Calgary Gas and Electricity Retailers
Residents of the city have had several retailers to choose from since the 1990s, meaning that Calgary’s electricity rates are very competitive. Natural gas is sold by many companies:
- AltaGas
- ATCOenergy
- Burst Energy
- Direct Energy
- Encor by EPCOR
- ENMAX Energy
- Hudson Energy
- Just Energy
- TransAlta
- Spot Power
These companies also serve as electricity retailers in Calgary, supplemented by dozens of other niche energy retailers and producers. ENMAX Energy is the Rate of Last Resort (ROLR) provider for electricity in Calgary, while Direct Energy Regulated Services is the natural gas retailer in the area.
Contact us to receive a Calgary electricity rates comparison or for information on Calgary natural gas rates, to help you determine who the best utility companies in Calgary are and what they can offer you. Searching for the best energy options amongst Calgary utilities can be quite time-consuming, but don’t worry; EnergyRates.ca makes it easy for you.
History of Natural Gas and Electricity in Calgary
The City of Calgary is the largest in the province of Alberta, with a population of roughly 1.25 million people. While the town of Calgary was settled in the 1870s and 1880s by ranchers and homesteaders, the modern-day metropolis exists thanks to the petroleum and energy industries. It should tell you something ENMAX, Calgary’s largest energy company, is actually a wholly-owned subsidiary of the city itself. But a lot happened in the energy industry in Calgary before ENMAX came around…
Oil was first discovered in Calgary in 1902, and drilling continued on a small scale for another decade. During this time, the first electric power plants were built, and by 1905 the city owned its own utility company, The City of Calgary Electric System. Within another five years, several more plants had been constructed, powered by both coal and water.
Everything changed after a major oil strike in nearby Turner Valley in 1914. The quantity and quality of the oil being produced there became readily apparent. As a demonstration, one of the drillers filled the tank of his car with crude oil from the site and drove it 41 miles on one gallon of the raw fuel.
Within 24 hours, 500 oil companies were formed, and chaos ensued. For several months, Calgary was a “madhouse,” as characterized by one Calgary Herald writer. However, the beginning of World War I brought investment to a halt, and exploitation of the area’s resources quickly slowed and stagnated for several decades.
The other complication that busted the was that the oil wells weren’t true oil wells, but rather wet natural gas wells—natural gas bound up with other compounds, which greatly complicated the processing. It wasn’t until 1936 that the first true oil well was successfully drilled.
Thanks to Calgary’s expansive economy, based upon agriculture and ranching, the city has grown steadily despite the decades-long boom-bust cycle. During World War II, interest in exploring the area for oil and gas developed again, leading to the first real oil boom in 1947, when a rich deposit was found in Leduc. This led to exploratory drilling throughout much of Alberta, including Calgary. The next decade was dominated by the repeated discovery of new sites and the painful process of developing means of exporting the vast quantities of oil and gas that the country could never hope to consume on its own. Exports cautiously expanded from 900 barrels a day in 1951, to 40,600 barrels in 1955.
The value of Calgary’s natural resources became evident when Egypt seized the Suez Canal in 1956, cutting off most oil supplies from the Middle East. Oil exports rapidly increased to 94,000 barrels a day, preventing disastrous shortages in much of the western United States.
Further development in Calgary slowed in subsequent years until the Oil Crisis of 1973 when investment in Albertan oil skyrocketed again. In the following 35 years, the population of Calgary nearly quadrupled in size, from 270,000 to more than 1 million residents. The glut in the supply of oil and natural gas in the 1980s led to a significant downturn in the city’s and country’s economy. Business owners and investors in the area quickly learned their lesson, leading to the wide variety of economic opportunities that exist in the present-day city of Calgary.
Moving to Calgary?
Setting up service
Whether you’re moving to the city for the first time or just switching residences, setting up your utility services ahead of the move can help you stave off a headache on your moving day. Fortunately, setting up your utilities is as simple as a quick phone call.
Two weeks or more before your move, compare utility services to decide which retailer has a rate and contract you’d prefer at your new address and give them a call or visit their site. Retailers may request a deposit or add an installation fee to your first monthly bill. Confirm with the retailer whether or not you can waive a deposit (some allow it if you set up automatic payment withdrawals with your bank).
To set up an account your retailer may request the following:
- Full name
- Phone number
- New home address
- Move-in date (or date you need services connected)
- Another piece of I.D.
If you’re already cutting close on your move-in date, you will need to set up your utilities through your provider, as competitive realtors may need more notice before setting up your account.
Transferring or canceling services
If you are sticking with your current retailer, then you will need to provide them with your new address and your desired move-out and move-in date. If you will no longer need their services, give at least two months’ notice of your end date.
How much is the average utility bill in Calgary?
Many ask this question and there isn’t a clear way to answer this due to the diverse rates of consumption and utility prices. Nevertheless, we can give a primer on what to expect on your bill.
The average Albertan household uses roughly 7,200 kWh of electricity annually, which amounts to 600 kWh per month. The average ENMAX RRO (now called Rate of Last Resort – RoLR) rate in Calgary for 2023 was 19.597 ¢/kWh. Using these estimates, the average household electricity bill came to $114, which has not considered the associated distributor & transmission or administrative fees that are also factored in your energy bill.
$0.19per kWh x 600 kWh per month = $114 per month
(based on average price and average consumption)
Likewise, the average household consumes 110 GJ of natural gas annually, for 9 GJ each month. In 2023, the average RRO rate came to approximately $3.18/GJ based on the UCA rates average. This brings the average gas bill to approximately $54, again omitting distributor, transmission and admin fees.
$3.18 per GJ x 9 GJ per month = $28.62 per month
(based on average price and average consumption)
