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, 3.7¢ below the 12.01¢ default rate in the EPCOR and FortisAlberta zones.
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 the only part where the rate is up to you. Bright Fire Energy is a retailer; so are ENMAX Energy and Direct Energy.
Alberta's electricity wires belong to four large distribution utilities and a handful of city-owned systems. Yours is decided by where you live: you can't change it, and you pay the same regulated delivery charges whichever retailer you choose. Call the wires company, not your retailer, for an outage.
| Wires company | Service area (electricity) | Outages |
|---|---|---|
| EPCOR | City of Edmonton (Edmonton) | 780-412-4500 |
| ENMAX Power | City of Calgary (Calgary) | 403-514-6100 |
| FortisAlberta | Most towns and rural areas across the province, including Whitecourt, Spruce Grove, St. Albert, Airdrie, Edson and Hinton | 310-WIRE (310-9473) |
| ATCO Electric | Northern, eastern and parts of central Alberta, including Grande Prairie, Fox Creek and Slave Lake | 1-800-668-5506 |
| The City of Red Deer Electric Light & Power | City of Red Deer (city-owned) | 403-342-8111 |
| Lethbridge Electric Utility | City of Lethbridge (city-owned) | 403-320-3862 |
| City of Medicine Hat | Medicine Hat (the City owns both its electric and its natural gas utility and bills them together) | See the City's website |
A few smaller municipalities and member-owned Rural Electrification Associations (REAs) also run their own local distribution systems. Your bill's delivery section names your wires company.
Natural gas works the same way as electricity: a regulated distributor owns the pipelines in your area and responds to emergencies, and a retailer you choose prices and bills the gas itself.
| Gas distributor | Service area (natural gas) | Gas emergencies |
|---|---|---|
| ATCO Gas | Edmonton, Calgary and most Alberta cities and towns | 1-800-511-3447 |
| Apex Utilities | Formerly AltaGas Utilities. Communities across central and northern Alberta, including Barrhead, Westlock, Athabasca and Beaumont | 1-866-222-2068 |
| City of Medicine Hat | Medicine Hat (city-owned gas utility) | See the City's website |
| Rural gas co-ops | Member-owned co-operatives serving many rural areas outside the ATCO Gas and Apex Utilities franchise areas | Your co-op's emergency line |
If you never chose a gas retailer, you pay the regulated Default Rate Tariff, a gas price approved by the Alberta Utilities Commission that changes every month. Bright Fire's natural gas plans ($4.39/GJ 1-year fixed or Index + $0.85/GJ variable) are available in ATCO Gas and Apex Utilities areas, but not in rural gas co-op areas.
Albertans who never pick a retailer are billed by a regulated default provider at the Rate of Last Resort (RoLR), a fixed price set by regulation from January 1, 2025 to December 31, 2026. Which provider bills you depends on your wires company.
| Wires company | Default (RoLR) provider | RoLR to Dec. 31, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| EPCOR (Edmonton) | EPCOR Energy Alberta | 12.01¢/kWh |
| FortisAlberta | EPCOR Energy Alberta | 12.01¢/kWh |
| ENMAX Power (Calgary) | ENMAX Energy | 12.06¢/kWh |
| ATCO Electric | The regulated default provider for ATCO Electric's territory | 12.02¢/kWh |
| The City of Red Deer Electric Light & Power | ENMAX Energy, under contract with the City | 12.06¢/kWh |
| Lethbridge Electric Utility | The City's regulated default supply | Set by the City |
Energy charge only. Delivery, transmission, riders, admin fees and GST are added on every bill, whichever retailer or default provider you have. Sources: Utilities Consumer Advocate default rates page and The City of Red Deer.
Still on the default rate? In most of Alberta that is 12.01¢ to 12.06¢/kWh for the energy charge alone.
Bright Fire's 1-year fixed rate is 8.29¢/kWh with no cancellation fees on residential electricity. Same wires, same meter, same outage line; only the company billing your energy changes.
Sign up in as little as 4 minutesBecause 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), national players like Direct Energy, and independent, locally owned retailers like Bright Fire Energy. Every licensed retailer, with its current offers, is listed on the Utilities Consumer Advocate's Cost Comparison Tool.
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 Market + 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 Index + $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 to 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.
The utility (wires company) owns the poles and lines and physically delivers electricity to your home. This part is regulated and assigned by region. The energy retailer is the company you choose to price and bill the energy that flows through those wires. You can switch retailers freely; you cannot switch your wires company.
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¢ to 12.06¢/kWh depending on your zone, fixed until December 31, 2026) 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 to 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.
It depends on your wires company. EPCOR Energy Alberta is the default provider in the EPCOR (Edmonton) and FortisAlberta areas at 12.01¢/kWh, ENMAX Energy in Calgary at 12.06¢/kWh, the regulated default provider in ATCO Electric areas at 12.02¢/kWh, and ENMAX Energy under contract with the City in Red Deer at 12.06¢/kWh. These Rate of Last Resort prices are fixed until December 31, 2026. You can leave the default rate at any time by choosing any licensed retailer.
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.