Local power distributor Entegrus scooped up the Electricity Distributors Association (EDA) Public Relations Excellence Award recently.
Entegrus won the award for its work explaining the global adjustment charge to local commercial and industrial customers, Erin Bordeau, conservation program manager at Entegrus, said in a release.
“Entegrus organized and hosted the event ‘Taking Charge of your Energy Costs,’ which was held on Dec. 4 of last year,” she said of an event held to address concerns and questions from its commercial and industrial customers.
That meeting allowed customers the opportunity to have a face-to-face conversation with representatives from Entegrus, the Ontario Power Authority (OPA), and the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO), on a variety of topics, including global adjustment, energy efficiency and sustainability.
The global adjustment charge accounts for the differences between the market price and the rates paid to regulated and contracted generators and for conservation and demand management programs, according to the IESO website. The adjustment covers the cost for providing both adequate generating capacity and conservation programs for Ontario.
Jim Hogan, president and CEO of Entegrus, said the global adjustment charge has been on everyone’s electricity bills for some time, but “last fall, it became a significant number. It became challenging and confusing for some of our larger customers, prompting us to hold the event last fall.”
Hogan said a guest speaker, Jim Harris, who is very knowledgeable in energy conservation, gave companies advice on how to save money.
“He provided some good insight to companies on how they can be profitable by conserving energy,” Hogan said. “The customers thought it was a good event.”
He said Entegrus would hold more face-to-face events in the future to help customers understand their energy bills and consumption habits.
