Does switching electricity retailers lower my delivery charges?

No. Distribution and transmission charges are set by the Alberta Utilities Commission and are identical no matter which retailer bills you. A retailer can only change the energy charge, the administration fee and any transaction fee.

Cheapest Electricity Rates in Alberta: How to Actually Compare Them (2026)

Q: What is the cheapest electricity rate in Alberta?

There is no single cheapest rate, because competitive rates change and the right answer depends on whether you want a floating or a locked price. What can be compared honestly is the full energy charge. Over the 13 months ending August 31, 2026, Get Energy's variable electricity rate averaged 5.91 cents per kWh including the 0.70 cent transaction fee, against the Rate of Last Resort at 12.01 to 12.06 cents per kWh through December 31, 2026.

Q: Is the Rate of Last Resort cheaper than a competitive retailer?

Usually not. The Rate of Last Resort is Alberta's default electricity supply for anyone who has never signed with a competitive retailer, set at 12.01 to 12.06 cents per kWh through December 31, 2026. Most competitive fixed and variable rates have been well below it.

Q: How do I compare Alberta electricity rates fairly?

Add the transaction fee to the quoted rate, add the monthly administration fee, check for exit and enrolment fees, and judge any variable rate on a 12 or 13-month average rather than a single month. Then multiply by your own annual kWh from a recent bill.

Q: How much electricity does an Alberta home use?

A typical Alberta home uses roughly 600 to 700 kWh a month, about 7,200 to 8,400 kWh a year. Use your own bill rather than an average: a one cent per kWh difference on 7,500 kWh is about $75 a year.

Short answer: no retailer is permanently “the cheapest” in Alberta, because
competitive rates move and every plan carries fees that the headline number hides. What you can
compare is the whole energy charge. Over the 13 months ending August 31, 2026, Get Energy’s variable
electricity rate averaged 5.91¢/kWh including the 0.70¢ transaction fee, and our 1-year
fixed rate is 6.57¢/kWh — against the Rate of Last Resort at 12.01 to 12.06¢/kWh
through December 31, 2026.

Get Energy figures are from our live rate sheet, electricity calculated September 8, 2026.
Default rate and consumer protection details are from the Utilities Consumer Advocate and the
Alberta Utilities Commission. Last updated September 3, 2026.

Why “cheapest” is the wrong question

Comparison sites rank Alberta retailers by the advertised cents-per-kWh figure, which is the one
number a retailer fully controls and the one that tells you least. Three plans quoting the same rate
can produce three different bills, because the quoted rate is rarely the whole energy charge:

Transaction fee — some retailers quote the market or energy price and add
a per-kWh fee separately. Ours is 0.70¢/kWh and it is already inside every average on this
page.
Administration fee — a flat monthly charge per site. On a small
apartment it can outweigh the rate difference entirely. Ours is $9.97 per month per site.
Enrolment and exit fees — a low teaser rate with a $150 cancellation
penalty is not a low rate. We charge neither.
Introductory pricing — a rate good for three months that then rolls to a
much higher renewal rate averages out far above the advertised figure.

And one thing switching cannot change: delivery. Distribution and transmission
charges are set by the Alberta Utilities Commission and are identical whoever bills you. On many
Alberta bills they are the larger half. Any retailer promising to cut your total bill in half is
selling something that is not theirs to sell.

The numbers, with the default rate included

Plan	Rate	Type
Get Energy variable — 13-month average	5.91¢/kWh	Floating, no term, no exit fee
Get Energy variable — 30-day average	7.06¢/kWh	Floating, no term, no exit fee
Get Energy fixed, year 1 (Advantage)	6.57¢/kWh	Locked, no exit fee
Get Energy fixed, 2 year (Advantage)	7.97¢/kWh	Locked, no exit fee
Alberta Rate of Last Resort	12.01–12.06¢/kWh to Dec 31, 2026	Default supply

Variable figures include the 0.70¢/kWh transaction fee. The administration fee of $9.97 per
month per site applies to every plan and is not in the per-kWh numbers. We do not publish other
retailers’ rates here: they change without notice and a stale comparison table is worse than none.
Check any competitor’s own rate page on the day you compare.

