The Average Electricity Rates in Alberta
Should You Use Electricity or Natural Gas in Alberta?
The electricity commodity is currently 11 to 13 times more expensive than natural gas in Alberta, according to the Utilities Consumer Advocate (UCA) 12-month average from September 2022 to August 2023.
If we talk about Alberta specifically, natural gas is the cheapest and is the point of production for Canadian natural gas. Nearly half of the electricity generation mix comes from coal in Alberta, so a natural gas furnace would be a cheaper option.
Here’s a brief comparison:
| Gigajoule (GJ) | Kilowatt-hour (kWh) |
| 1.00 | 277.778 |
| 3.6 x 10⁻³ | 1.00 |
1 kWh will cost you 15.320 ¢/kwh meanwhile, natural gas is only $2.04/GJ.
However, gas furnaces are 78-98.5% efficient depending on the age and model, compared to the 100% efficiency offered by electric furnaces. But gas furnaces can heat up your home quickly, thereby using less energy than a comparable electric alternative.
What Are the Factors Affecting the Cost of Electricity?
Alberta is the only province in which the market determines the price of power, and most of the power generation is based on fossil fuels (43% from coal and 49% from natural gas). The Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) reviews the cost of regulated utilities in detail and approves the rates to ensure all the charges are fair and reasonable.
There are a few other factors that affect the cost of electricity in Alberta, including location (rural or urban), municipality, distribution service area, electricity supply charge, GST, transmission tariff, distribution tariff and electricity demand, to name a few.
Here are a few other things you’ll find on your bill: Energy charges (19-35%), Administration charge (13-23%), Distribution charge (24-52%), Transmission charge (13-23%), Rate riders (0-5%), Local access fee rider (5-10%), Transmission adjustment riders (0-1%) and Balancing Pool adjustment rider (0-1%).
And finally, the cost of electricity also depends on whether you opt for fixed or variable rates.
- Fixed rate: You have to pay a fixed rate for the duration of the contract (usually 1, 3, or 5 years). Politics, refinery accidents, trade wars, or any other external factor does not affect the fixed rate in any way.
- Variable rate: You agree to pay whatever the utility determines to be a fair price based upon current market conditions. The rate will change every month depending on outside influences.
The GOA Act mandates RRO providers to recover the real cost of power over the price cap, which will be applied to RRO customer bills between April 2023 and December 2024. RRO clients will see the deferral rate and electricity rate below as a single line item on page 2 of their bills beginning in April 2023.
| Effective Date | Approved RRO market electricityrate(¢ per kWh) | GOA/RRO deferral rate(¢ per kWh) | Administration charges($ per day) |
| Feb 2024 | 15.320 ¢ | 2.995 ¢ | $0.206 |
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What Are the Average Monthly Electricity Rates in Alberta?
Residents of Alberta have two options to buy electricity from: they can either purchase it from a regulated retailer, where retail rates are approved by the Alberta Utilities Commission, or for a competitive retailer, signing a contract at unregulated retail rates.
According to AUC, a typical residential consumer’s electricity bill in Alberta, consuming 600 kWh per month, is around $91.92.
Here are the ¢/kWh rates for some famous energy providers in Alberta:
| Company | Residential(¢/kWh) | Commercial |
| EPCOR Energy Alberta GP | $0.18315/kWh | $0.17873/kWh |
| Direct Energy Regulated Services | 17.350 ¢/kWh | 17.173 ¢/kWh |
| ENMAX Energy Corporation | 17.212 ¢ | 18.897 ¢ |
*Average Administration charges ($ per day): $0.206
| Electricity (kWh) | EPCOR Energy Alberta GP Inc. | EasyMax by ENMAX Energy Corp. | Direct Energy Regulated Services |
| Feb 2024600 kWh | $110 | $103 | $104 |
Enmax (Feb 2024), UCA HelpsDirect Energy (Jan 2024) & EPCOR (Feb 2024)
Sign up with ATCOenergy and get $50 off your first bill using promo code “ALBERTA”.
The Average Rates for Water Bills in Alberta
How Does Water Work in Alberta?
Water in Alberta is managed through various local utilities, delivering to both residential and non-residential clients, charging based on consumption and a monthly service fee linked to meter size. Other water charges include: wastewater treatment charges, drainage charges, stormwater and sanitary charges.
