What percentage of an Alberta business electricity bill is delivery charges?

Usually 40 to 60 percent. Distribution typically accounts for 25 to 40 percent and transmission 10 to 25 percent, with riders and franchise fees making up a few percent more.

Why is my delivery charge higher than my energy charge?

Because delivery is partly billed on demand — your highest rate of draw — rather than on total consumption. Sites with short, sharp peaks relative to their average usage pay proportionally more in delivery.

Does a cheaper energy rate reduce delivery charges?

No. Delivery charges are set by the regulated wires company and are unaffected by which retailer supplies your energy.

What percentage of an Alberta business energy bill is delivery?

Short answer: On a typical Alberta business electricity bill, distribution and transmission charges are 40–60% of the total, with the energy commodity making up most of the rest. The exact split depends on your rate class, your load factor and how much of your cost is demand-based rather than consumption-based.

Last updated September 12, 2026.

The anatomy of the bill

Line	Roughly	Who sets it
Energy / commodity	30–50%	Your retailer — you choose
Distribution	25–40%	Your wires company, AUC-approved
Transmission	10–25%	AESO, flowed through your wires company
Riders, franchise fee, admin	3–10%	Utility and municipality

These are ranges, not a formula. Two businesses on the same street with the same annual kWh can
have very different splits, because delivery is partly billed on demand —
your highest draw — not just on total consumption.

Load factor is what decides it

Load factor is the relationship between your average draw and your peak draw. A warehouse running
steadily around the clock has a high load factor and its bill leans toward commodity. A welding shop
or an arena that spikes hard for short periods has a low load factor, and its bill leans heavily
toward demand-driven delivery charges.

If delivery is well over half your bill, you are being told something
specific: your peak is expensive relative to how much you actually consume. That is a load problem,
not a rate problem, and shopping your rate will barely move it.

Why the split matters for what you do next

Commodity-heavy bill — your contract and term are the lever. Shopping the
market or changing plan structure is worth real money.
Delivery-heavy bill — rate class, billing demand, power factor and load
management are the levers. A cheaper rate on a smaller half changes little.

Working out which one you are is the first thing our Energy Cost Audit does, because it decides
everything after it.

Current Get Energy rates for context

Variable electricity 30-day average 7.06¢/kWh (calculated September 8, 2026); fixed
1-year 6.57¢/kWh; variable natural gas $3.71/GJ
(calculated September 5, 2026); administration fee $9.97 per site per month. Published small
consumer rates — larger sites are quoted on their own profile.

Book a free Energy Cost Audit

Send us one recent electricity bill and one natural gas bill. We review both halves — the
energy you buy and the delivery charges you are billed to receive it — and come back with a
written summary of what we found and what, if anything, is worth changing. No cost, no obligation,
and no requirement to switch anything.

Upload your bills — free Energy Cost Audit

Prefer email? Send your bills to
info@getenergy.ca, or call
(780) 665-4771, Monday to Friday 9 AM–5 PM.

More for Alberta businesses

Energy prices move every week. Our Alberta
Energy Market Report tracks wholesale power prices, the natural gas reference price and retail
rate movement every Monday.

Get Energy is an Alberta competitive retailer and energy broker serving
residential, small business, farm and commercial consumers. Get Energy is a tradename of Utility
Network & Partners Inc.