Solartility is a Calgary-based “electricity retailer and clean energy innovator”. In addition to the electricity plans they offer, they are also one of the few retailers in Alberta that offer a “Solar Advantage Program”, a specialized plan for solar microgenerators to maximize the return on their investment. We broke down the details of this program below.
Solar Advantage Program – The Details
The Solar Advantage Program is only available to Albertan sites with a bi-directional cumulative meter that are designated as Small Microgeneration sites (149 kW or less). Like many such programs in Alberta, the Solar Advantage Program offers two seasonal energy rates – a high rate for use in months when the sun is shining and you are generating electricity, and a low rate for use in the winter months when your solar production is at its lowest.
At the point of writing, the high rate of the Solar Advantage Program is 35 cents per kWh, and the low rate is 5.99 cents per kWh. Compared to other similar seasonal solar programs, the Solartility’s high rate is consistent with them, while the low rate is one of the lowest available.
Another feature of the Solar Advantage is they automatically switch customers from the high rate to low rate, making this program easy – there are no forecasting the weather in spring or fall to time your switch correctly.
Solartility charges a $9.99 per month admin fee on your energy bills. Solartility claims they offer no cancellation fees, so in theory you can cancel any time without penalty. However, it is important to note that in the fine print they reserve the right to charge an early exit fee.
| Low rate (Winter months) | High rate (Summer months) |
| 5.99 cents per kWh | 35 cents per kWh |
Our Take on the Solar Advantage Program
At a glance, Solartility’s Solar Advantage program has just two main selling points over its competition, but those selling points are significant. The automatic switch between the High and low rates is nice, especially for those who do not want to worry about timing the switch. However, they are not the only company to offer this, and some users might want control when it comes to the time of year that they time the switch.
The more significant selling point is the low rate, which, for new signees, will likely be one of the lowest low rates currently available, while the high rate is on par with the competition.
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