Last updated September 12, 2026.
Step 1 — Site and rate class
Find the site ID and the rate class or rate code, usually near the top of the delivery section.
Write it down. Everything on the delivery side follows from that code, and it is the single item most
worth verifying against how your site actually operates today.
Step 2 — Split energy from delivery
Your bill has two halves with different owners. The energy half is your retailer:
commodity charges, administration or transaction fees, and anything contractual. The
delivery half is the regulated wires company: distribution, transmission, riders,
franchise fees, local access fees. Only the first half is something you shop.
Step 3 — Consumption and demand
Consumption is in kWh (or GJ for gas). Demand is in kW or kVA and is the peak draw you were
measured at. Track both across twelve months if you can — the relationship between them is your
load factor, and it tells you whether your money is in your rate or in your peak.
Step 4 — Retailer and contract type
Identify who is actually selling you the energy, and whether the rate is fixed, variable or a
default. If the supplier is your wires company, you are probably on the Rate of Last Resort. Note any
contract end date printed on the bill — and if none is printed, that is worth chasing down.
Step 5 — Fees and riders
Administration or transaction fees sit on the retail side and are comparable between retailers.
Riders, franchise fees and local access fees sit on the delivery side and are location and
rate-class driven. Knowing which side a charge belongs to tells you instantly whether shopping can
do anything about it.
| If you see… | It belongs to… | Can shopping change it? |
|---|---|---|
| Energy / commodity charge | Retailer | Yes |
| Administration or transaction fee | Retailer | Yes |
| Distribution / transmission | Wires company | No — but reviewable |
| Demand charge (kW / kVA) | Wires company | No — but reducible |
| Rate riders, franchise fee | Wires company / municipality | No |
both commodities, twelve months where possible — is exactly what the Energy Cost Audit is.
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
- Business energy in Alberta — the overview
- The Energy Cost Audit — what we review and what you get
- Distribution and transmission charges on a business bill
- Small business electricity rates in Alberta
- Commercial natural gas in Alberta
- Do you need an energy broker in Alberta?
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.