together in a wind farm, turbines can produce enough energy to power thousands of homes.
Are wind turbines dangerous to
birds?
Bullfrog Power only sources energy from wind farms that meet the federal government's Environmental Choice Program EcoLogoM standard. This standard includes critieria focused on the protection of concentrations of birds, including endangered bird species. In addition, most major studies indicate that properly situated wind turbines pose minimal risk to birds. A 2001 study of wind farms in the United States and the UK, for example, found minimal ecological impacts on bird populations (Kerlinger; Avian Issues and Potential Impacts Associated with Wind Power).
What is low-impact hydro? What
is the difference between low-impact hydro and regular
hydro?
Low-impact hydro refers to hydroelectric generation that minimizes disruption of local habitats. Many large hydro generation facilities cause damage to the local habitat and wildlife. Bullfrog Power only sources energy from water power generation facilities that meet the federal government's Environmental Choice Program EcoLogoM standard. This standard requires that water power facilities meet a range of environmental criteria including the protection of indigenous species and habitat, and measures to minimize fish mortality and to preserve fish migration patterns.
How do I know that the volume of
green electricity I purchase is really being delivered
to the grid?
All of Bullfrog Power's suppliers are required by the Environmental Choice Program EcoLogoM standard to ensure that they produce at least as much EcoLogoM electricity as they sell. Additionally, Bullfrog Power has retained Deloitte to verify and audit our green power production levels on an annual basis. To review the most recent audit, click here.
Could Bullfrog Power handle a sudden, large increase in demand? Could you run out of power?
Bullfrog Power has secure and flexible arrangements with a number of suppliers to ensure we can meet the current and future requirements of our customers. Additionally, Bullfrog Power is investing in bringing more renewable power online. In this regard, two new wind turbines were commissioned in the fall of 2006 at the Sky Generation wind farm site on the Bruce Peninsula to service Bullfrog Power customer demand. In early 2007, in partnership with Schneider Power, Bullfrog announced the commissioning of two more new turbines on Manitoulin Island. In January 2008, a new wind farm in Ravenswood was commissioned in partnership with Sky Generation. As our customer base grows, we will continue to help bring more new renewable power online. In the unlikely event that we should ever face a situation in which demand exceeds the supply we have available, we would temporarily refrain from signing on any new customers until we had addressed the supply deficit by commissioning new renewable power generation projects.
Does green energy reduce greenhouse
gas emissions?
Wind power and low-impact hydro do not produce emissions that contribute to either climate change or air pollution.
How much greenhouse gas and smog-inducing emissions are displaced when we choose to buy clean, green electricity from Bullfrog Power?
To answer this question, Bullfrog Power has developed an Emissions Calculator.
To read about how we prepared this calculator, click here.
To download our emissions calculator (microsoft excel), click here.
Does Canada have good wind power resources?
With its long coastlines,
generous land, and ample high winds, Canada offers an
ideal environment for wind power production.
How do I set up my own turbine or small hydro generation?
As an electricity retailer, we are not currently involved in the installation of power generation systems, but if you are interested in learning more about generating power from your own site, you may wish to visit the Canadian Wind Energy Association site at www.canwea.ca or the Ontario Water Power Association at http://www.owa.ca/. Please contact the Ontario Power Authority directly if you have any questions about selling your electricity to the Ontario grid. You can visit their website at http://www.powerauthority.on.ca/ for more information about their Standard Offer Program.
How can I conserve? Worried about the extra costs of going green?
Bullfrog Power advocates conservation as an important way to reduce your environmental footprint and your electricity costs. We offer several conservation tips at: http://www.bullfrogpower.com/clean/conservation.cfm.
The Kerr Family reduced their electricity consumption by about 60%, more than offsetting the premium paid for green power. You can read their story here. By cutting your consumption of electricity, not only are you helping the environment, but you are also reducing the overall cost of your electricity usage.
|
