CHAT News file image

By Darren Rathwell

‘I just felt like crying’: Medicine Hat residents sound off over high utility bills

Jan 19, 2022 | 5:00 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – City Hall is facing anger over utility prices this week, with a number of residents speaking out after a sharp jump in their latest bills.

Posts have appeared on social media over the last few days protesting a spike in utility costs in Medicine Hat.

Some say the charges are the highest they have ever seen, whether they had locked in their rates with the city’s fixed-rate program or not.

Hatter Debbie Enslen posted her dismay on Twitter late Tuesday afternoon. The owner/operator of Jack n’ Jill Parties had yet to lock her rate in when CHAT News spoke with her, but she says she plans to now.

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“I just felt like crying. I’ve never seen it that high before,” she said.

Enslen says her latest utility charge is $595, up from about $428 the month before. It’s the latest hit for her business, which has suffered through the pandemic.

“It just brings you to tears,” she said, wiping her eyes, adding “You just can’t get… I don’t even want to get ahead. I just want to stay even.”

Other Hatters also took to social media to vent their frustration, one saying he was charged “$516 for my utility bill even when I’m locked in.”

Courtesy: Facebook

The fixed price for electricity is cheaper than the market cost right now, but you’ll pay more than the market price for natural gas if you’ve locked in.

Locked in rates are set annually by the city and adjusted each January, while market rates fluctuate with demand, though they are based on an average of the monthly rates offered by other Alberta utility providers.

The more consumption, the higher the rate, and the city says while utility bills are rising, so too is consumption.

“With the cold weather, furnaces are running more often. People are using space heaters or plugging in their cars. That adds to the consumption amounts,” Angela Smith, the city’s customer care & billing supervisor said.

She says Christmas lights and having more people home over the holidays also add to the utility load.

Smith says there are steps residents can take to help keep costs down.

“We do recommend that they sign up on the utility website so they can monitor their usage,” she said.

The city also offers budget billing, where you pay a monthly rate and then pay any outstanding difference at year’s end.

But for Enslen, a cheaper utility bill can’t come soon enough.

“I have only so many sweaters to wear,” she laughed, exasperated.

You can learn more about conservation initiatives by City Hall at the city’s website.