How should companies think about when to buy EACs, hedging considerations, and the difference between bundled and unbundled contracts?

When to buy:

You can buy EACs either before or after electricity use, but if you are interested in hedging costs you should lock in prices early at least for parts of your estimated consumption. A common approach is to lock future volumes and prices and then just top up once you have full consumption data for that reporting period. 

Contract types:

Green electricity contracts (bundled): Your supplier sells you power and retires EACs on your behalf.
Gray electricity + separate EACs (unbundled): You buy regular power from the grid and get EACs separately, for example from ACT. This gives more flexibility and control.

Both options are valid for market-based reporting. The main difference is who controls the certificates — you or your supplier.