Short answer: yes — Alberta’s energy market is deregulated, and several competitive
retailers offer plans with no term and no exit fee. Get Energy is one of them: no contract, no
cancellation fee, no setup fee, and you can change your rate at any time. The catch to watch for is
that “no contract” often means “no contract on the variable plan only” —
so always read the fixed-rate terms before you sign.
Get Energy rates below are from our live rate sheet: electricity calculated September 8, 2026,
natural gas calculated September 5, 2026. Cooling-off and switching rules are from the Utilities
Consumer Advocate. Last updated September 3, 2026.
What “no contract” actually means in Alberta
Every competitive energy plan in Alberta involves an agreement of some kind — someone has to
be authorised to enrol your site and bill you. So “no contract” is never literally true.
What people mean when they search for it is simpler and more useful: no fixed term you are
trapped inside, and no fee for leaving.
Those are two separate promises, and retailers mix them freely:
- No term — the plan runs month to month. Nothing renews, nothing expires,
nothing auto-rolls onto a different rate. - No exit fee — you can leave before the end of a term without paying a
penalty. Some retailers charge a flat cancellation fee; others charge a per-month-remaining amount
that can run into hundreds of dollars on a multi-year gas contract. - No auto-renewal — your rate does not silently reset to a higher number
when the term ends. This is where most Albertans get caught, because the renewal notice arrives in
the mail and the new rate takes effect whether or not it was read.
A plan can genuinely have no term and still be a bad deal, and a fixed-term plan with a fair exit
clause can be the right choice. The point is to know which one you signed.
Where Get Energy stands
| Question | Get Energy |
|---|---|
| Cancellation or exit fee | None, on any plan |
| Setup or enrolment fee | None |
| Change your rate mid-plan | Any time, free, self-serve in the online account |
| What happens at the end of a fixed term | You move to Get Energy’s lowest fixed rate available at that time — not a penalty rate |
| Variable plans | No term at all — market price plus transaction fee, month to month |
| Deposit | Refundable prudential, earns 5% per year credited to your bill, returned in full if you leave |
| Administration fee | $9.97 per month per site |
The prudential deposit is worth explaining, because it is the one thing that looks like a lock-in
and is not. Alberta retailers must post security with the generators and the wires companies to
guarantee payment for the energy their customers use. That deposit sits in your name, earns 5%
interest credited to your monthly bill, and comes back to you when you go. It is not a fee and it is
not forfeited if you leave.
The trade-off nobody explains at the door
A fixed-rate contract is an insurance product. The retailer buys or hedges supply ahead of time
and adds a margin to protect itself if prices rise. You pay that margin every month, whether prices
rise or not. That is a perfectly reasonable thing to buy — if a $200 winter swing would
genuinely hurt your budget, certainty is worth paying for.
What it should not be is something you drift into because someone at your door said the word
“protection.” Here is what the flexible side has actually cost, using our own published
averages:
| Plan | Rate | Term |
|---|---|---|
| Variable electricity — 13-month average | 5.91¢/kWh | No term, no exit fee |
| Variable electricity — 30-day average | 7.06¢/kWh | No term, no exit fee |
| Fixed electricity, year 1 (Advantage) | 6.57¢/kWh | Fixed, still no exit fee |
| Variable natural gas — 13-month average | $3.07/GJ | No term, no exit fee |
| Fixed natural gas (Advantage) | $3.77/GJ | Fixed, still no exit fee |
| Alberta Rate of Last Resort (electricity default) | 12.01–12.06¢/kWh to Dec 31, 2026 | Default supply, no term |
Variable rates include the transaction fee (0.70¢/kWh on electricity, $0.50/GJ on natural gas
Advantage). Judge a variable rate by a 12 or 13-month average, never by a single month — a
summer snapshot flatters it and a January snapshot punishes it. Past averages do not guarantee
future rates.
Variable without the guesswork: RateRewind™
The honest objection to a no-term variable rate is that you carry the market risk. RateRewind is
how we answer it. Each month, before your invoice is finalised, you get a preview of where the
variable rate is trending. If it is heading up, you can switch to a fixed rate and choose a start
date as far back as your last meter read — and you are billed as if you had been on that fixed
rate all along. The switch is penalty-free, once per billing cycle, and you get a 12-month summary of
variable prices for context.
