Is a fixed energy rate more expensive overall?

Usually, yes. A fixed price includes a premium for the retailer carrying the price risk. That premium buys certainty, which is worth paying for in some businesses and not in others.

When is the worst time to sign a fixed energy contract?

During a price spike. A multi-year fixed contract signed at the top of the market locks in that level for its full term.

Should an Alberta business choose a fixed or variable energy rate?

Q: Should an Alberta business choose a fixed or variable energy rate?

Fixed suits businesses that need budget certainty or have priced their own contracts on current energy costs; variable has been cheaper on average across most multi-year periods but moves with the market. Larger loads often fix part of their volume and leave the rest market-linked.

Short answer: Choose fixed if a predictable bill is worth paying a premium for — tight margins, fixed-price contracts with your own customers, or a lender who wants certainty. Choose variable if you can absorb monthly movement, since it has been cheaper on average across most multi-year periods. Larger loads often blend the two.

Last updated September 12, 2026.

What you are actually buying

A fixed rate is an insurance product. You pay a premium so somebody else carries the price risk.
That is a perfectly rational purchase — the mistake is buying it without noticing that it has
a price, or buying it at the top of the market because that is when the phone rings.

A straight comparison

	Fixed	Variable
Budgeting	Simple and certain	Moves month to month
Cost over a full cycle	Usually higher	Usually lower
Risk	Carried by the retailer	Carried by you
Timing sensitivity	High — you lock the market of that day	Low
Best for	Thin margins, fixed-price customer contracts, budget scrutiny	Businesses that can ride out a cold month

Three questions that usually settle it

What does a bad month actually do to you? If a winter spike is survivable,
variable is likely cheaper over time. If it is not, buy the certainty.
Have you priced your own contracts on a fixed energy assumption? If you quoted a
customer on today’s costs for the next two years, match the term.
What is the market doing right now? Locking a multi-year fixed price during a
spike is the single most expensive habit in Alberta commercial energy.

Blending, for larger loads

Above the commercial threshold, it is common to fix a portion of expected volume and leave the
rest market-linked: certainty on base load, flexibility on the rest. It is more work to administer
and it is usually the right answer for a business with real seasonality.

Where we sit today

Variable electricity 7.06¢/kWh (30-day average, calculated September 8, 2026) versus
fixed 1-year 6.57¢/kWh; variable natural gas $3.71/GJ
(calculated September 5, 2026) versus fixed $3.77/GJ. Published small consumer rates —
they move, so treat them as of their calculation date, and check
our rates page for the current figures.

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

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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.