• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
EnergyRates.ca

EnergyRates.ca

Compare and Find the Lowest Energy Rates

Get a free quote call1-855-635-9608
  • Alberta
    • Regional Energy Services
      • City of Calgary
      • City of Edmonton
      • Fort McMurray
      • Grande Prairie
      • Medicine Hat
      • Red Deer
      • Crowsnest Pass
      • Cardston
      • Fort Macleod
      • Ponoka
      • Fort Saskatchewan
      • Cold Lake
      • Canmore
    • Rates & Information
      • Site Catalog Tool
      • Alberta Carbon Tax and Rebates
      • Regulated Services
      • Rate of Last Resort (ROLR)
      • Alberta Energy Market Data
      • Utilities Consumer Advocate and UCA Helps
      • Cutting Your Farm’s Energy Costs
      • Breaking Down Your Alberta Electricity and Natural Gas Bills
      • Obtaining Financial Assistance
      • Energy Disconnection and AUC Winter Reconnection Program
      • Electricity and Natural Gas Mediation
      • Electricity Services for Rental Properties
      • Who is my Energy Provider?
      • Micro-Generation in Alberta
      • Green Energy Credits
      • Alberta Energy Glossary
      • Understand Energy Bill Estimates and Meter Readings
      • How is The Pool Price for Electricity Determined in Alberta?
      • What is the AESO and How It Works
    • Electricity and Natural Gas Companies
      • AltaGas
      • ATCO Energy
      • Direct Energy
      • Encor by EPCOR
      • ENMAX Energy
      • Hudson Energy
      • Just Energy
      • Link Energy
      • Superior Energy
      • TransAlta
      • Spot Power
      • UTILITYnet
      • ACE Energy
      • Sponsor Energy
      • Burst Energy
      • Campus Energy
      • Ambit Energy
      • XOOM Energy
      • Peace Power
      • Ridge Utilities
      • Access Energy
      • Regional Energy
      • Olympus Energy
      • Acorn Energy
      • Astro Energy
      • PowerBill Electricity
      • Prairie Power
    • Regulated Rate Providers – Natural Gas and Electricity
      • AltaGas Utilities
      • City of Lethbridge Electric Utility
      • Direct Energy Regulated Services
      • ENMAX Power Corporation
      • EPCOR Energy Alberta GP Inc
    • Small Commercial Fixed Rate Providers
      • EasyMax
      • Encor by EPCOR
    • Wire Service Providers
      • AltaGas Utilities
      • ATCO Gas
      • City of Lethbridge Electric Utility
      • ENMAX Power Corporation
      • EPCOR Distribution & Transmission Inc
      • FortisAlberta
    • Energy Efficiency Programs in Alberta
      • Energy Saving Grants for Businesses in Alberta
      • How the Clean Energy Improvement Program (CEIP) Works in Alberta
  • BC
    • Regional Energy Services
      • Vancouver, BC Electricity Retailers and Natural Gas Providers
      • Surrey Electricity Providers and Natural Gas Services
      • Burnaby Electricity Providers and Natural Gas Services
      • Victoria, BC Electricity Retailers and Natural Gas Providers
    • Rates & Information
      • Breaking Down Your British Columbia Electricity & Natural Gas Bills
      • Explaining Your British Columbia Electricity & Natural Gas Rates
      • How to Read Your British Columbia Electricity & Natural Gas Meters
      • Why the British Columbia Energy Market is Regulated
      • How to Start, Transfer, or Change Your Electricity and Natural Gas Services in British Columbia
      • British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) 
    • Residential Natural Gas Retailers
      • FortisBC & Tarasen Gas
      • Access Gas Services
      • Planet Energy British Columbia
      • Direct Energy British Columbia
      • Just Energy British Columbia
      • Summitt Energy British Columbia
    • Commercial Natural Gas Retailers
      • Access Gas Services
      • Bluestream Energy
      • AltaGas British Columbia
      • Direct Energy British Columbia
      • Just Energy British Columbia
      • Planet Energy British Columbia
      • Summitt Energy British Columbia
    • Regulated Energy Providers
      • BC Hydro
      • FortisBC & Tarasen Gas
    • Home Renovation and Appliance Rebates
  • Manitoba
    • Regional Energy Services
      • Winnipeg
      • Brandon
      • Steinbach
    • Rates & Information
      • Breaking Down Your Manitoba Electricity & Natural Gas Bills
      • Explaining Your Manitoba Electricity & Natural Gas Rates
      • How to Read Your Manitoba Electricity & Natural Gas Meters
      • How to Start, Transfer, or Change Your Electricity and Natural Gas Services in Manitoba
      • Why the Manitoba Electricity Market is Regulated
    • Residential Natural Gas Retailers
      • Just Energy
      • Planet Energy
    • Commercial Natural Gas Retailers