In plain terms: variable pricing, with advance warning and the ability to change the outcome
before the bill is final. Read
the full fixed vs variable comparison.
How to check any retailer’s exit terms in five minutes
- Ask for the term length and the exit fee in writing, as two separate answers.
“There’s no contract” is a sales line; a term length and a dollar figure are facts. - Read the renewal clause. Ask exactly what rate you move to when the term ends,
and whether you have to do anything to avoid it. - Check the fee page, not the rate page. Administration fees, transaction fees and
exit fees vary far more between Alberta retailers than the headline rate does. - Confirm the retailer is in the
Utilities
Consumer Advocate directory. If a company is not listed, do not sign anything. - Remember the cooling-off period. Alberta gives you ten calendar days after
signing a competitive energy contract to cancel it. Use them.
What if you do nothing?
If you have never signed an energy agreement, you are on default supply — the Rate of Last
Resort for electricity, currently 12.01 to 12.06¢/kWh through December 31, 2026, and the Default
Rate Tariff for natural gas, which is re-set monthly. Neither has a term or an exit fee either, which
is why “no contract” on its own is not a reason to switch. The reason to switch is the
rate, the fees, and who answers the phone. The Utilities Consumer Advocate publishes the current
default rates each month and they are worth checking alongside any competitive offer.
Switching, and how long it takes
A switch takes effect on your next meter read — in practice ten to ninety calendar days
depending on where you are in your billing cycle. Your power and gas never stop, no technician
visits, and your wires company (ATCO, FortisAlberta, EPCOR or ENMAX) does not change. All that
changes is the energy charge line on your bill.
Here is the full switching
walkthrough, and if you would rather see the numbers on your own bill first, send us a photo
through Bill Check and we will send back a line-by-line
comparison against what you are paying now — whether or not you switch.
We are a Fort McMurray company. Call or text (780) 665-4771 and you reach our own team.
See also: cheapest natural gas rates in
Alberta, local energy companies in
Alberta and how energy bill admin
fees work.
Frequently asked questions
Are there energy providers in Alberta with no contract?
Yes. Alberta’s market is deregulated and several competitive retailers, including Get Energy, offer
no-term plans with no cancellation or exit fee. Confirm it in writing — the phrase is used
loosely in energy marketing.
Does Get Energy charge a cancellation or exit fee?
No. No cancellation fee, no exit fee and no setup fee, on variable and fixed plans alike. You can
change your rate at any time, and the refundable prudential deposit comes back if you leave.
What happens at the end of a fixed rate term?
At Get Energy you move to our lowest fixed rate available at that time. You are never locked in and
you can change plans at any point.
Can I cancel an Alberta energy contract after signing?
Yes, within ten calendar days of signing — the cooling-off period confirmed by the Utilities
Consumer Advocate. After that, it depends on your contract’s exit fee terms.
Is a no-contract plan more expensive?
Not necessarily. Over the 13 months ending August 2026 our variable electricity averaged
5.78¢/kWh and variable natural gas averaged $3.07/GJ including the transaction fee — both
below typical fixed offers over the same window.
Sources
- Get Energy electricity rates and 13-month average — retrieved September 3, 2026.
- Get Energy natural gas rates and 13-month average — retrieved September 3, 2026.
- Utilities Consumer Advocate — retailer directory, cooling-off period and switching timelines — retrieved September 3, 2026.
- Alberta Utilities Commission — Rate of Last Resort — retrieved September 3, 2026.
Get Energy is a competitive retailer offering electricity and natural gas services for
residential, small business, and farm consumers across Alberta. Get Energy is a tradename of Utility
Network & Partners Inc.
Prices move week to week. Our Alberta Energy Market Report tracks wholesale power prices, the natural gas reference price and retail rate movement every Monday.
Shopping on price? Cheapest electricity rates in Alberta shows how to compare the full energy charge — fees included — against the Rate of Last Resort.
Recent Comments