Alberta is one of the only places in Canada where you choose the company that prices your power. Here's who delivers your electricity and natural gas, which providers you can actually pick, how switching works, and how to compare your options against the default rate.
Alberta has a deregulated energy market. That means there are really two different "energy companies" on your bill:
Picking the right retailer is the single easiest way to lower your bill. Bright Fire's fixed rate is 8.29¢/kWh — well below the provincial default.
This is the part that confuses almost everyone. When people search for "utility companies in Alberta," they're usually mixing up two completely separate roles:
Owns the poles, lines and meters. Physically delivers electricity to your home and keeps the lights on during an outage. These charges (delivery, distribution, transmission) are regulated and are the same no matter which retailer you choose. You don't get to pick your wires company — it's set by your region.
The company you choose to price and bill the energy itself. This is the only part of your bill you can actually shop for — and where the savings are. Bright Fire Energy is a retailer; so are ENMAX Energy and Direct Energy.
Your distribution utility is decided by where you live — you can't change it, and you'll pay the same delivery charges regardless of your retailer.
| Wires company | Service area (electricity) |
|---|---|
| EPCOR | City of Edmonton and area |
| ENMAX Power | City of Calgary |
| FortisAlberta | Most of rural and smaller-centre Alberta — including Whitecourt and many towns |
| City-owned utilities | A few cities run their own wires — Lethbridge, Red Deer and Medicine Hat each own their municipal electric utility |
| ATCO Electric | Much of northern and central Alberta |
For natural gas, distribution is handled largely by ATCO Gas and Apex Utilities (formerly AltaGas Utilities), again by region.
Because the market is deregulated, dozens of retailers compete for your electricity and gas business. The familiar names include the retail arms of the big utilities — ENMAX Energy, EPCOR/Encor — plus national players like Direct Energy, and independent, locally owned retailers like Bright Fire Energy.
The same goes for natural gas: ATCO Gas and Apex Utilities operate the pipes by region, but the company that prices and bills the gas itself is a retailer you choose — most Alberta retailers, Bright Fire included, offer both electricity and natural gas plans so you can keep everything on one bill.
They all deliver power over the exact same wires. What changes is the price, the contract terms, the fees, and where the profit goes. The provincially funded Utilities Consumer Advocate runs a free, independent Cost Comparison Tool that lists every licensed retailer's offers side by side — we encourage you to check it before choosing anyone, including us.
Short answer: no. Plenty of Albertans call their electricity bill "the hydro bill" out of habit — a hand-me-down from provinces like BC and Ontario where the power utility literally has "Hydro" in its name. But there is no company called Alberta Hydro.
Most of Alberta's electricity actually comes from natural gas, wind and solar — not hydroelectric dams. So when you're shopping for "hydro" in Alberta, what you're really choosing is an electricity retailer like Bright Fire. Here's exactly who supplies your power →
Every licensed retailer sells the same electrons over the same wires, so the comparison comes down to a handful of concrete questions. Ask these six of any provider — here are our own answers, on the record:
| What to ask | Why it matters | Bright Fire's answer |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed or variable? | Fixed locks your energy price (predictable); variable follows the wholesale market and moves. Both compare to the default → | Both: 8.29¢/kWh fixed (1-yr) or wholesale + 0.85¢/kWh variable. |
| What does leaving cost? | Early-exit fees can lock you into a rate that stops being competitive. | $0 cancellation fees on residential electricity plans — leave anytime. |
| What are the monthly fees? | Admin fees apply on top of the energy rate and vary by retailer — always ask. | $9.99/month admin fee, stated up front. |
| Electricity and gas together? | Bundling both fuels with one retailer means one relationship and one set of terms. | Yes — natural gas from $4.39/GJ fixed or wholesale + $0.85/GJ variable. |
| Local or national? | Determines who answers the phone and where the profit goes. | Locally owned in Whitecourt; 10% of profits donated to Alberta communities. |
| Anything extra? | Solar export credits, community programs and other extras add up over a contract. | SMART Solar pays 35¢/kWh for excess solar exported during Premium Rate Periods. |
Want a neutral referee? The Utilities Consumer Advocate's free Cost Comparison Tool lists every licensed retailer's current offers, and its default-rate page shows the Rate of Last Resort you'd pay by not choosing at all.
Choose your new retailer and enroll online with your address and a recent bill handy. No technician visit, no phone calls required.
Your new retailer confirms your site details with the wires company and registers the switch. Alberta's rules mean the changeover can take 10–30 days to complete, though it's often faster.
Same wires, same pipes, same meter — only the company pricing and billing your energy changes. Your power and gas are never interrupted by a switch.
The wires companies that deliver power are EPCOR (Edmonton), ENMAX (Calgary), FortisAlberta (most rural areas, including Whitecourt), ATCO Electric (north/central), plus a few city-owned utilities in Lethbridge, Red Deer and Medicine Hat. You can't choose these. Separately, you choose your energy retailer — Bright Fire Energy, ENMAX Energy, EPCOR/Encor, Direct Energy and others.
Yes — Alberta's market is deregulated. You pick the retailer that prices and bills your energy; your local wires company keeps delivering it over the same lines, so your power never goes out when you switch.
No. "Hydro" is just slang for the power bill here — there's no Alberta Hydro, and most of the province's electricity comes from natural gas, wind and solar.
The default Rate of Last Resort (~12.01¢/kWh for 2025–26) is a safety net, not the cheapest option. Bright Fire's fixed rate is 8.29¢/kWh — about 3.7¢ below the default — with no cancellation fees on residential electricity.
Sign up with your new retailer online — with Bright Fire it takes as little as 4 minutes. The retailer then verifies your site with the wires company and registers the switch, which under Alberta's rules can take 10–30 days to complete (it's often faster). Your power and gas are never interrupted, and nothing at your home changes except who bills you.
The regulated distributors that operate the pipes are ATCO Gas and Apex Utilities, assigned by region. The company that prices and bills the gas is a retailer you choose — most Alberta retailers, including Bright Fire Energy, offer natural gas plans alongside electricity so both fuels sit on one bill.
Compare six things: fixed vs. variable rate, cancellation fees, monthly admin fees, whether you can bundle gas and electricity, local vs. national ownership, and extras like solar credits. The provincially funded Utilities Consumer Advocate runs a free, independent Cost Comparison Tool at ucahelps.alberta.ca that lists every licensed retailer's current offers.
Signing up takes as little as 4 minutes. No cancellation fees on residential electricity. Your power never goes out.
Enroll NowQuestions first? Call 780-779-7188.