Restaurants are one of the most energy-intensive businesses per square foot in
Alberta. Cooking line, refrigeration, ventilation, dishwashing and hot water run long hours at high
intensity, and unlike most costs in a restaurant, energy is bought rather than negotiated —
usually once, often by whoever was in the office when the phone rang.
We supply and broker electricity and natural gas for restaurants across Alberta, and our free
Energy Cost Audit looks at the whole bill, including the distribution and transmission charges a
rate quote never touches.
Where the energy actually goes
| Load | What it means for the bill |
|---|---|
| Cooking line (gas) | Ranges, fryers, ovens and broilers make gas the dominant commodity in most kitchens. The gas contract deserves as much attention as the electricity one, and usually gets less. |
| Refrigeration (electric) | Walk-ins, line coolers and freezers run continuously. Steady load, which is good for load factor, but compressor motors drag power factor down. |
| Ventilation | Make-up air and exhaust hoods run whenever the line is on, and in an Alberta winter the make-up air is heated — this is a large and frequently invisible gas load. |
| Hot water and dish | Concentrated demand around service periods, which shows up as peaks rather than as steady consumption. |
| Dining room | Lighting, HVAC and POS. Modest against the kitchen, but the first place most operators try to cut, which is why savings efforts so often disappoint. |
Where the money usually is
Your gas contract
Gas is usually the larger commodity spend in a restaurant and the one most often left on a default or auto-renewed rate. Term and timing matter more here than a fraction of a cent per GJ.
Make-up air
Heating outside air to replace what the hoods extract is one of the biggest controllable loads in a commercial kitchen. Scheduling and controls change the number; a new rate does not.
Refrigeration and power factor
Multiple compressors mean motor load. Where demand is billed in kVA, power factor correction is one of the measures included in our review.
Multiple locations
Groups often have every site on a different rate, a different term and sometimes a different rate class. Consolidating the renewal calendar alone is worth doing.
Worth checking on your own bill
- Are you on a contract or the Rate of Last Resort — for both electricity and gas?
- When does each contract end, and what happens automatically if you do nothing?
- Is there a demand (kW or kVA) line on your electricity bill, and how much of the total is it?
- Does your rate class still match how the site operates — especially if you took over an existing space?
- Are all your locations on the same plan and the same renewal date?
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.
Common questions
Can restaurants in Alberta choose their energy supplier?
Yes. Alberta’s electricity and natural gas markets are deregulated, so any restaurant can choose a competitive retailer for either commodity or stay on the Rate of Last Resort.
Is natural gas or electricity the bigger cost for a restaurant?
It depends on the kitchen, but in most Alberta restaurants with gas cooking equipment and gas-fired make-up air heating, natural gas is the larger commodity spend in winter while electricity is steadier year-round.
How can a restaurant reduce its energy bill without cutting service?
The usual order is: confirm the contract and rate on both commodities, review the delivery-side charges and rate class, address make-up air and ventilation scheduling, and check power factor where refrigeration and motor load is heavy.
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 published small business rates: variable electricity 7.06¢/kWh (30-day average, 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. Sites above 250,000 kWh or 2,500 GJ a year are quoted on their own profile. Last updated September 12, 2026.
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.