What is EPCOR?
EPCOR Energy Alberta GP Inc
EPCOR Energy Alberta GP Inc. (EEA GPI), sometimes referred to as EPCOR Energy Services, is headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta. It is a regulated rate option (RRO) provider of natural gas and electricity services to more than 600,000 residences, small businesses, and farms and irrigation operations in the City of Edmonton. It is a subsidiary of EPCOR Utilities, and is the regulated counterpart to the recently launched energy retailer Encor by EPCOR, which operates in competitive retail markets throughout Alberta. The City of Edmonton owns EPCOR Energy Alberta through its parent corporation EPCOR, which, as of 2018, has been named one of Alberta’s Top 70 Employers for the 12th year in a row.
EPCOR Energy Alberta is also the default supplier of electricity and natural gas in territories where wires service and distribution are provided by FortisAlberta (whose electrical system comprises more than 60 percent of the low-voltage distribution system in Alberta and serves more than half a million customers) or EPCOR Distribution & Transmission Inc., as well as a collection of 12 rural electrification associations.
EPCOR Energy Alberta provides customer service support operations, including billing, payment negotiation and collections.
These services are provided for EPCOR Energy’s regulated customers, as well as on behalf of a number of third-party companies and services, including Encor, EPCOR’s competitive electricity and natural gas supplier company; Capital Power, an energy producer in the provinces of Alberta and Ontario; and other utility services for the City of Edmonton, including drainage, waste management and water treatment.
EPCOR Energy Alberta is one of several electric utility companies in Alberta regulated by the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC). Others include ENMAX Power (owned by the City of Calgary in a similar manner as EPCOR is owned by Edmonton), Direct Energy Regulated Services, and AltaGas Utilities.
ENCOR by EPCOR Electricity Plans & Natural Gas Rates
Have you ever wondered what Encor by EPCOR is? EPCOR offers competitive natural gas and electricity products to small businesses and residences through their energy retailer, Encor by EPCOR.
Currently, Encor’s products include (but are not limited to):
Two- and five-year fixed-rate plans: Guaranteed rates for the duration of the contract, for both electricity and natural gas.
Two- and five-year floating rate plans: Variable rates for the duration of the contract, with monthly electricity rates based on the current market price of electricity.
Floating rate natural gas plans: Contracts that are two or five years in length, with the natural gas rate based on the current market price of natural gas.
Bundle plans: Combining Encor’s electricity and natural gas plans, allowing you to mix and match options.
EPCOR energy rates: Encor vs EPCOR
EPCOR offers consumers two utility services possibilities: Encor (the competitive rate option) and EPCOR (the regulated rate provider, or RRO). Although they are part of the same company, they can provide you with different plans and energy rates.
Encor provides both fixed and floating rates (variable) for electricity and natural gas. In some Albertan cities, EPCOR is the default electricity regulated rate option (RRO). However, Alberta is a deregulated energy market, so anyone in the province can decide which utilities to choose at home. The RRO rates are regulated by the province, whereas competitive providers can offer both floating and fixed rates.
Whether you’re looking for EPCOR or Encor natural gas and electricity rates, energyrates.ca lists all major energy retailers in Alberta. The rate comparison tool above lets you compare current and historical prices, and find out which rate fits your budget and risk profile.
Beyond variable or fixed power rates, EnergyRates.ca users can also compare energy suppliers and their plans, and find the lowest available residential and small business rates in each province. Small commercial, large commercial and industrial customers can get a free custom quote and have detailed information regarding energy rates in Alberta. In case you’re searching for commercial rates, you can fill in the comparison form with your postal code and some more basic information to start comparing energy providers.
EPCOR History
EPCOR is headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta, and wholly owned by the City of Edmonton itself. It provides both regulated and on-contract electricity services to 600,000 small commercial and residential customers, including 323,000 residential and 35,000 commercial in Edmonton alone.
It was privately founded as the Edmonton Electric Lighting and Power Company in 1891. The City of Edmonton purchased the company in 1902, making it a publicly owned utility company. In 1970, its distribution and power plant departments were consolidated into a single organization as Edmonton Power in 1970.
After Alberta’s deregulation of the energy market in 1996, Edmonton Power and its various related divisions (including Aqualta, which provided water services to Edmonton; and Eltec, which provided electrical services at a commercial level) incorporated as a single entity, EPCOR Utilities Inc. In doing so, it became the first combined natural gas, electricity, and water utility in all of Canada. It began operating under the name EPCOR in 2001.
In 2004, EPCOR exited the retail energy market, due to some side effects of Alberta’s deregulation process, as well as perceived resistance from customers to sign fixed-rate energy contracts. The company shifted its focus to wholesale, commercial and industrial markets for electricity and natural gas generation and distribution. However, it continued to provide services to regulated customers.
