Energy Bills & Extreme Weather

Whether we’re dealing with winter deep freezes or summer heat domes, extreme weather will impact your energy bill.

Summer Heat

Even though we often expect our highest energy bills to come in the winter, heat waves can impact your summer bills too.  

• Demand. When temperatures climb, our AC units, fans and even our fridges work extra hard to keep us cool. You’ll want to make sure your AC is in good repair and operating efficiently.
• Supply. Unplanned outages or compressors struggling to operate in extreme heat can reduce supply.
• Ripple Effect. When Alberta’s supply runs low, we can often import the energy we need. When a heatwave is spread over a wider geographic area, extra resources can be harder to find.  

Winter Freeze

In Alberta, the average home uses a lot more natural gas and electricity during the winter. We use about 2 or 3 GJ of natural gas in the summer, but closer to 10 or 12 GJ a month in the winter. It’s no surprise that the colder it gets, the more energy you need to keep your home comfortable. But there are other reasons why you might see higher bills in winter:  

• Demand. You—and your neighbours—use more energy at peak times. In fact, Alberta hit an all-time record for electricity consumption on February 9, 2021.
• Supply. Cold weather, wind, and unplanned outages can impact supply. There were several unplanned power plant outages in February.  
• Distribution & Transmission. There was a mandatory distribution rate increase in January 2021, and part of D&T charges are tied to consumption. To help Albertans in this difficult time, ATCO petitioned the AUC (Alberta Utilities Commission) to freeze distribution rates at 2020 rates. But if you’re in a different distribution area, your D&T rates have likely increased.  
• Rate Rider. A rate rider is a credit or charge that is temporarily applied to your bill to offset energy costs. This kind of fee isn’t always on your bill, but important to know about in case it does appear on a statement.
• Carbon Tax. The Carbon Tax rate increased in April, 2020 when Albertan's don’t use a lot of natural gas. Since the tax is tied to natural gas consumption, rate increases don’t make a noticeable difference on your bills until the cold weather hits. Most Albertans will receive a rebate on their income tax to offset this amount, but it does come as a shock when you see it on your winter statements.    

Even though there are a lot of factors influencing your winter energy bills in Alberta, we’ve put together some winter energy-saving tips to help you lower your consumption, and a few things to watch for around your home.

How to read your retail energy bill

The first step in taking control of your energy use is understanding what you pay for. We want to make our retail services as clear, simple and straightforward as we can.

Charges from several different sources are included on the bill your retailer sends you. Here’s an explanation of our invoice, so you can understand exactly what’s included, and where those charges come from.

Retailer

Account holder

There must be at least one account holder. You can add or remove another person from your account at any time by calling 1-844-687-2826, sending an email to inquiries@atcoenergy.com, or using our live web chat. And if you're moving within Alberta, we move with you. Let us know the new address and we'll transfer your current plan to your new location.

Paying your bill

Your bill can be paid via online banking, telephone banking, at the bank, automated bank withdrawal, one-time credit card payment, pre-authorized credit card payments or by sending payment through the mail. You can also sign up for email bill notice by calling 1-844-687-2826 or emailing inquiries@atcoenergy.com.

Credits

Any promotional credits or other discounts will appear on the first page of your statement under the Account Summary and be deducted from your Energy Total.  You'll see a CR next to any line that's a credit.

Energy Charges

This line shows how many kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity or gigajoules (GJ) of natural gas you used during a specified period of time, multiplied by your plan's energy rate.

ATCO Advantage Plan

Residential customers on the ATCO Advantage plan won’t see a monthly administration fee. They’ll see a flat daily fee to access Alberta’s wholesale energy rates.

Administration Fee

This fee covers the costs related to billing for electricity and providing customer service. ATCOenergy’s administration fees support our local Happiness Advisors located right here in Calgary.

Energy Total

You’ll see the total charge for energy used during the billing period. Some billing periods extend over two months, and it will depend on which billing cycle you’re on.

Delivery

Distribution companies are responsible for getting electricity and natural gas to your home or business. Distribution charges include the cost of maintaining the infrastructure needed to provide you with safe and reliable energy when you need it.

Your distributor is determined by where you live in Alberta. Electricity and natural gas distribution rates are regulated by the Alberta Utilities Commission.

Delivery Charges

Distribution companies calculate their rates based on the cost of operating the distribution system and delivery of energy to homes and businesses. A portion of these charges is fixed based on the number of days in the billing cycle, while the rest fluctuate based on your consumption. Delivery and distribution charges are approved by the Alberta Utilities Commission.

UFE & UFG

UFE (Unaccounted for Energy) and UFG (Unaccounted for Gas) tracks the amount of electricity or gas lost enroute to your home due to variation in temperature, emissions, damages, theft or meter tampering, among other reasons.

Municipal Franchise Fee (natural gas)

This fee is set by your municipality as a charge for natural gas facilities on municipal property. Your distributor remits this amount to your local municipality.

Local Access Fee (electricity)

This fee is set by your municipality as a charge for electrical facilities on municipal property. Your distributor remits this amount to your local municipality.

Rate Riders

These are temporary credits or charges approved by the Alberta Utilities Commission to adjust for over or under collection of approved costs.

Rural Electrification Association (REA) Charge (electricity)

A monthly charge for recovery of the REA monthly operating and maintenance costs and funding of the REA operating reserve.

Estimated Read

This is the latest estimated meter read provided by your distributor.

Last Actual Read

This is the last actual meter read provided by your distributor.

Delivery Total

The distributor's total charge to deliver energy to your home or business.

Other

Electricity

Electricity is produced in large power plants. Transmission lines are the high-voltage wires and towers used to transmit power from the power plants to the local distribution systems. Distribution lines deliver low voltage energy to neighbourhoods so homes and businesses can use it.

Distribution companies are responsible for delivering electricity to your home, measuring your consumption, and sending their charges to retailers to pass on to customers.

Retailers receive your consumption information from the distribution company, and are responsible for your energy rates and billing you on a monthly basis.

Natural Gas

Natural gas is drilled from wells and refined at processing plants. High-pressure transmission pipelines transport natural gas to major markets. Low-pressure distribution pipelines deliver natural gas to areas for use by homes and businesses.

Distribution companies are responsible for delivering natural gas to your home, measuring your consumption, and sending their charges to retailers to pass on to customers.

Retailers receive your consumption information from the distribution company and are responsible for your energy rates and billing you on a monthly basis.

Meter Number and Readings

This is the number attached to the meter installed at your premises. Distribution companies do their best to provide actual meter readings on a monthly basis. From time to time, they may be unable to access your meter to get an actual meter reading. If the meter is reading incorrectly, please contact your distribution company. Their number can be found on the back of your energy bill.

Site ID

Every property in the province of Alberta with an electricity or natural gas meter has a unique site ID number assigned to each meter. The site ID number corresponds to the address at which the meter is located and is used by power companies to keep track of customers and the amount of energy they use.

Account Number

Your account number is a unique 13-digit numeric identifier that authenticates your identity and enables payment of your bill. You can find this number on the first page of your ATCOenergy bill in the top right corner. If you can't find your account number, please contact our call centre at 1-844-687-2826.