The government of Alberta announced a gas rebate last April to support Albertans.
UPDATE: The Natural Gas Rebate Program has been permanently extended. When the natural gas RRO Rate exceeds $6.50/GJ, a rebate will be provided to all eligible Albertans.
But, how much of a rebate will you get and how often? Well, that depends. Here’s what you need to know.
The nuts & bolts
With utility bills climbing, the Alberta government is providing a rebate to help alleviate some of the financial burden placed on Albertans in recent months. However, this rebate plan is not as clean-cut as the government’s Electricity Rebate launched earlier this year. The Electricity Rebate is a flat rebate where a standard amount was credited monthly to eligible Albertans.
The Gas Rebate depends on a few other factors, so let’s define some terms we’ll be using:
RRO: The RRO is the regulated rate option that is available to Albertans who do not explicitly sign up for the energy retailer of our choice. We cover this topic in more detail here.
Billing cycle: This is a recurring monthly date that can be different for each consumer. It’s the period that your energy usage is being measured during — not the date you receive your bill.
Distributor: This is who provides the natural gas to your home. ATCOenergy is an energy retailer and operates separately from your distributor. You can choose your retailer, but there’s only one distributor in your area.
Retailer: That’s us! If you’re an ATCOenergy customer, we’re your energy retailer.
So, with this rebate, the big questions are, “When does this rebate apply?” and “Am I eligible?”
Don’t worry! We’ll answer both of those questions here, but we do want to make sure you’re focusing on the information that impacts you the most!
Am I eligible?
We’ll help break down the key requirements for eligibility:
- Albertans who use less than 2500 GJ’s per year in natural gas.
- Customers currently connected to the system. (If you get an ATCOenergy bill for natural gas, that’s you!)
- Albertans on a retail energy plan (like your ATCOenergy plan) or on the RRO.
This means that most, if not all, residential households and small/medium businesses will be eligible for this rebate.
How much is this rebate?
Here’s where our glossary of terms will come in handy…
As we said, there are a few factors that will impact if the rebate applies, and how much it'll be. It will be different month to month, and from household to household.
Which brings us to the most important bit about the rebate...
How does it work?
This rebate has been made permanent as of February 2023.
The rebate amount will be posted a few days before the end of the previous month. The highest RRO rate will then be used to calculate your gas rebate for the month.
If the RRO option charged by any of Alberta’s regulated utility providers is above $6.50/GJ the rebate will be applied. The rebate amount will be the difference between the highest RRO rate and $6.50/GJ.
If the RRO rate is below $6.50/GJ, no rebate will be credited that month.
This rebate is not static, so if you see a rebate on your statement, the amount per GJ will be the same for all eligible Albertans, but the total amount will vary for you based on how much natural gas you use during your billing period.
Here are some examples of possible calculation outcomes we could see:
The rebate will be applied to the full amount of your bill total.
The RRO rate for October 2022 was below $6.50/GJ, so the gas rebate was not activated. No rebate was credited in October 2022.
How can I be sure?
Once you receive your gas bill, you’ll be able to confirm whether the credit was added or not if the rebate was credited that month. It will appear as a line item on your bill, named “GOA Utility Rebate” within the retail section of your bill. Here at ATCOenergy, that’s directly under your energy charge.
If you didn’t receive the credit and feel you should have, please contact your energy distributor for support.
Do I need to take action?
This rebate will be applied automatically. The Government of Alberta won’t send any texts or emails about the Gas Consumption Rebate Program to consumers. You don’t need to submit any information to receive your rebate. Please be wary of any emails or texts asking you for personal information and do not click any links that seem suspicious. The rebate will be credited to your bill. You won’t receive a cheque or cash.
If you might qualify for the propane or kerosene rebates, please visit Alberta.ca as information on the application process will be updated there as things develop.
As your retailer, ATCOenergy might send you an e-mail letting you know your rebate is on the way, but we won’t ask you to take action or provide any personal information.
Ensuring that eligible consumers receive their rebate is incredibly important to us. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our Happiness Advisors through our website, ATCOenergy.com or call us at: 1-844-687-2826.