In April 2009, EPCOR chose to spin off its power-producing facilities as its own publicly traded corporation, EPCOR Power Corporation, which later became Capital Power Corporation. Capital Power operates in Alberta, British Columbia and the United States.
In 2012, Capital Power re-entered into a joint venture with ENMAX to build and operate the Shepard Energy Centre in Calgary, a natural gas-fueled power plant.
In 2014, EPCOR reentered the competitive retail energy market for small businesses and residential customers with its new affiliate Encor (also referred to as Encor Energy or Encor by EPCOR). On its site, Encor states that the name is a French derivation of the word “encore,” which means “more.” Encor offers nonregulated multiyear, fixed-rate plans for electricity and natural gas, utilizing EPCOR’s infrastructure for transmission and distribution throughout Alberta. Encor describes itself as the “sassy sister” of EPCOR, and its marketing materials often take a light-hearted approach that is in marked contrast to the tone used by most of its competitors.
In 2016, the company celebrated 125 years since the Edmonton Electric Lighting and Power Company was founded. Two years later, in 2018, EPCOR bought Collus PowerStream and became the electricity provider for thousands of customers in Simcoe County, in Ontario.
What does EPCOR stand for?
EPCOR stands for Edmonton Power Corporation. The company has operations in many cities across Alberta, including Edmonton, Canmore, Chestermere, Kananaskis, Crowsnest Pass, Okotoks, Red Deer County, Fort Macleod and Strathmore.
EPCOR provides consumers with a wide range of services depending on where they live. As an example, here’s a detailed breakdown of the company’s Edmonton services:
- Electricity distribution and transmission
- Capital project management
- Account Management
- Billing
- Meter reading
- Water distribution
- Water and wastewater treatment
EPCOR also offers various services across North America, from electricity and natural gas distribution to water and waster management. Some of the EPCOR locations outside Alberta include Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Saskatchewan, British Columbia and Ontario.
EPCOR address
In Alberta, EPCOR has two main mailing addresses:
For bill payments, the best address is:
EPCOR
P.O. Box 500
Edmonton, AB T5J 3Y3
In case you want to send correspondence, there is a specific location:
EPCOR 2000-10423 101 Street NW
Edmonton, AB T5H 0E8
How do I pay my EPCOR bill?
As an EPCOR client, you will receive paper bills until you create an online account and register for online billing. Once you do it, all of your bills will be available electronically only. Still, EPCOR customers can pay their bills using automatic withdrawal, online or phone banking, credit cards or via mail.
EPCOR Distribution & Transmission Inc
EPCOR Distribution & Transmission Inc. (EDTI) is the wires service supplier, also known as wires services provider (WSP), to the City of Edmonton and nearby areas, which includes roughly 323,000 homes and 35,000 small businesses. Its operations are comprised of delivering electricity to residential customers and maintaining the electrical infrastructure that serves the area.
Despite which provider you choose, EPCOR is the wires services provider in Edmonton. The energy company is responsible for the electricity delivery, maintenance of the power network, calculating tariffs and emergencies such as outages and broken lines.
Consumers can check the costs related to distribution and transmission (D&T charges) in their monthly bills. Generally, the administration, distribution and delivery charges follow the costs of bringing electricity to your home. The name of these distribution tariffs may vary from the electricity to the gas bill. However, they basically mean the same: The costs related to transporting and maintaining transmission projects.
EDTI is the AUC-regulated owner, operator and maintainer of the Edmonton area’s transmission lines and substations.
The Government of Alberta did not deregulate the transmission and distribution of electricity in 1996, avoiding the unnecessary cost of having various companies build redundant systems for its own use. EDTI makes the necessary electrical distribution systems available to all energy providers and retailers. EPCOR Distribution & Transmission currently operates more than 5,100 km of primary distribution lines and 200 km of transmission lines, distributing roughly 14 percent of Alberta’s total energy consumption. EDTI is responsible for the continued enhancement and growth of the infrastructure they own, meeting the growing and changing needs of the citizens of the City of Edmonton.
EDTI provides additional supplementary services to assist the energy retailers they serve, including meter reading and load analysis. EPCOR Distribution & Transmission also conducts the administration of the Distribution Tariff, as provided for by the Alberta Electric Utilities Act. The tariff includes a number of charges for which customers are ultimately responsible, including the cost of maintaining electric system access and distribution service.
Additionally, as required by the Electric Utilities Act (EUA), EDTI provides load settlement services. Load settlement comprises the steps necessary to measure the consumption of electricity by customers in Alberta, and providing that usage data to the relevant competitive and RRO electricity providers, as well as the independent system operator.
EPCOR power outages
If you are an EPCOR customer and needs to report an outage, EnergyRates.ca has a complete guide on power cuts, including how to report such issues to your electricity provider as well as an EPCOR customer services phone number.