      • ECNG Energy
    • Regulated Energy Providers
      • Manitoba Hydro
    • Manitoba Energy Efficiency Programs
  • Ontario
    • Regional Energy Services
      • Ottawa
      • Mississauga
      • Toronto
      • Brampton
      • Hamilton
      • London
      • Markham
      • Kitchener
      • Windsor
      • Burlington
      • Sudbury
      • Oshawa
      • Barrie
      • Guelph
      • Oakville
    • Rates & Information
      • Why the Ontario Energy Market is Regulated
      • Explaining Your Ontario Electricity Rates
      • Explaining Your Ontario Natural Gas Rates
      • Breaking Down Your Ontario Electricity Bill
      • Breaking Down Your Ontario Natural Gas Bill
      • What is the Global Adjustment?
      • How to Set Up Your Utility Service When You Move in Ontario
      • Does Your Ontario Energy Provider Require a Security Deposit?
      • How to Renew Your Energy Contract
      • How to Start Natural Gas Service for the First Time
      • Canceling an Ontario Energy Contract
      • How to Read Your Ontario Gas Meter
      • Ontario Electricity Support Program (OESP)
      • Save On Energy
      • Green Energy in Ontario
      • Ontario’s Local Hydro Utilities or Local Distribution Companies (LDC)
      • Ontario Energy Efficiency Programs
    • Ontario Retail Electricity & Natural Gas Companies
      • Just Energy
      • MyRate Energy
      • Planet Energy
      • RiteRate Energy
      • Summitt Energy
    • Ontario Regulated Price Plan Providers
      • Hydro One
      • Enbridge Gas Distribution
      • Union Gas
  • Saskatchewan
    • Regional Energy Services
      • Saskatoon
      • Regina
      • Prince Albert
    • Rates & Information
      • Breaking Down Your Saskatchewan Electricity and Natural Gas Bill
      • Explaining Your Saskatchewan Electricity & Natural Gas Rates
      • How to Read Your Saskatchewan Electricity and Natural Gas Meters
      • How to Update Your Saskatchewan Energy Services
      • Why the Saskatchewan Electricity Market is Regulated
    • Residential Natural Gas Retailers
      • Future Now Energy
      • Just Energy
    • Commercial Natural Gas Retailers
      • Connect Energy
      • Hudson Energy
      • Peak Energy
    • Regulated Energy Providers
      • Saskatoon Light & Power
      • SaskEnergy
      • SaskPower
      • Swift Current Electricity Services
    • Commercial Energy Efficiency Programs
  • Québec
    • Regional Energy Services
      • Montréal
      • Québec City
      • Sherbrooke
      • Gatineau
      • Laval
      • Coaticook
      • Westmount
      • Lévis
      • Saguenay
      • Baie-Comeau
      • Longueuil
      • Trois-Rivières
      • Magog
      • Alma
      • Saint-Jean-Baptiste
      • Joliette
      • Amos
    • Rates & Information
      • Breaking Down Your Québec Electricity and Natural Gas Bills
      • Explaining Your Québec Electricity and Natural Gas Rates
      • How to Start, Transfer, or Change Your Electricity and Natural Gas Services in Québec
    • Residential Natural Gas Retailers
      • Just Energy
    • Commercial Natural Gas Retailers
      • Just Energy
      • Access Gas
      • Summit Energy
      • Hudson Energy
      • Active Energy
      • Direct Energy
      • Comsatec
    • Regulated Elecricity & Natural Gas Retailers
      • Énergir
      • Gazifère
      • Hydro-Québec 
    • Energy Efficiency Programs and Rebates in Québec
  • Plans/Products
    • Plans
      • Fixed Rate Plans
      • Floating Rate Plans
      • Regulated Rate Plans
      • Block Pricing Plans
      • Load Following Plans
    • Products
      • Residential Electricity and Natural Gas Plans
      • Small Business Electricity and Natural Gas Plans
      • Small Commercial Electricity and Natural Gas Plans
      • Large Commercial Electricity and Natural Gas Plans
      • Industrial Electricity and Natural Gas Plans
      • Farming Electricity and Natural Gas Plans
    • Utility Bonds
  • Tips
    • Electricity Rates – Tips for Keeping Your Energy Costs Low
    • Natural Gas Rates – Tips for Lowering Your Bills
    • Energy Rates Blog
    • Energy Stats
    •  FAQ
    • Disclaimer
  • Content Hubs
    • Solar Energy
    • Electric Vehicles
    • Product Reviews
  • Renewable Energy
    • Green Energy Rates & Renewable Energy Solutions
    • RECs, Carbon Offsets & Green Building Certification
    • Carbon Accounting for Corporations: Scopes 1, 2, and 3
    • Virtual Power Purchase Agreements (VPPAs)
    • How to Market Corporate Sustainability Projects
  • EN

UCA Helps: A Great Resource for Electricity and Natural Gas Consumers in Alberta

Looking for cheaper electricity or natural gas? Find a better rate with Canada’s top energy comparison site.

