Electric Energy Prices

March 27, 2010 by Walter Schneider.

Ontario Demand and Market Prices

Note: As of March 27, 2010, at 1:00 PM EDT,  the price was 3.01¢/kWh
Average Weighted Price for March was 2.81¢/kWh
Average Weighted Price since Jan 1, 2010 was 3.30¢/kWh

That low price has not been seen in Alberta for more than ten years now.  The price per kWh in Alberta has been more than twice the price in Ontario ever since Albertans were saddled with deregulated electric energy prices.

Alberta TMR Reference Prices (per MWh; divide by 1,000 to derive price per kWh)

A contract price will help to provide a steady, non-fluctuating rate for electric energy bills.  However, there is not a single energy provider in Alberta who will provide electric energy at close to the low price paid by Ontarians.

For residential users, farmers and small businesses in Alberta, deregulation of the electric energy market was a false promise that, instead of “putting more money back into the pockets of Albertans” (Ed Stelmach *) more than doubled the price of electric energy, beginning Jan. 1, 2000.

* We will continue to monitor energy supplies and pricing and take appropriate action when necessary in the best interest of all Albertans.
The Alberta Government is committed to putting more money back into the pockets of Albertans.

Ed Stelmach (PC), Alberta Minister of Transportation,
MLA Vegreville-Viking, 2002 04 19,
in his response to an open letter on utility pricing policies.
(Source)

Since then, the deregulation of Alberta’s electric energy industry cost Albertans far in excess of $10 billion dollars, much of which added to the windfall revenues gathered by the Alberta Government.

By the way,

Tracking Earth Hour in the Greenest State

27 03 2010 Earth Hour comes to every time zone at 8:30 PM today. Will it make a difference?

Their website says:

On Earth Hour hundreds of millions of people around the world will come together to call for action on climate change by doing something quite simple—turning off their lights for one hour. The movement symbolizes that by working together, each of us can make a positive impact in this fight, protecting our future and that of future generations. Learn more about how Earth Hour began, what we’ve accomplished, and what is in store for 2010.

As Anthony Watts properly identifies at his blog, “…last year, according to the California Independent System Operator (CAISO), Earth Hour made zero difference to the California power consumption. Zero, zip, nada. ” (read more)

Effective propaganda always makes attractive claims, but you can bet your life on one major aspect of it.  The more wide-spread a propaganda campaign ranges, and the more intensive it is, the more money it will cost.  In the end, those costs are always paid by the end consumers.

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