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If you have a business or a group of related business using more than 50,000 m3 per year: deregulated natural gas for your business.
If you have been on a contract with a marketer that is coming to an end, make sure that you formally notify the marketer by responding to the renewal notice sent to you, or by sending a letter to the marketer! If you don't, you will likely be renewed automatically. More
Regulated Residential Rates based on 4,000 m³/ year | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rate type |
Gas Supply ¢ |
Adjust. ¢ |
Delivery Chg ¢ |
Transportation ¢ |
Total ¢/m³ |
Monthly Fee |
Estimated Bill |
South ON Res. 1st July 2024 - Rate M1 | 14.00 | -0.98 | 6.28 | Incl. | 19.30 | $26.85 | $1,094.12 |
*Note: The Gas Supply Charge is what will change when you contract with a gas marketer. Gas marketers now have the option to control the charge for Transportation instead of allowing the utility to charge this item. Not all marketers have taken over this charge.
The Storage fee that appears on your Union bill has been added into the Delivery column.
The Adjust. column represents adjustments to the gas supply charge made by the utility (also known as a rate rider). It is usually due to the utility charging more or less than it cost them to buy the gas. This creates a surplus or deficit that has to be either paid back to customers, or collected as a surcharge.
Unlike fixed rates from a gas marketer, when you purchase gas from the utility the rate is subject to change at any time by the utility and can change retroactively in an annual balancing calculation. In the tables above the Estimated Bill is the total that a customer would pay over a full year for the volume shown. To see how your bill will change with a fixed rate from a gas marketer, select a rate from the table at top and insert this rate into the light blue box above.
Comparing and deciding among the various offers
There are 2 decisions. The first is whether to continue with the utility's variable rate, which changes every 3 months and may have retroactive charges, or a fixed term rate with a marketer of 1-5 years. You can choose to lock in for a long period at a fixed rate, or choose totally variable rates and take your chances that rates won't go up. This decision depends on your budget and what you expect gas prices to do over the next few years. You can see the utility's current rate in the chart above.
If you decide to go with a fixed price contract, your second decision is between marketers. Use our price chart to compare prices and features, and view the terms and conditions from each supplier.
Learn more about deregulated gas markets and marketers.
In Ontario, the Ontario Energy Board (OEB) regulates utility rates. When market prices go up, utilities apply to the OEB to change rates. This is for future rates, but can they can also apply to make a retroactive charge! They can't offer fixed contracts. When you sign up with an energy marketer, you can avoid these unexpected rate changes. As you can see from the previous chart, marketers can offer you an arrangement to fit your situation.
Remember this split when comparing costs. Gas marketers offer rates on your Gas Supply charge, which is about 2/3 of your bill. Union Gas bills have four charges, as follows:
* Gas Supply is the charge that you compare with the rates from gas marketers. Transportation is a pipeline charge managed by all marketers in Union South, by the utility in the Union North and East territory and can be the responsibility of either Enbridge or the marketer (check your contract or directly with the marketer). Delivery to you and the Monthly Customer Charge are regulated rates charged by Union Gas. These latter rates are regulated by the Ontario Energy Board. As a result, when a promotional message claims a 10% saving, it is referring to 10% of the 2/3 controlled by the competitive supplier.
Example: A typical annual gas bill is $1,200. One third of that, $400, is a regulated transportation and delivery charge (numbered 2, 3, and 4). The remaining $800 is the gas supply charge. A competitive gas supplier is offering a 10% saving is offering a saving of $80, which is 10% of the $800 gas supply charge.
Energyshop.com provides unbiased natural gas price and electricity cost comparisons. This is valuable information and education for home and commercial, house and business. It's insurance against paying too much on current utility rates. We have historical data, supplier information, home heating calculations, natural gas price charts, maps to help you find your utility area, links to solar energy, green power and wind power sites.
There are many suppliers with consumer energy rates, natural gas prices and electricity costs in Canada including Direct Energy, Just Energy, Superior (SEM), Planet, Summitt, Firefly, Tetra, Epcor, Enmax, Constellation NewEnergy (CNE), Transalta, Universal Energy and RiteRate. This information on electricity suppliers and open market rates is valid for Ontario, Alberta, Quebec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and BC (British Columbia). It covers gas distributed by Enbridge, Union, Kitchener utilities, Kingston, ATCO, Direct Energy Regulated Services, Teresen, Epcor ENMAX and GazMet. Canadian natural gas prices are available for deregulated provinces.
Some US states are deregulated and several have quite active markets. Georgia, Texas, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Ohio are active in 2007 and have the longest history. The most active marketers in Georgia are MX Energy, Georgia Natural Gas, Coweta-Fayette EMC, Gas South, GasKey, Infinite Energy, SCANA, Vectren and Walton EMC.
This price comparison search helps you find the cheapest electricity and cheapest natural gas among Canadian energy companies. While energy price information does not have the sex appeal of TV and electronics, it actually saves you much more money in your personal budget. If you sign a contract for 1 cent less per M3 (27 cents/GJ), you will save about $30 per year. The difference between the highest and lowest price in Ontario is usually 8 cents, so signing with the lowest cost provider will save you $ 240 per year. Think about this when the door to door marketers and telemarketers talk to you.
We also provide educational information and links on such issues as Nox and Sox and CO2 reduction (Nitrous Oxide and Sulphur Dioxide and Carbon Dioxide). We are a consumer report on the energy industry. Real estate professionals like the information we provide on utility bills, cost history, on heating system conversion costs, and energy price forecasts to help their clients manage expenses and cost of living.
Links to the Hourly Ontario Energy Price HOEP are also available to guage the Ontario power industry. The HOEP is also referred to as the spot market for electricity, and the open market rate. We are working on links to the Alberta electricity power pool
Business customers have many more options for buying natural gas and electricity. They can buy full requirements gas contracts with all of the delivery and compressor fuel charges added, or they can buy naked price contracts based on NYMEX quotes, and pay all of the other charges quoted separately. Electricity can be either a fixed price for every kWh used regardless of timing, or a business can buy a block of electricity to best match their time of use. Business customers can buy from companies such as Coral (Shell Trading), Sempra, CNE, Direct Energy,