The type of charges can vary from community to community and your local water utility. Most water bills in Alberta have two main components:
- Fixed fee component: Cost and maintenance of your water meter, cost of reading the meter monthly and issuing your bill.
- Variable amount: Cost of drawing water from the water source, treating, pumping and delivering the water to your house. Wastewater and sanitary drainage are also included in the variable amount.
What Are the Factors Affecting the Cost of Water in Alberta?
The municipality where you live owns, operates and maintains the water utility, and sometimes it contacts a private company (like EPCOR, ENMAX) to handle the water-related services. Here are a few factors that affect the cost of water:maintenance and upgrades to the water system, type of home, household members, leaking lines or connections, seasonal usage, appliances and water treatment plant costs.
What Are the Average Rates for Water Bills per Month in Alberta?
The Alberta Utilities Commission approves investor-owned water utility rates.
| Company Name | Average Rate Per Cubic Meter (m3) | Fixed Monthly Charge |
| EPCOR (Edmonton) | $2.23 | $66.72 (40mm) |
| Corex Utilities (Foothills Water) Inc. | $3.57 | $120.45 (1″) |
| ENMAX (Calgary) | $1.46 | $41.33 |
Average Monthly Water Bills Based on Meter Size in Alberta
| Meter Size (mm) | Average Cost |
| 25mm | $33.37 |
| 40mm | $66.72 |
| 75 mm | $200.17 |
Average Monthly Water Bills by Cubic Meter in Alberta
| Cubic Meter (m3) monthly usage | Average Cost$2.23/m3 |
| 10 m31-2 people | $55.67 |
| 20 m3 2-3 people | $78.00 |
| 30 m33-5 people | $100.27 |
Calgary.ca (2024) & EPCOR (Apr 2023)
Average Natural Gas Prices in Alberta
How Does Natural Gas Work in Alberta?
Alberta gas production represented 80% of total Canadian natural gas production in 2018. The province has an abundance of natural gas and that is the reason, on average, Albertans use the most natural gas per household in Canada—110 GJ (annually).The Alberta Utilities Commission regulates the monthly gas prices.
Similar to how electricity works in Alberta, you have two options with natural gas: Buy from an AUC regulated provider or buy from a competitive retailer.
The purchase and delivery of natural gas might be handled by two different companies or just one. Following are the gas retailers in Alberta: Gas Alberta Inc., Direct Energy Regulated Services (DERS) and Apex Utilities Inc. (AUI).
What Are the Factors Affecting the Cost of Natural Gas?
Natural gas prices are established through the Natural Gas Exchange (NGX) electronic trading platform. The sellers put gas on sale, and the buyers (gas utility companies) bid for purchase. The prices fluctuate depending on current supply and demand. Major weather events and seasons can also affect the market price.
Here are a few other factors that affect the cost of natural gas in Alberta: transmission and distribution service area, municipality, season (winter or summer), delivery charge and usage.
Alberta Natural Gas Bill Components: Energy charges/Cost of gas) – 21-26%, Carbon charge – 17-21%, Delivery charge (variable) – 10-24%, Delivery charge (fixed) – 14-20%, Municipal franchise fee – 7-14%, Rate orders – 0-13% and Administration fee – 1-5%.
ATCO charges its consumers based on the average usage of natural gas in a month. Here’s the breakdown:
| Usage | Criteria | Fixed charge ($/daily) | Delivery OnlyVariable Energy ($/GJ) |
| Low Use | <1200 GJ/YR | 1.000 | 1.0301.258 |
| Mid Use | 1200-8000 GJ/YR | 1.910 | 1.0641.137 |
| High Use | >8000 GJ/YR | 7.087 | 0.236 ($/GJ/Day) |
What Are the Average Monthly Natural Gas Prices in Alberta?
| 2024 Natural Gas Regulated Rates in $/GJ | |||
| Retailer | Direct Energy Regulated Services | Apex Utilities(Formerly AltaGas Utilities) | |
| Distributor | ATCO Gas | Apex Utilities | |
| January | 2.173 | 2.054 | |
| February | 4.430 | 4.065 | |
| Distributor | ATCO Gas | Apex Utilities |
| January | 3.893 | 3.398 |
| February | 4.842 | 5.259 |
| March | 4.758 | 5.120 |
| April | 5.281 | 3.907 |
*Average of 2023 natural gas rates considering the average home in Alberta uses 600 kWh of electricity and 10 GJ of natural gas every month.
| Natural Gas (GJ) | Direct Energy Regulated Services | Apex Utilities (Formerly AltaGas Utilities) |
| January Average10 GJ | $64.46 | $64.05 |
| February Average10 GJ | $37.15 | $31.76 |
| March Average10 GJ | $22.22 | $28.51 |
| Monthly Average | $41.27 | $37.56 |
*This includes retail charge, admin fee, distribution fee, federal carbon tax, and GST.
