Athabasca sits on the banks of the Athabasca River where Highway 2 meets Highway 55, about 145 km north of Edmonton. It is a river town of about 2,800 residents, home to Athabasca University, and its power arrives over FortisAlberta's wires. The retailer that prices your energy is still your choice. Bright Fire offers 8.29¢/kWh fixed electricity and $4.39/GJ fixed natural gas from Whitecourt, a fellow northern Alberta town about two and a half hours to the southwest.
Athabasca works hard for its money. Here's why families are choosing a local Alberta energy provider.
All our residential electricity plans - fixed or variable - come with zero cancellation fees. Try us risk-free. Learn more →
Variable at Market + just 0.85¢/kWh, or lock in fixed rates from 8.29¢/kWh - about 3.7¢ below Athabasca's 12.01¢ default rate. See current rates →
Whitecourt and Athabasca are both northern Alberta towns, about two and a half hours apart. Your money stays in Alberta, and 10% of our profits go to Alberta communities.
Alberta's deregulated market means you choose your retailer. Your wire and pipeline companies keep delivering energy as normal.
Electricity in Athabasca is distributed by FortisAlberta, which maintains the power lines and reads your meter under a franchise agreement with the Town of Athabasca. When you switch to Bright Fire as your retailer, FortisAlberta continues all delivery - we handle your rate and billing.
Never picked a retailer? Then you're on the regulated Rate of Last Resort - 12.01¢/kWh, provided by EPCOR Energy Alberta in the FortisAlberta service area until December 31, 2026. Bright Fire's 1-year fixed rate is 8.29¢/kWh, about 3.7¢ less, with a variable option at Market + 0.85¢/kWh.
Currently on the default rate? You can switch to our variable rate and potentially pay less - with no contract and no cancellation fee.
Outages: 310-WIRE (9473)
Natural gas in Athabasca is distributed by Apex Utilities (Apex Utilities Inc.) under a franchise agreement with the Town of Athabasca. Apex maintains the pipelines and handles emergencies. Switching to Bright Fire gives you competitive variable or fixed rates while Apex continues safe delivery.
Alberta winters make natural gas a big share of your bill - our variable rate (Index + $0.85/GJ) lets you benefit when wholesale prices are low, or lock in $4.39/GJ fixed.
Gas emergencies: 1-866-222-2068
"Utilities" in Athabasca means two separate bills. The Town of Athabasca bills water and sewer, plus garbage and recycling cart collection on a Town utility account. Electricity and natural gas arrive on one bill from the retailer you choose, and that bill includes the regulated delivery charges from the wires and pipeline companies. Only the retailer part is your decision.
Assigned to your address
Billed on your Town utility account. Utility accounts: 780-675-2063 or utilitybilling@athabasca.ca. Billed every two months. The Town's own utilities page lists FortisAlberta for power and Apex Utilities for natural gas. Town utilities page →
Assigned to your address
Owns the poles and lines, reads your meter and restores power. Delivery and transmission charges are set by regulation and appear on your electricity bill whichever retailer you choose. Outages: 310-WIRE (9473).
Assigned to your address
Maintains the pipelines and responds to gas emergencies. Delivery charges appear on your gas bill whichever retailer you choose. Gas emergencies: 1-866-222-2068.
Your choice
The retailer prices the energy and sends the bill. Bright Fire Energy: 8.29¢/kWh 1-year fixed or Market + 0.85¢/kWh variable electricity, $4.39/GJ fixed or Index + $0.85/GJ variable natural gas. Never picked one? You are on the regulated Rate of Last Resort at 12.01¢/kWh. Who supplies my power? →
Sample month in Athabasca: 600 kWh of electricity, energy charge only
Rate of Last Resort (12.01¢/kWh)
$72.06
Bright Fire 1-year fixed (8.29¢/kWh)
$49.74
Difference
$22.32
Energy charge only: 600 kWh multiplied by the rate. FortisAlberta delivery and transmission charges are the same on every retailer and are not included. Bright Fire's $9.99/month administration fee, rate riders, other retailer fees and GST are also not included, so these are not full bill totals. Your own usage will differ from 600 kWh. The Rate of Last Resort is set until December 31, 2026. Weekly market context is in the Alberta Energy Market Report.
*On approved credit. Admin fee of $9.99/month per site applies. Fixed-rate natural gas contracts have a $250 early exit fee. View all plans →
Every Bright Fire customer helps fund donations to Alberta community initiatives - at no extra cost to you. It's how a local company should behave, in Athabasca and everywhere else we serve.
See our community giving →Also serving across Alberta:
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Everything you need to understand Alberta energy and make a confident switch.