FAQs
About Bullfrog Power
Bullfrog Power is Canada’s leading green energy provider. Since 2005, we’ve been offering renewable energy solutions that enable homes and businesses to reduce their environmental impact, support the development of green energy projects in Canada and help create a cleaner, healthier world.
Bullfrog is not a charity, and a purchase from Bullfrog can not be considered a “donation” for tax purposes. We are a for-profit company and a member of Spark Power, a publicly traded company listed on the TSX. Although we aren't a charity, we are a B Corp “Profit with Purpose” company, and we pledge 10% of our profits towards organizations that promote sustainability.
Bullfrog is Spark Power's sustainability division. Spark Power purchased Bullfrog in 2018.
Less Emissions is a Bullfrog Power company, whose parent company is also Spark Power.
About green energy
REC stands for renewable energy certificate. RECs are the global standard for tracking how much renewable electricity is put on the grid, and one REC represents the environmental and social benefits of one megawatt-hour of renewable electricity. By purchasing RECs, you shrink your carbon footprint, directly support renewable energy generators, and create demand for even more green power.
Greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, methane, or nitrous oxide, each trap a different amount of heat in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) is a measurement that puts all greenhouse gas emissions in relation to carbon dioxide according to each gas’ unique warming potential. This makes it simpler to calculate and compare your environmental impact.
Bullfrog’s green electricity comes from a blend of wind and low-impact hydro power sourced from new Canadian renewable energy facilities, with at least 50% sourced directly from your region. Check out our sources page for more information.
Our green natural gas comes from organic waste – like apple cores – at a Canadian landfill. At the site, we harness the gas released from the decaying materials, clean it up and put it on the national pipeline. It works just like regular natural gas! Check out our sources page for more information.
Bullfrog Power is not a utility, and our customers get their physical power from their utility as usual. Customers receive a separate bill from Bullfrog that reflects the cost of putting green energy onto the grid on their behalf.
You do not need any special equipment, wiring or piping to switch to Bullfrog Power’s green electricity and/or green natural gas, nor are service calls to your location necessary to get you started. You continue to draw electricity from the electricity grid, or natural gas from the national natural gas pipeline system—just as you always have—and Bullfrog’s producers put renewable electricity or green natural gas onto the respective energy system on your behalf.
We ask that you provide us with one complete year of your energy usage representing your latest footprint. You are billed based on the prorated monthly usage. At the end of a one year term, we can review and update your usage.
Many Canadian provinces generate power from large hydro dams and nuclear power plants. While they are emissions-free, these projects damage ecosystems and leave behind a legacy of radioactive waste. We source our green electricity exclusively from projects that meet Environment Canada’s EcoLogo standard for Sustainability for Renewable Low-Impact Electricity Products. That means that our sources, which include wind, solar, and low-impact hydro, are emissions-free and have limited impacts on ecosystems.
Your green energy premium goes towards three categories: paying renewable energy producers, investing in community-based green energy projects, and running Bullfrog's operations.
- We use part of your fee to purchase renewable energy certificates (RECs) from the highest quality wind, solar, and low-impact hydro producers. One REC certifies that 1 MWh of renewable energy was produced and put onto the grid. We retire RECs on our customers’ behalf to ensure that the benefits of renewable energy are credited to them.
- In addition to supporting grid-scale renewable energy generation, your premium also helps fund community-based green energy projects like solar panels for nonprofits, schools, and Indigenous communities.
- The remainder of your fee goes towards administration and business development, including the annual green energy audit that verifies your purchase. We run our operations effectively so that we can remain a viable business, meet customer demand, advance the role of renewables, and develop new products to help our customers reduce emissions. We’re a certified B Corporation, which means our articles of incorporation reflect a responsibility to people, planet, and profit. Our public B Corporation assessment is available at the BLab website: https://bcorporation.net/directory/bullfrog-power
Of course! We want to provide green energy to everyone. Any facility can go green with Bullfrog Power, including homes that are owned, leased or shared. Remember, Bullfrog does not inject the green electricity directly into your home. With Bullfrog Power, you continue to draw electricity from the electricity grid – just as you always have. We ensure the energy going onto the systems on your behalf is from clean, renewable sources. Even if you are not billed for electricity directly (e.g., renters whose energy costs are absorbed in their rent), you can still sign up for Bullfrog Power’s green energy.
We can provide an assessment of your commercial rooftop to determine if on-site solar is a good investment. Through our parent company, Spark Power, we're able to provide the engineering, construction, and procurement associated with solar, as well as the ongoing operations and maintenance. We don't currently offer on-site solar for homes. We encourage you to visit CanREA for more information about solar panels for your residence.
