Surging commodity prices and other factors like the phaseout of cheap coal are pushing utility bills in Alberta to shocking heights.
Homeowners who haven’t locked into fixed contracts for their natural gas and electricity are reporting huge increases in their bills this winter.
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Alberta utility bills expected to remain high throughout 2023
The Consumers’ Coalition of Alberta says they’ve heard from people whose home heating costs have doubled or even tripled year-over-year.
Experts say natural gas and electricity rates in Alberta have swung to near record highs after seven years of depressed prices related to the oil and gas downturn.
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Electricity bills on the rise in Calgary after ‘significant’ increase in demand
The price of natural gas in November 2021 was $4.57 per gigajoule, up 77.1 per cent from November 2020.
The closure of cheap coal-fired power plants, which used to be Alberta’s main source of electricity, is also putting pressure on bills.
