Should I Lock In My Energy Rate in Alberta? (2026 Decision Guide)

Short answer: lock in only if a predictable bill is worth paying a premium for. Over the
13 months ending August 31, 2026, Get Energy’s variable electricity rate averaged 5.91¢/kWh
including the 0.70¢ transaction fee, while our 1-year fixed rate sits at 6.57¢/kWh. That
0.79¢ gap — about $60 a year on 7,500 kWh — is the cost of certainty. Locking
in is not a saving. It is insurance, and insurance has a price.

Get Energy figures from our live rate sheet: electricity calculated September 8, 2026, natural
gas August 25, 2026. Default rate and consumer protection details from the Alberta Utilities
Commission and the Utilities Consumer Advocate. Last updated September 7, 2026.

The one question that actually decides it

Not “where are rates going?” — nobody knows, including us. The question is:
would a $150 swing in a single winter month genuinely hurt your household budget?

Yes, it would hurt. Lock in. Paying a modest premium to remove a risk you cannot
absorb is a sound decision, even if it costs you a little on average.
No, we could absorb it. Floating has cost less over most long windows, and you
keep the option to lock later if that changes.

Everything else is noise. A retailer telling you to lock in “before rates spike” is
forecasting a market that has repeatedly embarrassed forecasters.

What the two products actually cost today

Plan	Rate	What you are buying
Get Energy variable electricity — 13-month average	5.91¢/kWh	Market price, no term, no exit fee
Get Energy variable electricity — 30-day average	7.06¢/kWh	Same plan, one recent month
Get Energy fixed electricity, 1 year	6.57¢/kWh	One year of certainty
Get Energy fixed electricity, 2 year	7.97¢/kWh	Two winters of certainty
Alberta Rate of Last Resort	12.01–12.06¢/kWh to Dec 31, 2026	The default if you never chose
Get Energy discount variable gas — 13-month average	$3.07/GJ	Market price, no term
Get Energy fixed gas	$3.77/GJ	Locked gas price

Variable figures include the transaction fee (0.70¢/kWh electricity, $0.50/GJ on the discount
gas rate). The $9.97 monthly administration fee per site applies to every plan and is not in the
per-unit numbers. Note the two variable lines: 5.78¢ over 13 months versus 6.47¢ over 30
days. Judge a floating rate on a full annual cycle and nothing shorter — a
summer or winter snapshot will mislead you in opposite directions.

Run it on your own bill

Find your annual kWh (and GJ, if we supply your gas) on a recent bill. A typical Alberta home
runs 7,200 to 8,400 kWh and 100 to 130 GJ a year.
Multiply the gap between the fixed rate and the variable average by your annual usage. On
7,500 kWh, 0.79¢ is about $59 a year.
Ask whether that figure is a price worth paying to remove winter uncertainty. There is no
universally right answer — but there is a right answer for your household.

The trap that costs more than either choice

Auto-renewal. A fixed term that quietly rolls into a higher renewal rate is where most of the
money is actually lost, and it happens without a phone call or a signature. Check your contract end
date, diarise it, and read
when to switch your
Alberta energy provider. Exit fees compound the trap: a low teaser rate with a $150 cancellation
penalty is not a low rate. We charge no exit fee on any plan.

If the guesswork is the part you hate

RateRewind™ exists for exactly this. Each month, before your invoice is finalised, you can
see where the variable rate is trending. If it is heading up, you can move to a fixed rate and
backdate the start as far back as your last meter read — billed as though you had been on that
fixed rate all along, penalty-free, once per billing cycle. It removes the need to time the market,
which is the part nobody can do reliably.

What locking in never changes

Distribution and transmission charges. They are set by the Alberta Utilities Commission and are
identical whoever bills you, and on many Alberta bills they are the larger half of the total. No
retailer, on any rate, can lock or lower them. Anyone implying otherwise is describing something that
is not theirs to sell.

Frequently asked questions

Should I lock in my energy rate in Alberta in 2026?

Only if predictability is worth paying for. Over the 13 months ending August 31, 2026, Get Energy’s variable electricity rate averaged 5.91 cents per kWh including the transaction fee, against a 1-year fixed rate of 6.57 cents. That gap, about 0.79 cents per kWh or roughly $60 a year on 7,500 kWh, is the premium you pay for a rate that cannot move. Locking in is not a saving, it is insurance.

Is a fixed energy rate cheaper than a variable rate in Alberta?

Historically no, over long windows. A fixed rate has to be priced above the expected market average or the retailer loses money on it, so on average the floating rate has cost less. Fixed wins in the specific years when the market spikes above the locked price.

What happens if I lock in and rates go down?

On a normal fixed contract you keep paying the locked rate until the term ends. With Get Energy there is no exit fee, so you can leave. RateRewind also works the other way: if you are on variable and the rate is trending up, you can move to fixed and backdate the start to your last meter read, once per billing cycle.

How long should I lock my energy rate for in Alberta?

Match the term to how long you need the certainty, not to the biggest discount. A 1-year term at 6.57 cents per kWh and a 2-year term at 7.97 cents are different products: the second buys you a second winter of certainty and charges you for it.

Should I lock in my natural gas rate in Alberta?

The same test applies, and the gap is wider. Our discount variable gas rate averaged $3.07 per GJ over the 13 months to August 25, 2026, against a fixed rate of $3.77 per GJ. Gas is also the more seasonal of the two commodities, so a single winter month is a poor guide either way.

Am I on a good energy price right now?

Compare the all-in energy charge on your latest bill, not the advertised rate: quoted rate plus any transaction fee, plus the monthly administration fee, divided by your usage. If you have never signed with a competitive retailer you are on the Rate of Last Resort at 12.01 to 12.06 cents per kWh through December 31, 2026, which is almost certainly not a good price.

Check it against what you pay now

Send 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.

Sources

Get Energy electricity rates, transaction fee and 13-month average — retrieved September 7, 2026.
Get Energy natural gas rates and 13-month averages — retrieved September 7, 2026.
Alberta Utilities Commission — Rate of Last Resort and regulated delivery charges — retrieved September 7, 2026.
Utilities Consumer Advocate — retailer directory and cooling-off period — retrieved September 7, 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.