If ever supporting green energy doesn’t work for you anymore, you can cancel at any time with no penalty. You will just need to let our Customer Experience Team (customerservice@bullfrogpower.com) know – and pay any fees incurred up to the date of cancellation.
Green energy for business
No problem! We can estimate your usage based on your square footage, your on-site activities, and data from Statistics Canada. Reach out to an account executive for a detailed quote business@bullfrogpower.com.
Yes. You continue to draw electricity from the electricity grid, or natural gas from the national natural gas pipeline system—just as you always have—and Bullfrog’s producers put renewable electricity or green natural gas onto the respective energy system to match the amount of electricity or natural gas your organization purchases. As a result, any identifiable location (e.g., head office, retail space, warehouse, etc.) can choose green electricity and/or green natural gas.
No, becoming bullfrogpowered will not affect your current power or natural gas supplier agreements, including long-term power contracts. Bullfrog Power bills you separately for the green electricity and/or green natural gas premium.
Yes, certifications or sustainability disclosure programs attribute credit to a green energy purchase, usually for both green electricity and green natural gas, as well as counting those products as reductions against your company’s emissions footprint. Check with the program you are wondering about, or reach out to us for specific details.
Absolutely! The more historical usage data you share with us, the more accurately we can establish your average monthly usage.
Our customers’ purchases are audited by Deloitte annually. Our public audit is your proof that green energy was purchased on your behalf in an equal amount to what you purchased from Bullfrog Power, and that those renewable energy certificates were retired on your behalf against your energy consumption. Our marketing team can also provide you with a customized certificate for your business.
You may terminate your commercial agreement at any time. Please contact your Bullfrog Power sales representative or contact business@bullfrogpower.com.
Power purchase agreements
PPAs are financial agreements between an energy buyer and a renewable energy project developer. In these contracts, the buyer guarantees the developer a fixed price for energy from a project that hasn’t been built yet, such as a wind farm or a solar array. For this fixed price, the buyer receives renewable energy certificates (RECs) from the project. PPAs are long-term contracts that can last 10 to 15 years. Currently, most contracts span about 10 years. With a virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA), energy does not physically flow from the renewable project to the buyer. Instead, the project sells its energy into the wholesale power grid and the buyer continues to procure power from its utility as usual. Learn more about power purchase agreements.
With a PPA, one party will pay the other the difference between the wholesale energy price and the predetermined PPA price. If energy prices are lower than the PPA price, the buyer will pay the developer; but if energy pool prices are higher than the PPA price, the developer will pay the buyer. In either case, the buyer earns renewable energy certificates and the right to say that they’re powered by renewable energy. PPAs are inherently risky—depending on power pool prices in the market where the project is located, the buyer might win or lose money on the deal. But there are various ways to mitigate that risk. Contact us at business@bullfrogpower.com to learn which risk mitigation strategies will benefit your business.
Energy efficiency services
Energy efficiency services are an efficiency offering that's jointly delivered by Bullfrog Power and our parent company, Spark Power. Energy efficiency services save you time and money by identifying and implementing efficiency opportunities. We’ll assess your facility and create a custom energy efficiency action plan that includes high-impact recommendations—most of which will pay for themselves in two years or less—and provide a fixed, no-obligation quote for Spark Power to perform the upgrades. If you decide to move forward, we’ll make things easy for you with incentive application support, quick implementation, end-to-end service.
Our energy efficiency services are tailored to the commercial and industrial sector. They're ideal for users with high energy costs that have incentives available to them through their regional incentive body to help lower the payback period and improve their return on investment.
We don't have an energy efficiency opportunity for residential homeowners or small businesses at this time, but we continue to look for opportunities to bring sustainability offerings and efficiency opportunities to these groups. If you'd like updates on new products, please sign up for our newsletter.
Our energy efficiency services assess and identify multiple efficiency opportunities in a facility. These opportunities may include, but are not limited to, LED lighting retrofits or smart LED conversions, single speed drives/motor upgrades to variable frequency drives/motors, and air compressor upgrades. We'll do a custom assessment with each customer to identify their biggest efficiency opportunities and needs.
Depending on where you're located, there will be different incentives and rebates available to your business. Our energy efficiency experts are happy to walk you through what incentive programs are open in your jurisdiction now. Contact us today using the form found on our energy efficiency services page.
Contact us
If you have more questions we’re here to answer them. Contact us with your questions about our products and solutions, corporate sustainability, and the green energy landscape.
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