Bullfrog Power

Bullfrog Power
Privately held
Industry Energy retailer
Founded 2005
Headquarters Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Key people
 Tom Heintzman (President & co-founder), Greg Kiessling (co-founder)
Products Green energy
Website www.bullfrogpower.com

Bullfrog Power is a Canadian green energy retailer operating in Canada. Bullfrog offers its customers power from renewable energy sources, such as wind, low-impact hydro and green natural gas, a renewable biogas product that serves as an alternative to fossil fuel-based natural gas. Bullfrog only sources electricity from generation sources that meet or exceed the federal government's Environmental Choice Program EcoLogo standard for renewable electricity.[1] Bullfrog's green natural gas product is produced at facilities that have met environmental standards as defined by ICF International.[2]

Across Canada, Bullfrog's electricity comes exclusively from regionally sourced wind and hydro facilities.

Bullfrog's green natural gas is produced at the Dépôt Rive-Nord, a biogas facility in Quebec.

Operation

Bullfrog Power does not inject the green electricity or green natural gas directly into a customer’s home or facility, as doing so would require building parallel energy distribution systems, which are observed to be neither environmentally nor financially sound.

Instead, Bullfrog ensures that the electricity being put into the grid on its customers’ behalf is from renewable sources. For every MWh of clean, renewable electricity that is produced and injected onto the grid by a green power generator, a corresponding Green Electricity Certificate (GEC) is created to represent the positive environmental benefits (such as emissions reductions) associated with producing that green power.

Bullfrog uses a customer’s premium to secure and retire Green Electricity Certificates from wind or low-impact hydro generators on the customer’s behalf. This entitles the customer to claim the GECs—or green energy and associated emissions reductions—on his or her behalf.

The price premium for a residential customer to purchase green electricity from Bullfrog can be as low as 20 cents per day.

Similar to the way its green electricity offering works, Bullfrog secures and retires Green Natural Gas Certificates on behalf of customers, enabling customers to claim the green energy and associated environmental benefits on their behalf.

Bullfrog Power's sister company, Less Emissions Inc., provides CDM Gold Standard, EcoLogo and VER+ Standard-certified carbon offsets.

Customers and supporters

Bullfrog Power currently has more than 8,000 residential customers and more than 1,300 commercial customers. Well-known residential customers include Measha Brueggergosman, Rachel McAdams, Andrew Ference, Kristina Groves, Thomas Homer-Dixon, and Nino Ricci.[3] Notable bullfrogpowered organizations include Unilever Canada, AutoShare, Walmart Canada, Kraft Foods Canada, Lake Ontario Waterkeeper, and Dad's Cookies.[4]

A number of environmental organizations support Bullfrog Power’s renewable energy, such as WWF-Canada, the David Suzuki Foundation and the Pembina Institute.

Transparency

Bullfrog Power is audited on an annual basis to confirm that as much green electricity has been injected onto the grid as its customers have used, and that it has retired all emissions credits related to customer contracts.[5]

Bullfrog pioneered the concept of an annual audit for green electricity retailers when it launched in 2005. Bullfrog will undertake to deliver an annual green natural gas audit for its green natural gas offering, launched in 2011.

B Corporation status

In 2011, Bullfrog Power announced its certification as one of Canada’s founding B Corporations by B Lab.[6] Certified B Corporations meet higher standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability. Unlike traditional corporations, Certified B Corporations are legally required to consider the impact of their decisions on their employees, suppliers, community, consumers, and the environment.

In 2012, Bullfrog Power was named to B Corporation's "Best for the World" list under the category "Best for the Environment."[7]

In 2013, Bullfrog Power was once again named to B Corporation's "Best for the World" list, this time under the category "Best for Environmental Impact."[8]

Pembina Institute

The Pembina Institute is partnering with Bullfrog Power to help promote green power for homes and businesses across Canada.[9]

Bullfrog also markets itself with the assistance of endorsement quotations from CEOs of The David Suzuki Foundation and WWF Canada (World Wide Fund for Nature. Formerly World Wildlife Fund). See external links below.

References

  1. ↑ "EcoLogo Program Certified : Green Products : Electricity - Marketer, Residential Power". TerraChoice. Retrieved 2008-09-28.
  2. ↑ Operating Criteria and Quantification Methodology for Green Natural Gas. ICF International. Retrieved 2012-03-12.
  3. ↑ Bullfrog Founders Club. Bullfrog Power. Retrieved 2012-03-12.
  4. ↑ bullfrogpowered Green Index. Bullfrog Power. Retrieved 2012-03-12.
  5. ↑ Bullfrog Power Green Energy Audits. Bullfrog Power. Retrieved 2012-03-12.
  6. ↑ Bullfrog Power becomes one of Canada's first Certified B Corporations. Bullfrog Power. Retrieved 2012-03-12.
  7. ↑ Best for the World. B Corporation. Retrieved 2013-07-23.
  8. ↑ Best for the World. B Corporation. Retrieved 2013-07-23.
  9. ↑ Learn more! Take Action! |Renewable Energy| Pembina Institute. The Pembina Institute. Retrieved 2012-03-12.
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