How Fast Can I Switch Electricity or Gas in Alberta? (Moving In, Deadlines, Disconnection Notices)
Short answer: a standard Get Energy switch takes 10 days. In urgent cases, such as a last-minute move-in, a next-day start is possible if you enrol with our team by phone during business hours and have everything ready (see the checklist below). For comparison, the Utilities Consumer Advocate says switches across Alberta take 10 to 90 calendar days, with 10 to 15 typical. A same-day switch isn’t possible; if you need an account in your name today, the default provider can open one immediately and you can move to us afterwards, penalty-free.
Based on the Utilities Consumer Advocate’s published guidance and the Get Energy / UTILITYnet Terms and Conditions (effective July 1, 2026). Last updated September 22, 2026. This page covers timing only. For choosing when to switch, see the best time to switch.
1How a switch actually happens
| Step | What happens | Timing |
|---|---|---|
| 1. You sign up | You complete our online form, including the service start date you want. The earliest date the form accepts is the next day. | About 10 minutes, any time of day |
| 2. We review it | Our team checks the application and your site details. Once it is accepted, you get an email confirming your plan and start date. That email forms your contract. | Business days (Monday to Friday, excluding Alberta statutory holidays) |
| 3. We enrol your site | We send the enrolment to your electricity and/or gas distribution company under our retailer ID. | Enrolments are submitted in batches, so a request made after hours goes in the next business day |
| 4. Supply starts | Supply starts on your enrolment date. Until then, your previous retailer (or the default provider) keeps billing you. The power and gas stay on the whole time. | With Get Energy, 10 days as standard; next day in urgent cases enrolled by phone (the UCA’s industry-wide range is 10 to 90 calendar days) |
The switch doesn’t change your wires, meter or distribution company. Nobody visits your home, and your supply is not interrupted.
2Moving in soon? Do this
- Sign up as soon as you have a possession date. The UCA recommends contacting a retailer at least two weeks before you take possession. Put your possession date in as the requested start date.
- Possession tomorrow? Call us during business hours. A next-day start is possible, but only when all of these are in place:
- You speak with our team by phone at (780) 665-4771 during business hours, and we enrol the site on that call.
- We have all your details: service address, site ID from a current bill, and account holder name and date of birth.
- You have agreed to any deposit your plan requires (Base plans have none).
- You have your banking information ready for pre-authorized payment.
If any piece is missing, the standard 10-day timeline applies.
- Don’t panic if the date is tight. Power does not go off just because the previous occupant closed their account. The distribution company keeps the site energized, and a default provider covers the gap until your new plan begins.
- Need an account in your name today? The default provider for your area (the UCA lists them) can open one immediately. It is a stopgap. You can move to a competitive plan at any time without penalty.
- Remember gas as well as electricity. They are separate enrolments. If you sign up for only one, the other stays with whoever supplies it now.
Already a Get Energy customer and moving? Give us at least 10 business days’ notice through the Moving Notification Form in My Account, and complete a new sign-up for the new address (section 13.1 of our terms).
3Got a disconnection notice?
Switching retailers is not a way around a disconnection notice. The notice comes from your current retailer because of an unpaid balance, and that balance is still owed after any switch. The UCA’s advice is to contact your current retailer right away to make a payment, arrange a payment plan, or report a payment you have already made.
- Check the address and the service. Is the notice for electricity or gas, and for which property? A common mix-up after a move is enrolling only one service. The other then stays with the old retailer, which may send a notice to close the account.
- Winter Rules protect residential customers. Electricity can’t be fully disconnected between October 15 and April 15, though a load limiter may be installed. Natural gas can’t be disconnected between November 1 and April 14.
- Free help: the Utilities Consumer Advocate mediates payment arrangements and can refer you to assistance programs. Call 310-4822 (toll-free in Alberta) or email ucahelps@gov.ab.ca.
Once the account with the old retailer is sorted out, we can enrol you on a date that avoids any gap. Text us the notice and we will tell you honestly what we can and can’t do.
4What speeds a switch up, and what slows it down
| Speeds it up | Slows it down |
|---|---|
| Signing up on a business day, early in the day | Signing up on a Friday night or before a long weekend |
| The exact service address as it appears on your current bill | New builds or unusual addresses that aren’t yet in the distribution company’s site catalogue |
| Your current bill on hand (site ID, account holder name) | A name or date of birth that doesn’t match the account holder |
| Both electricity and gas on one sign-up | Sites outside our service area (certain Rural Electrification Associations, gas co-ops, Medicine Hat) |
In a hurry? Standard switches take 10 days. Sign up online and choose your start date, or for an urgent next-day start call us during business hours at (780) 665-4771 and tell us your date. Not sure switching is worth it? Our free Bill Check compares your current bill with our plans. No setup fee, no rush fee, and no exit fee on any plan.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to switch electricity providers in Alberta?
With Get Energy the standard is 10 days. A next-day start is possible in urgent cases, by phone, during business hours, with everything ready. Industry-wide, the Utilities Consumer Advocate says a switch can take 10 to 90 calendar days, with 10 to 15 typical. You pick your start date when you sign up and we confirm it by email.
Can I switch electricity the same day?
Not the same day. In urgent cases a next-day start is possible if you call (780) 665-4771 during business hours and enrol with our team by phone, with your site details, banking information for pre-authorized payment and any required deposit agreed. If you need an account in your name today, the default provider for your area can open one immediately and you can move to us afterwards, penalty-free.
I’m moving in tomorrow. Will the power be off?
Usually not. The lights don’t go out because the account holder changes; the distribution company keeps the wires live. Sign up for your new address as soon as you have a possession date, and ideally two weeks ahead, as the UCA recommends.
I got a disconnection notice. Will switching retailers stop it?
Not on its own. The notice comes from your current retailer about an unpaid balance, and that balance stays owing after a switch. Call that retailer first to pay or set up a payment arrangement. The UCA can help mediate at 310-4822.
Can my power be cut off in winter in Alberta?
Residential electricity cannot be fully disconnected between October 15 and April 15, though a load limiter can be installed. Residential natural gas cannot be disconnected between November 1 and April 14. These are the UCA’s Winter Rules.
I’m moving. How much notice does Get Energy need?
At least 10 business days, through the Moving Notification Form in your My Account portal, plus a new sign-up for the new address. Business days exclude weekends and Alberta statutory holidays.
Does switching quickly cost extra?
Not with us. There is no setup fee, no rush fee and no exit fee on any Get Energy plan. Deposits apply only to Discount Advantage and variable plans; Base plans have none.
Sources
- UCA: How to switch energy retailers (10 to 90 calendar days). Retrieved September 22, 2026.
- UCA: How to choose a retailer (typically 10 to 15 days). Retrieved September 22, 2026.
- UCA: Residential moving in tips (default providers can set up an account immediately; call two weeks before possession). Retrieved September 22, 2026.
- UCA: Winter Rules and Utilities disconnection. Retrieved September 22, 2026.
- Get Energy / UTILITYnet Terms and Conditions, effective July 1, 2026: section 1 (Business Day, Service Area), 5.4 (confirmation), 7.3 (supply starts at enrolment), 12.1 (cancellation), 13.1 (moving). Retrieved September 22, 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.
Related: Best time to switch energy provider · How to switch energy providers · What happens when your term ends · No-contract energy in Alberta