Why do the marketer and the utility company costs differ?

Marketers can usually offer lower commodity costs than the BC Gas. There may be a number of reasons why this can occur. Generally utility company commodity pricing is slower to react than marketers to market commodity pricing, due in part to the approval processes, so the marketer may be able to supply cheaper. The utility company currently reviews its commodity charges every three months. In addition, gas supplies purchased from the utility company are subject to “riders” to recover any under or overcharges when the prices charged customers are different from the cost of those supplies. Also, the marketer may be able to provide you with a fixed gas price for longer terms than BC Gas, or they may be able to supply a combination of fixed and variable pricing. It is somewhat like choosing a mortgage rate and terms, which should suit your comfort and affordability level.