Understanding how Bullfrog Power works
In this blog, we’ll provide a high-level overview of who Bullfrog Power is, what we do, and information (and inspiration) on how to become a bullfrogpowered business or home. Whether you’re just beginning on your sustainability journey or looking to expand your plans, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve helped individuals and organizations of all sizes from coast-to-coast make real and valuable environmental impact.
The basics: What we do
Since 2005, Bullfrog Power has been helping businesses and individuals address their carbon footprint through green electricity, green natural gas, green fuel, and carbon offsets.
By providing Canadians with green energy solutions, businesses and individuals can address the carbon footprint associated with their energy consumption. No special equipment or installation is required, and any business or home across Canada can become bullfrogpowered. The Bullfrog difference ensures that you are purchasing the highest-quality green energy to help you maximize your carbon reductions while providing transparent, reliable reporting and support for your sustainability communications.
How it works
In order to give businesses a way to choose green energy and mitigate their carbon footprint, we take a two-step approach:
Step one: We work closely with businesses to determine how much traditional energy (electricity, natural gas, and transportation fuel) they use.
Step two: We assess their operations and advise on what would be the best sustainability solution to help meet their goals. We then develop an emissions reduction plan based on their budget, goals, and desired impact. Then we purchase and inject the same amount of high-quality renewable energy (derived from a renewable source) into the energy system on their behalf.
For individuals, it’s as simple as selecting the size of home they reside in and the type of renewable energy they’d like to purchase. We then purchase and inject the same amount of renewable energy into the grid to match the amount of conventional energy their home or vehicle uses.
As more businesses and individuals become bullfrogpowered, we help create more demand for clean energy from renewable sources like wind, hydro, and solar. It’s this demand that’s a game changer and a big help in moving our country's green energy transition forward.
Streamlined for business (and homes)
When you switch to being bullfrogpowered, you’ll continue to get your physical power from your utility provider, along with your usual monthly statement. You’ll also receive a separate bill from Bullfrog Power that reflects the cost of us injecting renewable energy into the system on your behalf.
You don’t need any special equipment or wiring to use Bullfrog Power’s green energy. And, whether you own or rent, you can become bullfrogpowered and contribute to our green energy transition, reduce your carbon footprint, and feel a whole lot better about the energy you’re using.
Where our energy comes from
Where does the green electricity, green natural gas, and green fuel come from that we’re injecting into the system? Great question. The 100% renewable energy we purchase on your behalf and inject into the system never comes from fossil fuels, nuclear, or biomass sectors.
Our green electricity comes from wind, low-impact hydro, and solar energy, and is EcoLogo certified.
Our green natural gas comes from organic waste from Canadian landfills. At the site, we harness the gas released from the decaying materials, clean it up, and blend it with the national pipeline where it works just like regular natural gas.
Our green fuel comes from a renewable alternative to petroleum-based fuel. Our producers repurpose waste streams from food manufacturing to make low-carbon fuel, and we make sure that it’s put onto the fuel system on your behalf. Green fuel is biodegradable, carcinogen-free, and low in other pollutants and particulate emissions. And because it’s sourced from waste, it doesn’t use up land and crops that could otherwise be used for food production.
Explore our green energy sources.
Our community
Since 2005, Bullfrog Power has grown to over 10,000 residential and 1,500 bullfrogpowered businesses and together, we’ve displaced more than 2.3 million tonnes of CO2e from entering the atmosphere. We’ve proudly been a Certified B Corporation since 2011, and we support 160+ community projects from coast-to-coast. Additionally, we were CDP’s first accredited renewable energy partner in Canada and are endorsed by leading environmental groups such as WWF and Pembina Institute.
Community-based projects
We support activists and organizers across the country who are working to transition their communities away from fossil fuels. We created our community-based green energy projects grants to provide critical funding for these local efforts. Currently we are helping to fund 160+ community projects active across Canada.
As a Bullfrog Power customer, you’ll be helping fund these small-scale, community-led projects, including solar panels on schools and in Indigenous communities, education and training programs, and a cleantech accelerator.
Regional sourcing
When you become bullfrogpowered, the energy you purchase is regionally sourced. Regional sourcing that’s close to home is often a differentiator between us and other providers and is an important one to consider when choosing a renewable green energy partner.
At Bullfrog Power we promote renewables across Canada, including in carbon-intensive grids, by sourcing 50% of Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) from the customers' region. This means that commercial and residential customers are making a real impact in the community/region they live in, as well as supporting improvements in neighboring provinces.
Reliable reporting
Green energy isn’t something you can see or touch, but with Bullfrog Power, you can feel confident that you’re getting what you pay for. We take transparency seriously, which is why we undergo a voluntary green energy audit every year.
When we launched in 2005, we pioneered the concept of an annual audit for green electricity retailers. We also created audits for green natural gas (2011) and green fuel (2016) when we first introduced those products.
Our green energy products are based on a legally binding contract, where we’re obligated under the law to retire green energy attributes on your behalf. Our audits, performed by a national auditing firm, assess whether the renewable energy sold to our customers and retired on their behalf is fairly stated, in all material respects, in accordance with the criteria outlined our report.
Power purchase agreements (PPA)
An important element of our business model is long-term sustainability. That’s where power purchase agreements come in. PPAs are long-term financial agreements between an energy buyer and an energy seller. The buyer guarantees the seller a fixed price for energy from a renewable project that hasn’t been built yet. This fixed price guarantee helps the energy seller secure financing for their new wind or solar project.
Our power purchase agreement solutions enable organizations across Canada to contract directly with renewable energy producers to make new wind and solar projects viable. As Canada’s leading green energy provider, we can help your organization evaluate its energy needs and determine if a PPA is the best fit. Our team will help you navigate the process—from selecting a project and running a request for proposal (RFP) through to structuring deals and managing risk.
For more information about PPAs visit: bullfrogpower.com/blog/power-purchase-agreements-explained/
Why should I become bullfrogpowered?
In addition to addressing your carbon footprint, transitioning our energy systems, and supporting our community-based projects, there are many additional benefits of becoming a bullfrogpowered business or home. We help you spread the word of your environmental commitment through free marketing materials, tools, and collateral, and we share stories and news from the wider bullfrogpowered community.
We’re on a journey to mitigate the impacts of climate change and transition Canada’s grid to clean, renewable energy. If you have any questions, we'd love to answer them. Reach out to us at info@bullfrogpower.com or call us at 1.877.360.3464.