Moving from Ontario to Alberta? Two things change immediately: nobody here says “hydro,” and there is no time-of-use pricing to plan your laundry around.
Ontarians arrive in Alberta with a set of utility habits built over years — running the dishwasher after 7 p.m., checking whether it is a peak day, calling the whole thing “hydro.” Most of those habits do not apply here. Here is the translation.
1. “Hydro” means a dam in Alberta
In Ontario the word came from Hydro One and the municipal hydro utilities. Alberta’s grid was built on coal and now runs largely on natural gas, with a fast-growing wind and solar fleet; hydro assets supplied roughly 2% of Alberta’s electricity generation in 2025. Wind, solar and hydro together came to about 21%. So when you say “hydro” here, people picture a reservoir. Ask about electricity or an electricity retailer instead. Background: hydro in Alberta, explained for newcomers.
2. No time-of-use. At all.
This is the change Ontarians notice most. Ontario’s regulated price plans — Time-of-Use, Tiered and Ultra-Low Overnight — price the same kilowatt-hour differently depending on the clock. Alberta does not work that way. Residential electricity here is priced per kilowatt-hour without peak and off-peak periods, so when you use power does not change what you pay for it. Run the dryer at 5 p.m. if you want to.
What matters instead is how much you use, and the rate you chose. See how to lower your electricity bill in Alberta.
3. You choose your retailer — and it is a real market
Ontario technically has retailers, but most households simply take the regulated price from their local utility. In Alberta, choosing a retailer is the normal thing to do. The market splits into:
- Your wires company — ATCO, FortisAlberta, EPCOR or ENMAX, set by your address. They deliver power and fix outages. Not a choice.
- Your retailer — sells you the energy and issues the bill. Entirely your choice, switchable at any time.
More detail: retailers versus distributors and how the deregulated market works.
4. Do nothing and you are on the fallback rate
Alberta’s default is the Rate of Last Resort, which replaced the Regulated Rate Option on January 1, 2025 and runs until the end of 2026. Think of it as the closest thing to Ontario’s regulated price — the rate you receive when you have not chosen anything. It is a backstop, not a best offer. Compare it to current rates and to a fixed term.
5. Fixed rates here are longer and there are no exit fees at Get Energy
Ontario’s retail contracts earned a reputation for long lock-ins and painful cancellation terms, and the Ontario Energy Board is blunt that savings are not guaranteed. Reasonable people arrive here suspicious of the whole idea. Fair enough — so read the terms. What you should look for is what happens if you want out: with Get Energy there are no contracts and no cancellation fees, so a fixed rate is a price certainty tool rather than a trap. Compare with fixed versus variable rates.
6. Natural gas is separate, and winter is colder
Most Alberta homes heat with natural gas, and gas has its own retailer choice and its own rate — it is not folded into your electricity account. Combined with an Alberta winter, your October-to-March heating cost will look different from what you budgeted in Ontario. Start with residential natural gas and natural gas pricing in Alberta.
7. The bill layout is familiar, the labels are not
Like Ontario, Alberta bills separate the energy commodity from regulated delivery and transmission charges. Only the energy portion is affected by which retailer you pick; everything else is passed through the same way by everyone. Read your Alberta electricity bill, line by line and transmission and distribution charges.
Move-in checklist for Ontarians
- Close your Ontario account with a move-out date; keep the final bill for a usage comparison.
- Pick an electricity retailer and a natural gas retailer for your new address.
- Choose fixed or floating. Do it before your first Alberta January.
- Drop the time-of-use habits — they buy you nothing here.
- Arrange internet in the same week (Get WiFi). Energy and internet are billed separately; the upside is one local company and one team to call.
Talk to an Alberta company
Get Energy is a competitive retailer serving Alberta homes, small businesses and farms — electricity, natural gas, green energy credits, solar and internet. Based in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo with support in Calgary. Current rates · how switching works · sign up · (780) 665-4771.
City pages: Calgary · Edmonton · Airdrie · Fort McMurray · Lethbridge
FAQ
Is there a Hydro One equivalent in Alberta?
Only partly. Delivery is handled by a regulated wires company assigned to your address, but the selling and billing of electricity is done by competitive retailers you choose between.
Does Alberta have time-of-use electricity pricing?
No. Residential electricity in Alberta is not priced by peak and off-peak periods, so the time of day you use power does not change your rate.
Why is my Alberta bill split into so many charges?
Because the energy you used and the regulated delivery of that energy are billed separately. Your retailer sets the energy price; delivery, transmission and riders are regulated and identical across retailers.
Should I sign a fixed-rate contract after Ontario?
Read the exit terms first — that is where Ontario retail contracts caused trouble. Get Energy has no contracts and no cancellation fees, so a fixed rate is about price certainty rather than commitment.
Do I need a separate account for natural gas in Alberta?
Gas is a separate service with its own rate and retailer choice, though a single retailer can supply both your electricity and your gas.
Get Energy is a tradename of Utility Network & Partners Inc.
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