LETHBRIDGE, AB – Have you noticed your power bills lately have been a lot higher than usual?
Many Albertans have been a little shocked after taking a look at recent utility bills, many people with substantial increases for electricity.
Jason Drenth with the City of Lethbridge Electric Department says it all has to do with this very hot summer.
“We saw record demand across the city,” says Drenth. “Broken several times throughout the summer. People’s energy use goes up with the use of air conditioning and when that happens, the electric market prices go up because it’s all about supply and demand.”
The last few power bills are are from usage during July and August. Drenth expects as demand for air conditioning drops as we head into fall, so will your power bill.
He notes the price for electricity in those two months were nearly double that from earlier in the year.
“At the beginning of this year, prices were quite a bit lower, 7 to 8 cents kilowatt hour (kW-h). Throughout the summer, they were 14, 15, 16 cents a kW-h. Those are the prices we’ve seen. Typically in the fall we tend to see prices come back down,” says Drenth.
He notes the City of Lethbidge has zero control over the prices because it’s a provincial market.