Case study: Calgary homeowner lowers utility bills by $299 annually

Situation

Looking for utility bill insights, finding unexpected savings

Doug, a homeowner in Calgary, had only been on his 3-year fixed rate contract for about five months when he connected his utility bills to Jotson. Because the contract was so new, he wasn’t expecting to find cost savings — but he wanted to know exactly what he was being charged for.

“I wanted to understand the different service charges and what they were for. I did what I think a lot of people do — I signed up for a 3-year contract, and I didn’t think about it much after that.”

The Utility Bill Insights feature explains it clearly.

It breaks down Doug’s electricity bill charges and natural gas charges in more detail than his monthly utility bill. He doesn’t have to dig to see where his money is going — or which charges increase or decrease month-over-month.

But you know what’s better than bill insights? Finding over $150 in savings within the first four minutes on the app. That’s when Jotson’s true value really hit home for Doug.

Solution

Instant energy insights and cost savings

“It took 3–4 minutes to connect my data to Jotson — it was really easy,” Doug says. “Minutes later, I got a notification: ‘Hey, you can save $157 a year just by switching plans.’”

Doug’s alert was triggered by Jotson’s built-in contract comparison tool. It analyzed what he was paying per month and noticed that the same utility had introduced a better rate in the five months since Doug had signed his contract. By switching, he could save an estimated $13/month.

A lot of consumers think that being “locked in” to a particular rate means that they can’t switch until their contract expires, but in Alberta, that’s usually not true. With most utilities, you can switch, penalty-free, at any time. Jotson helps teach you how.

“It guides you through how to make the switch. For me, I didn’t even have to switch companies, I just switched to a better rate with the same utility,” Doug explains.

A few months later, Doug received another notification — rates had changed, and once again, Doug could save as much as $142/year by switching. He didn’t hesitate. “I’ve been using the app for over a year now, and I’ve only ever received four or five notifications total — and two of them informed me of better rates,” he says.

Cost-saving alerts. No spam. That’s a win-win.

Results

Projected $299/year savings on utility bills

Assuming Doug’s consumption behaviour doesn’t change, he’s now on track to save an estimated $299/year across natural gas and electricity, without having to switch providers.

He knows that it probably won’t be like this every year, but the app has already proven its value. He compares it to having a “financial planner for your energy” — it worries about keeping track of the energy market on your behalf, so you don’t have to.

In between detecting more cost-effective energy rates, the app provides daily insights into energy consumption behavior. Doug recently invested in home upgrades, and he says Jotson will help him understand the full impact of those improvements over time.

“I really like the charts that show how much electricity and natural gas you’re using and the price per gigajoule. I put in a new high-efficiency furnace after a home reno, so we’ll see the full impact this winter,” he says.