Solar Club Newsletter – June 2025
By the Numbers
In the last six weeks, almost 1,800 new micro-generators have been activated in Alberta, and over 1,000 have joined the Solar Club. Our community keeps growing daily as we continue to welcome more and more Members into Alberta’s largest virtual solar community.
This spring, new Solar Club Members invested over $25 million in adding solar to their rooftops. Congratulations! But to protect your investment, please participate in the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) consultation review of the micro-generation rules. The deadline for your submission is June 26, 2025. Please see our website for templates you can use. All you have to do is put the date at the top and insert your name, then save the file and send it to engage@auc.ab.ca.
AUC Rules Review Submission Reminder
Last week, we shared an email inviting Solar Club Members to participate in the continued development and refinement of Alberta’s micro-generation regulation by submitting a response to the AUC written consultation review of Rule 024: Rules Respecting Micro-Generation.
This is a friendly reminder that the submission deadline closes next Thursday, June 26, 2025.
If you feel overwhelmed by the questions and unsure how to answer, you are free to sign and submit the pre-filled template completed by the Solar Club, or use elements to help formulate your response. You can choose from two versions: a technical version and an accessible version in plain language. Both can be accessed here:
Later this summer, we will be rolling out a new feature in My Account that will show you your net export or net import status based on real data (instead of recommendations based on historical data), enabling you to decide when to switch from the HI Rate down to the LO Rate. More information about this feature will come in July.
Keep checking your My Account dashboard for your Solar Stats information to stay informed about the optimal time to switch your rates!
Managing Rate Changes the Smart Way
Empowering Solar Customers with Control
At the Solar Club, managing rate changes should be simple, transparent, and entirely in the hands of our customers. We have always believed that our Members know their systems best, and are in the
best position to make a rate change decision that aligns with their needs. Our approach puts micro-
generators in the driver’s seat, allowing you complete control of your rate change through your My Account portal. The Solar Club is there to help you navigate and ensure you get the most out of your system.
Why Not Automate? Because Knowledge Is Power
While some providers promote automatic rate changes as a convenience, we see it differently. Automated scheduled switches paint all microgenerators with the same brush and assume it is most beneficial for all to switch rates at the same time of year. This can lead to being charged additional amounts for imported power unnecessarily, or missing out on significant credit potential. These systems may sound appealing, but they often prioritize marketing buzz and operational efficiencies by switching everyone on the same day over meaningful customer outcomes.
Instead, we focus on empowering you. Through the My Account portal, we provide a monthly ‘Solar Stats’ report containing historical import usage and export generation trends, allowing you to make fully informed decisions about when to switch rates. This customer-first strategy ensures you’re always in control and positioned to maximize the use of the HI Rate only when you are net exporting.
The Solar Club Strategy: Just Two Rate Changes a Year
Our model was built on simplicity. Most of our residential members benefit from just two rate changes annually: once in the spring from LO to HI and once in the fall from HI to LO. This schedule aligns with seasonal shifts in solar generation, optimizing savings without “flip-flopping” month to month, which is counterproductive to getting the most value during peak season.
Frequent rate changes can create billing complications, make it difficult to track performance over time, and be less dollar-efficient for you because of cumulative meter reads. By reducing rate- switching to a predictable and purposeful schedule, we minimize errors and make it easier for customers to understand their energy trends.
Use the Earliest Switch Date for Maximum Value
If you’re planning to change your rate, you can take guessing completely out of the equation. Using the Earliest Possible Rate Change Date allows you to take full advantage of your exports during a billing cycle. When submitting a rate change in your My Account portal, you can see your earliest possible rate change date in the calendar icon when selecting a date (the earliest possible rate change date is set by default if you don’t choose a different date). You can select an effective switch date as far back as your last billing cycle. Whether moving into the high solar generation months or preparing for winter, using the earliest possible switch date ensures you are capturing the full billing cycle at the proper Solar Club rate.
Bottom Line: Control, Clarity, and Confidence
We try to avoid gimmicks and believe in providing the tools and information our Members need to make the best decisions for their energy goals. There is no guesswork, no surprises, just clear data and confident choices.
Since launching the Solar Stats report in the My Account portal for our Members, we have received feedback that suggests that it’s unclear where Members can find their Solar Stats report. We hope the instructions provided below will help to clarify how to access this vital information:
Solar Tip: Where To Find My Solar Stats Report?
Since launching the Solar Stats report in the My Account portal for our Members, we have received feedback that suggests that it’s unclear where Members can find their Solar Stats report. We hope the instructions provided below will help to clarify how to access this vital information:
- Visit your Solar Club Community Energy Marketer’s homepage and click on My Account to log in. If you haven’t yet registered for a My Account portal, click Register to sign up. You will need a Customer ID number sent to your email (or you can contact Customer Care if you cannot find it).
- Once you log in, you will see the main dashboard page. One of the panes will say Account Information.
- If you have both Electricity and Natural Gas Services with your Energy Marketer, click the Electricity tab to see your Solar Club account details.
- Near the bottom of this pane, you will see a section that says Solar Stats. Clicking on the dropdown will allow you to select the format you want to download your report in.
The downloadable report will be available in both PDF and Excel formats. If you have been a Solar Club Member for less than a month, you may not yet have any data to display in your report. Once you have received at least one invoice, your Solar Stats will be available for download.
