It seems like every single day, the increases in our everyday living expenses go up. Everything from groceries to gas to the utilities that you use in your home and business. It feels like it is a neverending cycle that we can’t get a break from.

Families are having to learn how to save money in ways that they never have in the past and starting with your utility company is always a great starting point. There is an endless supply of power companies and knowing where to begin or even who to choose as your provider can be overwhelming. So overwhelming you tend to put it off month after month. 

You are here on this blog to finally put your foot down and decide which power company is the best choice for your family.  But how do you choose?

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING YOUR POWER COMPANY

The starting point for choosing the power company that you want to work with is knowing what you actually need. Use these questions as a reference point to start your research. Let’s begin with questions that you can ask yourself before even reaching out to a power company.

1| What is my family’s budget when it comes to the utilities that I use in my home? 

Look back on your bill for the past three months. See what you have spent towards utilities for your home. Are you paying more than you thought you did? Are you paying more than you can afford? Getting clear on what money you have to put towards your utilities is going to help you know what plan is going to best fit your family.

2| What is my usage like on my bill?

The above question helps you to get clear on what you are spending but with this question, you need to know what your usage is. Are you home a lot? Do you work away from home? What times do you use the most energy? What is in your home that’s using the most energy? 

3| Am I limited to a specific power company in my area?

If you are new to your area, you may need to call a few power companies to see if they are available in your neighbourhood. You can even reach out to your neighbours to see what company they are with and ask them to give a review of that company. 

Now let’s go through some questions that we should be asking the local power companies that we are researching.

1| What are your energy rates for both fixed and variable rates? 

This is a great starting point because you can now make a comparison for the different power companies that you call. Keep a spreadsheet or even a piece of paper and write down the prices that they give you. 

Knowing the price of both options is going to give you a better understanding of which option will be best for your family and for your budget.

2| What are your late fees?

You need to plan ahead so that if something happens and you forget or can’t make your utility bill, you know ahead of time what it is going to cost you.

3| Do I need to sign a contract with you? If yes, what is the penalty for breaking that contract?

Again, the better informed you are when it comes to the details of working with a specific power company the better prepared you will be if things go wrong. 

4| What happens at the end of my contract term?

Eventually, your term with the power company will come to an end, and knowing what happens when that day comes will only benefit you. 

THE BENEFITS OF CHOOSING A SMALLER LOCAL POWER COMPANY

We look to buy local food and gifts and other things for our home but have you ever thought of buying your energy from a smaller local power company? The benefits to choosing small businesses extend even into using small local power companies when they are available. Let’s talk about the benefits of choosing a small power company to be your energy provider.

Benefit 1| They know where you live. 

Not in a creepy way, of course, but they are part of your community. They know the challenges that come with living where you live. They know the benefits of living where you live. A small power company is a business that is trying to grow and build in the community that you share. 

Benefit 2| More money stays in your community.

Isn’t that the best benefit of all? More money stays in your community to support local families and local businesses. We all want to see our own communities grow and prosper. Keeping your energy provider local to you will help you to do that. 

Benefit 3| Creates local job opportunities.

What could be better than that? Supporting a small local power company means that you are helping to build their business and create local job opportunities.

Benefit 4| Customer service is in your time zone.

How many times have you tried to contact customer service only to realize that they are located on the east coast which means they are closed? Customer service is a key element to any small business but especially for energy providers. If there is an emergency, you need to know that you can contact them in your time zone.

At Olympus Energy, we pride ourselves in being local to Alberta. Our offices, call centres, and employees all live in Alberta. If you are looking for a small power company that takes care of its customers and makes the process of switching energy providers simple, reach out today. It takes five minutes to sign up.