The honest caveat on the variable line: 5.78¢ is what a full cycle actually cost, not a
forecast. A cold winter pushes variable rates up, and our own 30-day average of 6.47¢ is higher
than the 13-month figure. Judge a floating rate on a 12 or 13-month window and nothing shorter.

Do the comparison on your own bill in four steps

Find your annual kWh. It is on your bill, or add twelve months of usage from
your online account. A typical Alberta home runs 7,200 to 8,400 kWh a year, but use your own
number.
Build the full rate. Quoted rate + transaction fee = the real per-kWh cost.
Add the fixed costs. Administration fee × 12, plus any enrolment fee,
plus any exit fee you would owe if you left early.
Multiply and compare. On 7,500 kWh a year, one cent per kWh is about $75. The
gap between 6.57¢ and the 12.01¢ Rate of Last Resort is roughly $408 a year on the energy
charge alone.

Fixed or variable — which is cheaper?

Over most long windows, floating has cost less, because a fixed rate is price insurance and
insurance carries a premium. That is not a reason to dismiss fixed: if a $200 winter swing would
genuinely hurt your budget, paying a premium for a predictable number is a rational trade. It should
just be a conscious one.

If the reason you avoid variable is the guesswork, RateRewind™ is our answer to it. Each
month, before your invoice is finalised, you see where the variable rate is trending. If it is going
up, you can switch to a fixed rate and backdate the start as far as your last meter read —
billed as if you had been on that fixed rate all along, penalty-free, once per billing cycle. See the
full fixed vs variable
comparison and the average
Alberta electricity rate for the longer history.

Where the cheapest rate is not the right answer

You have solar. Micro-generation export credits and the rate you pay are two
different numbers, and the best combined outcome is rarely the cheapest headline rate. See
solar micro-generation credits
in Alberta.
You are on a fixed income. Predictability may be worth more than the average
saving.
The retailer is not in the UCA directory. Then the rate is irrelevant. Check the
Utilities
Consumer Advocate directory before signing anything, and remember you have ten calendar days to
cancel after signing.

Check it against what you pay now

Send us a photo of your current bill through Bill
Check and we will send back a line-by-line comparison — your rate, your fees, your usage
— whether or not you switch. We are a Fort McMurray company; call or text (780) 665-4771 and
you reach our own team.

Frequently asked questions

What is the cheapest electricity rate in Alberta?

There is no permanent answer — competitive rates move weekly. Compare the full energy
charge including fees. Our variable averaged 5.91¢/kWh over the 13 months to August 31, 2026 and
our 1-year fixed is 6.57¢/kWh, against a default Rate of Last Resort of 12.01 to
12.06¢/kWh.

Is the Rate of Last Resort cheaper than a competitive retailer?

Usually not. It is the default for anyone who has never signed with a competitive retailer, and
most competitive rates have sat well below it.

Does switching lower my delivery charges?

No. Distribution and transmission charges are set by the Alberta Utilities Commission and are the
same whoever bills you.

How do I compare Alberta electricity rates fairly?

Add the transaction fee, add the monthly administration fee, check exit and enrolment fees, judge
variable rates on a 13-month average, then multiply by your own annual kWh.

How much electricity does an Alberta home use?

Roughly 600 to 700 kWh a month, about 7,200 to 8,400 kWh a year. A one cent per kWh difference on
7,500 kWh is about $75 a year.

Sources

Get Energy electricity rates, transaction fee and 13-month average — retrieved September 3, 2026.
Utilities Consumer Advocate — retailer directory, default rates, cooling-off period — retrieved September 3, 2026.
Alberta Utilities Commission — Rate of Last Resort and regulated delivery charges — 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.