Since the deregulation of the electrical industry in January 2001, the once stable and predictable business of power has become a complex maze of options, prices, contracts and suppliers.

Faced with a difficult decision, most Alberta energy users have chosen to make no decision at all, either unwilling or unable to wade into the turbulent waters of deregulation.

This is where Solution 105 steps in.

This four-year-old Edmonton firm, founded by president and CEO Chris Vilcsak, has saved clients in excess of $10 million – and countless headaches – negotiating the complexities of power deregulation.

Solution 105 president and CEO Chris Vilcsak and his team know how to find savings in the complex energy market.

Large-scale energy savings means a lot more than just changing to low-watt light bulbs. For property management firms and multi-site businesses and institutions, huge savings can be realized by utilizing the expertise of Solution 105.

The firm has a staff of 10, specialists in statistical and financial analysis, computer engineering and software design with a savvy knowledge of how business operates.

A study conducted by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business found a substantial majority of customers didn’t know what power arrangement they had, or even if they had a contract in place.

“For companies in that situation, we can take them through the entire process, from start to finish,” says Vilcsak.

“From understanding what their options are, understanding the risks of the contracts and pricing plans they might see, monitoring after the contract is in place, and identifying where opportunities exist for additional cost savings.”

Since companies are not required to make a decision on a power supplier, many thousands have chosen the default option; after all, the lights still go on. But with power prices now fluctuating literally by the minute, this “is the worst possible choice,” Vilcsak says.

“Your lights may still be on, but you’re probably paying an extra 10 per cent or more for the service.”

And as of Jan. 1, 2004, all commercial customers will have to choose an electricity supplier or risk the wild fluctuations of an unregulated, open market.

Some of the largest property-management firms in the country have used Solution 105 to undertake “load profiling” – a study of how much power you use and when you use it – which impacts the price of your power. Solution 105 can then negotiate a power contract using their expert knowledge of a complicated field.

And it is getting more complex, and competitive. While Alberta-based power companies Epcor and Enmax may dominate the field now, there are a number of larger multi-national firms – dwarfing Epcor and Enmax – who have entered the Alberta market or will enter it soon.

And with Ontario now deregulated, Solution 105 has expanded their eastern presence, completing work for Canada’s largest office tower and several other customers and sites in Ontario. Solution 105’s service offerings have been of value to these customers, and especially those firms operating on a national and international basis.

Potential savings can be enormous, and almost immediate. The cost of Solution 105 services can be recovered within weeks, and repaid multiple times. Owners of small apartment blocks, big-box retailers, national grocery store chains and school systems have all utilized Solution 105 for significant savings.

Solution 105 not only saves money in the future, but recoups money lost in the past through billing errors. The mathematics shown on an electrical bill are rarely wrong, but the actual numbers used to arrive at that total are frequently incorrect. Vilcsak says a majority of bill audits done by Solution 105 contain billing errors, worth anywhere from a few bucks to many thousands of dollars. But don’t blame your accountant for missing them, he says; utility bill auditing is specialized and very complicated.

Better yet, once the errors are found, Solution 105 will pursue your utility provider until the credit shows up on your bill.

Even once a contract is in place, Solution 105 continues to add value. Some downtown office towers use budgets created by Solution 105, and the company does the monitoring to an hourly level. “Energy use in buildings has become a very specialized area, and just using historic values can be misleading.”

Savings are not only found in energy, but in water use as well. Solution 105 recently conducted an extensive water audit for Edmonton Catholic Schools, and found three schools that used huge amounts of water compared to the norm. Once the problem schools were found, Solution 105 provided a list of solutions.

What does the future hold for Solution 105? Vilcsak sees:

* Increased customer participation to give customers more flexibility and increase savings; * Multi-site reporting to track energy use at individual locations or across a national portfolio; * A web portal to provide customer reports on demand, from anywhere; * Strategic partnerships with engineering and property management firms.

While deregulation has had a lot of bad press, Vilcsak sees the up side.

“Deregulation leads to customer choice. You can choose to do nothing, but you will also be making the choice to pay more than you would otherwise.”

To find out how Solution 105 can help you, call 780.429.4774 or toll free 1.866.466.4774, or visit www.solution105.com