ATCO (Feb 2024) & UCA Helps 1 & UCA Helps 2 (2024)
The Average Cost of Internet Bills in Alberta
How Does the Internet Work in Alberta?
The Alberta government aims to ensure high-speed internet accessibility for its urban and rural populations, recognizing its importance with 81% living in urban areas and 19% in rural areas.
There are four popular types of internet connections available in Alberta: DSL (5-45 Mbps), Cable (20-200 Mbps), Fiber-optic (50-1000 Mbps) and Satellite (50-150).
Several local Internet Service Providers (ISPs) charge you based on the internet speed (download and upload) and bandwidth. Moreover, the type of internet connection and the type of internet plan can also impact how much you’ll be paying watching YouTube videos and surfing the internet.
The rural and remote areas use Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) for internet access. While in an urban area, you can opt for any type of internet connection like TELUS Purefibre Internet. There are 45 Wireless Internet Service Providers (WISPs) in the province!
What Are the Factors Affecting the Cost of the Internet?
The following factors affect the cost of the Internet: Type of internet connection, speed and bandwidth, province/city and the provider itself.
Average Cost of Monthly Internet Bill in Alberta
The following factors affect the cost of the internet: Speed and bandwidth, rural or urban (urban prices approximately 13% lower than rural prices), type of internet connection (DSL, cable, fiber-optic, or satellite) and ISP.
What Is the Average Cost of Internet Bills per Month in Alberta?
According to the CRTC (The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission), the average person in Alberta pays $74.00 per month for a 50/10 Mbps service with unlimited monthly data transfer. Here are the average Internet costs in Alberta based on type of connection and speed.
| Type of Internet | Mbps | Average Cost |
| DSL | 25/2.5 Mbps | $40.00/month |
| Cable | 100/10 Mbps | $45.00/month |
| Fiber-optic | 3/3 Gbps | $110.00/month |
| Satellite | 10 Mbps | $39.99/month |
Oxio (Feb 2024),Virgin Plus (Feb 2024), Distributel (Feb 2024) & Bell Canada (Feb 2024)
The Average Cost of Cable Bills in Alberta
How Does Cable Work in Alberta?
The cable services are affordable due to the legislation that requires cable providers to offer at least one budget-friendly subscription option.
Many cable TV providers in Alberta have also moved towards IPTV, but there can be interruptions similar to those experienced in your internet connection.
What Are the Factors Affecting the Cost of Cable?
Legacy cable TV heavily depends on the physical hardware and infrastructure for uninterrupted services. Both of these can affect the cost of cable. Here are a few other factors that determine how much you’re going to pay for your favourite channels: Area of service, external factors (local competition, downturn in the cable market, etc.), local or state taxation and fee laws, costs of shows and broadcasts, cable prices, number of channels, type of channels (sports, international, local, news, entertainment, etc.), HD Channels and VOD (Video on Demand) availability.
What Are Some Affordable Alternatives to Cable?
Legacy cable means “cables,” and lots of them. If you don’t want to get into the hassle, here are a few affordable alternatives to cable: IPTV, Satellite TV, YouTube TV, FuboTV, Shaw TV, CipherTV (AEBC), VMEDIA TV or Telus Optik TV.
What Is the Average Cost of Cable Bills per Month in Alberta?
Here are the cable costs in Alberta based on their basic package type of plan.
| Cable TV Company Name | Plan and Basic Channels | Rates |
| VMedia TV | Starter TV package | $19.95 |
| Shaw cable | Basic Package (65 + Basic Channels) | $34.99 |
| VMedia TV | 60 plus popular channels | $49.95 |
MovingWaldo (Feb 2024) & VMedia TV (Feb 2024)
The Average Cost of Home Phone Bills in Alberta
How Do Home Phones Work in Alberta?
