Published On: September 14, 2025

Solar Club™ Energy Insider Alert

New HI Rate!

The Solar Club™ continues to be a made-in-Alberta success story. Comparing August 2024/September 2025 against August 2023/September 2024, Solar Club Members have collectively:

  • Net exported 6.3 million kWh back to the grid (a 141% increase)
  • Earned $21M in value from exports (a 57% increase)
  • Earned $300,000 in cash back value (a 98% increase over the same period last year)

The HI Rate season isn’t even over yet, so these preliminary numbers are worth celebrating. The Solar Club is a proven model that benefits micro-generators in ways that no one else can match. Since May 1st, 54% of all new micro-generation sites have enrolled as Solar Club Members. Moreover, the Hummingbird Virtual Solar Community now encompasses 32% of the total microgeneration market, has over 225,000 installed solar modules, and has an estimated capacity in
excess of 150 MW. The Hummingbird VSC is now the second largest distributed solar generation “asset,” surpassing Big Sky Solar at 140 MW, putting us second only to the Travers Solar Project (465 MW).

And now for the BIG news. The Solar Club is pleased to announce that the HI Rate will increase from 30 cents/kWh to 33 cents/kWh, effective September 19, 2025. As Solar Club Members know, the HI Rate allows you to maximize the impact of your excess solar PV generation, and a higher HI Rate will speed up your ROI.

Here’s what you can expect:

  • New Members can select the 33 cents/kWh HI Rate starting on September 19, 2025.
  • If you’re on the HI Rate right now, you will automatically be billed at the new 33 cents/kWh rate. This change will appear on all invoices issued on or after September 19, 2025.
  • You will be able to back-date your rate change request to 33 cents/kWh using our Pre-Bill feature.

With fall approaching, Solar Club Members also have the ability to choose the Variable Rate as an alternative to the LO Rate. In the coming months, we will be enhancing your Pre-Bill notification emails with Variable Rate information, thereby giving you a monthly comparison between the LO Rate and your Energy Marketer’s Variable Rate. As always, we want you to have choice and control.

Using our new HI Rate will help Members cap off the summer on a high (see what we did there) before choosing between our LO Rate and Variable Rates. For more details, please contact our Customer Care team at sunshine@solarclub.ca.

Beware! AI-Based Solar Programs

Artificial intelligence is being used more and more as a way to think, write, and even make decisions for us. But what happens to our data?

When it comes to solar, can you trust the results when you outsource your data and put your (very expensive) solar investment in the hands of someone you do not know?

At Solar Club, we believe that empowering our Members with information and education is critical and, more importantly, wise.

AI-based solar programs that claim they will handle automatic switching for you are becoming more common. Automatic rate switching sounds great until it’s not. Here’s a list of reasons why the Solar Club is still the best choice.

  • The Solar Club does NOT use AI or machine learning to manage your rates.
    • Your data remains secure on our servers and never becomes part of someone else’s LLM (Language Learning Model) or external AI databases.
    • Other retailers do not have their own in-house data management or billing systems; they’ve outsourced this to third parties. You have no control over how third parties use your data.
    • We don’t share your data with third parties.
  • Control remains with YOU at all times. YOU switch when the time is right, not when a computer tells you to do so.
  • We don’t use arbitrary rate switch dates.
  • There is no advantage to switching back and forth between rates more frequently than twice per year.
    • If your system is sized appropriately, you only need to switch twice per year (once in spring and once in fall).
    • If your system is on the cusp (moderately undersized), you still only need to switch twice per year; the HI Rate period will just be shorter.
    • If your system is undersized (never meets net export status), you can stay on a Variable Rate or LO Rate year-round – eliminating the need for automatic switching.
  • Cancel rebill data adds a layer of complexity that automatic rate-switching cannot address, and can result in additional costs to you when you least expect them.
  • Our Pre-Bill Data Feature eliminates the guesswork, empowering you with data to make informed decisions.
  • Rate switches are easy and can be done in your My Account portal in 3 minutes or less.
  • AI-based rate switching takes control away from you and can introduce additional anxiety (“What if it doesn’t work?”).
  • Pre-Bill Auto Email Notifications keep you engaged and involved in your solar journey.
  • The longer you’re a Member of the Solar Club, the more data you can access through Solar Stats.
  • Your data is presented to you, not mysteriously used in an AI-based model.

The Solar Club model is one of proven stability. With predictable, minimal switches, customers avoid arbitrary rate jumps or surprises, ensuring a more stable billing experience. We are the original solar rate provider; everyone else is a copy.

Don’t be deceived by the allure of AI. Our team is ready and willing to help, whenever you need it. Simply email sunshine@solarclub.ca and our team will answer your questions.

New Feature: Solar Refund

Are you tired of contacting Customer Care to change your refund status? Good news: now you can do it online through your My Account portal! The image below shows where you can find this feature.

If you say “Yes” and your balance is $200 or more for two months in a row, the credit balance will be refunded to your bank account. If you say “No,” the credit will stay in your My Account and can be used for “Credit Transfer Between Accounts” (formerly Credit Balance Transfer) or simply continue to accumulate to be used during periods of higher usage.

Updated Feature: Solar Stats Graph

Now, your My Account portal also displays the bar graph you previously received in your monthly Solar Stats emails. The graph can be found below your account information.

To access the Solar Stats table with data, simply click on the “Show Data” button (see image above). You’ll be shown your data and graph in your browser and from there you can download a PDF or Excel file with the data.

Press the “Back” button on your browser to return to your My Account portal.

thinking about solar?

Once you have solar installed on your home, you are considered a micro-generator and are automatically eligible to be part of Alberta’s best solar loyalty program.