Public Education Programs
School Safety Presentations and Safety Expo
The ENMAX Power School Safety Program has operated for more than 20 years, teaching Calgary elementary school students important lessons about electrical safety. Each year about 7,000 students in grade five participate in the hour-long presentations, which start with the basics of electrical science, explain how electricity is delivered and emphasize how to be safe around electricity at home, at school and at play.
ENMAX Power also organizes and provides free bussing for 3,100 students from grades four to seven to the annual Safety Expo, which is held at the Calgary Municipal Building. The Safety Expo promotes safe and responsible behaviour and ENMAX Power’s exhibit features safety gear worn by front-line workers, power system equipment and The Hazard Hamlet – an interactive simulation designed to teach kids about electrical safety.
Joint Utility Safety Team
The Joint Utility Safety Team (JUST) was formed in the spring of 2006 with participation from AltaLink L.P., FortisAlberta Inc., ATCO Electric Ltd., EPCOR Utilities Inc., Alberta Municipal Affairs, Alberta Human Resources and Employment and ENMAX Power. JUST's mandate is to create a stronger culture of power line safety in Alberta to help reduce the number of accidental power line contacts that occur annually. On average, three people per day make contact with a power line. For more information on this initiative visit wherestheline.ca. To view JUST's television advertisement, entitled "Bird on a Wire", click here.
Access to Electricity Services
Electricity and natural gas are commodities that can vary in price considerably due to fluctuations in supply/demand balances and weather conditions.
ENMAX Energy offers customers a budget billing plan option that sets an average monthly invoiced amount based on the customer's historical consumption rates. Our Customer Care and Billing System then performs monthly reviews of customers' budget plans and makes debit or credit adjustments as appropriate when there is a variation of more than 1.5 times between the amount the customer paid versus the amount of electricity the customer consumed. An annual reconciliation is also performed. This service enables customers to avoid billing surprises by averaging costs.
When customers do not pay their electricity bills, ENMAX's procedure in the winter months is to use a load limiter, which restricts the electrical supply so that reduced electricity can only run essential appliances. Full electrical restoration is available once payment of the outstanding account, plus a deposit, is made or application for service is received from another party. In some instances, ENMAX does cut-off power service; however, this is only done in summer months or when temperature forecasts above certain threshold levels.
Electromagnetic Fields (EMF)
EMFs are invisible lines of force surrounding any wire or device that uses electricity. They are created whenever electricity flows through a wire. Overhead power lines, electric appliances or electrical cords or wiring all are common sources of EMF.
Some concerns have been raised regarding EMF and the health effects that result from human exposure. Scientific evidence has not established that adverse health effects result from exposure to EMF levels typically found in homes, schools and offices. However, ENMAX Power continues to work with the Canadian Electricity Association's EMF task group on this issue. We also offer information to stakeholders and in-home EMF measurements to customers free of charge so they can make their own informed decisions regarding this issue.