Many home phone service providers in Alberta offer unlimited calling within Canada and USA with low long-distance calling rates. Many Albertans have also switched to wireless communication devices instead, and that has limited home phones to specific areas. Make sure you check the availability of services before hitting that “Buy Plan” button.
Here are a few useful features that your home phone should have; Call Display, Call Screen, Call Waiting, voicemail, 3 Way Calling, Call Return, Call Forward, Caller ID block, long-distance calling and Smart Ring.
What Are the Factors Affecting the Cost of Home Phones?
Home phones are still in the game as they offer perks that a digital phone or VoIP cannot match. The added features decide how much the service provider is going to charge you. Here are some of the factors that affect the cost of home phones: Number of countries included in the plan, added taxes or fees, added features like (Long-distance calling, 3-way calling, caller ID block, online account management, etc.), voicemail and call waiting.
What Is the Average Cost of Home Phone Bills per Month in Alberta?
Here are the home phone costs in Alberta based on their type of plans:
| Company Name | Plan and Inclusions | Rates |
| Virgin Plus | Home phone plans – Unlimited Canada-wide callingInternational Long Distance Call | $20/mon.$5/mon. (Lowest rates starting at 5¢/min per)minute. |
| Telus | Home Phone Plan – Unlimited local calling with 9 calling features included | $40/mon. |
| Bell Canada | Home phone Lite – Unlimited local calling+ Unlimited Canada and U.S. | $55.49/mo.
|
*** Phone activation, connection fees and other one time charges are not included in the rates above.
Bell Canada (Feb 2024), Virgin Plus (Feb 2024), & Telus (Feb 2024)
Average Utility Costs Calgary
Calgary is the most populous city in Alberta, with a population of roughly 1.25 million people. The average annual temperature is 3.6 °C, and snow depths of greater than 1 cm are seen on about 88 days each year in Calgary. These weather conditions determine how much you’re going to spend on your HVAC. Furthermore, there are a number of energy retailers that cater to the needs of residents of Calgary. The cost of living in Calgary is $2,586.80 per month.
Calgary Utilities Cost
| Utility | Average Monthly Cost |
| ElectricityYearly Average: 600 kWh @ 15.320 ¢ per kWh | $110.00 |
| Water(Based on average consumption of 2-3 people) | $78.00 |
| ATCO GasYearly Average: 10.6 GJ @ $3.893/GJ | $41.27 |
| Internet 50/10 Mbps-Unlimited | $74 |
| Cable | $35.00 |
| Home Phone | $40 |
| Total average utilities cost in CalgaryElectricity not included | $268.27 |
ATCO (Feb 2024), UCA Helps 1 & UCA Helps 2 (2024), & Calgary.ca (2024)
The Average Cost of Utilities Across Canada
| Province | Electricity | Water | Gas | Internet | Cable | Home Phone | Total Monthly Cost |
| Quebec | $199.74 | Included in hydro | $61.66 | $69 | $30.24 | $24.98 | $323.96 (gas not included) |
| Ontario | $102.09 | $90.40 | $328.93 | $64.00 | $49.00 | $34.00 | $339.49 (gas not included) |
| Alberta | $106 | $78 | $39.41 | $74 | $35 | $40 | $266.41 (electricity not included) |
| British Columbia | $187 | $244 | $86.48 | $75 | $23 | $43 | $572 (gas not included) |
| Manitoba | $113.00 | $66.40 | $98.00 | $67.00 | $89 | $47 | $382.40 (gas not included) |
| Saskatchewan | $210.15 | $97.06 | $123.94 | $69.00 | $70.00 | $21.54 | $467.75 (gas not included) |
| PEI | $147 | $105 | $363 | $72 | $35.95 | $23 | $382.95 (gas not included) |
| New Brunswick | $120 | $79 | $130 | $70 | $52 | $23 | $344 (gas not included) |
| Nova Scotia | $195 | $108 | $179 | $71 | $25 | $21 | $420 (gas not included) |
Conclusion
Alberta is the energy-leading province in Canada due to its leadership in the oil and gas industry and a fast-growing economy. Utilities ensure that your household functions properly and remains comfortable, but the cost is recurring and variable. Knowing average household utility costs can help you reduce your usage and save tons of money at the end of the year.
Are you moving to Alberta soon? Check out 7 things to know when moving to Alberta.
