It is the hourly wholesale price of electricity, set by the AESO. In 2026 so far it has averaged 3.34¢/kWh, swinging from 1.74¢ (June) to 4.57¢ (August) by month. October 1 to 21 is averaging 4.70¢. Variable plans follow it; fixed plans and the Rate of Last Resort do not.
Alberta runs one wholesale electricity market. Every hour:
That is why the price can sit at $0 on a windy, mild night and spike to hundreds of dollars on a cold evening when supply is tight.
Simple average of every hour in each month. October 1 to 21 is a partial month and will move.
| Month | Average | Average $/MWh | Hours at $0 | Hours at $100+/MWh | Highest hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3.94¢/kWh | $39.44 | 91 | 36 | $858.44 |
| February | 2.24¢/kWh | $22.39 | 64 | 11 | $827.67 |
| March | 3.37¢/kWh | $33.68 | 101 | 33 | $948.63 |
| April | 2.76¢/kWh | $27.61 | 100 | 24 | $833.51 |
| May | 4.30¢/kWh | $42.98 | 150 | 33 | $999.99 |
| June | 1.74¢/kWh | $17.36 | 179 | 8 | $738.33 |
| July | 3.13¢/kWh | $31.26 | 46 | 24 | $967.02 |
| August | 4.57¢/kWh | $45.71 | 48 | 45 | $972.61 |
| September | 2.94¢/kWh | $29.40 | 49 | 10 | $874.93 |
| October 1 to 21 | 4.70¢/kWh | $46.98 | 28 | 40 | $976.86 |
Source: AESO historical pool price report, read 2026-10-22. Monthly averages are unweighted (every hour counts the same); they are not a retailer's billed rate. Data: data.json.
Delivery charges from your wires company are the same whichever retailer you choose, so the energy rate is the part a plan changes. Check yours on the rate card.
Energy charge only. Delivery, admin fees, any municipal fee and GST are extra. Past pool prices do not predict future months. Not a guarantee of savings.
The pool price is the wholesale price of electricity in Alberta, set every hour by the Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO). Generators offer power into one provincial pool, the AESO dispatches the lowest offers first, and the last offer needed to meet demand sets the price for that hour. It is quoted in dollars per megawatt-hour ($/MWh); divide by 10 to get cents per kWh.
From January 1 to October 21, 2026 the hourly pool price averaged 3.34¢/kWh. The highest full month was August at 4.57¢ and the lowest was June at 1.74¢ (AESO hourly data, simple average of every hour).
When wind, solar and other low-cost supply can meet all demand, offers at $0 set the price. Alberta had 856 zero-price hours from January to October 2026. Short spikes go the other way: the price can reach the $999.99/MWh offer cap in tight hours.
Only on a variable plan. A variable rate follows the market each month, so a high-price month costs more and a low-price month costs less. A fixed rate keeps the same energy price for its term, and the Rate of Last Resort is set at about 12¢/kWh through December 31, 2026, so neither moves with the pool price month to month.
Bright Fire's variable electricity is Market + 0.85¢/kWh. September averaged 2.94¢, so it worked out to about 3.79¢/kWh for September. It changes monthly, both ways.
The AESO's public historical pool price report (hourly prices). Monthly figures on this page are simple averages of every hour in the month. A machine-readable copy is at /alberta-pool-price/data.json.
See both plans on the rate card, or check what your own bill costs.
Ready now? Sign up in as little as 4 minutes; the switch itself can take up to 10 to 30 days. Already with us for electricity? Add natural gas on the same sign-up. Questions? Call (780) 779-7188.
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