Find a cheaper energy rate

Energyrates.ca strives to provide Albertans with as much information as possible about competitive energy rates and prices for electricity and natural gas. But we certainly aren’t the only educational resource out there–there are a number of truly excellent, bias-free sources of information. Today we wanted to take a moment to highlight one of the best: The Utilities Consumer Advocate’s UCA Helps website.

What is the Utilities Consumer Advocate?

The UCA was created in 2003 in the wake of the deregulation of Alberta’s natural gas and electricity markets to ensure that the public had a voice in matters regarding energy industry. The goal of the UCA is to make sure that utility companies have profits that are reasonable and don’t come at undue expense to consumers, and to provide consumers with the information they need to make informed choices.

The UCA created the UCA Helps website to serve as an accessible source of information on the utilities options available to consumers.

UCA Helps has a number of features that make it truly indispensable to any residential or business consumer who wants to research the regulated and retail energy options available in their area. However, as is always the case when there is a lot of data on offer, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and overlook many of the resources available on the site. So we took some time to comb through the site in order to find some of the most usual features that you don’t want to miss. Here are just a few of them:

#1: A search tool for finding all the retailers and regulated utilities available in your area.

The organization may leave something to be desired, but UCA Help’s Retailer Search Tool is pretty powerful. You can either do a search for your city, or select from an alphabetical list, in order to track down the current regulated and retail rates for your area. You can also filter the results to show only electricity rates, only natural gas rates, or both.

1

As you can see, the information provided by the search tool is pretty comprehensive. In the case of Calgary, you can find information 2 regulated retailers and about 30 regulated retailers that offer services in the area. If you hit the [+] to the left of each entry, the listing will expand to show all of the retailer’s available service plans, their price per kWh or GJ, admin fees, and any applicable fees or fines for early cancellation. Placing your mouse pointer over one of the plan names will pop up additional information, and if you click on a company name, you’ll be taken to a UCA page that gives an overview of the company, as well as contact information.

#2. Data on the historical regulated and retail rates in locations throughout Alberta, going back to 2002.

The other data mine accessible through the search tool page we were just looking at is easy to overlook, because it’s shunted off to the left-hand side. To access this info, click on one of the years listed in the sidebar. When you select one, you’ll be presented with a list of PDFs which feature all of the electricity and gas rates in the area on various dates throughout the year in question.

1

If you’re only interested in the regulated rates, you can skip the PDFs and scroll farther down, where the page will present you with a pair of tables of regulated rates for that year. The first table gives the regulated rate for electricity on the first of each month, for 4 regulated providers in Alberta:

  • EPCOR in Edmonton
  • EPCOR via Fortis
  • ENMAX in Calgary
  • DERS via ATCO Electric

A little further down is a similar table for regulated natural gas rates from three providers:

  • DERS North
  • DERS South
  • AltaGas

#3: Interactive guides to understanding your electricity and natural gas bills.

1

Energy bills can be pretty difficult to make heads or tails of, due to being crammed full of confusing ID numbers, fees for various services, and other details. UCA Helps has guides for understanding both natural gas and electricity bills. When you hover over any text that is highlighted in blue, popups will appear which explain what each term means. Some of the terms explained include “Site ID,” “Administration charges,” “Cancel/rebill,” “rate riders,” and more. So if you find yourself flustered by the avalanche of jargon on your energy bill, these pages can be extremely helpful.

#4. Detailed background information, contact info, website links, and energy rates for just about every energy provider in Alberta.

If you click on the “Energy Options” tab, you’ll be taken to a rather unassuming page that briefly explains the fact that consumers have the right to choose between regulated and retail energy services. However, what you really want is the info in the column on the left-hand side.

1

Clicking on any of the menu options will either present you with an expandable list of all the companies within that particular category, each of which can be clicked to pull up basic company information, phone numbers, email addresses, current energy rates, and links to the company’s website. You can find a lot of information on regulated rate companies, retail providers, green energy companies, wires service providers, and more.

If you take the time to really dig into the UCA Helps website, you’ll see that there is a lot of information at your fingertips. This invaluable tool means the difference between being a consumer, and being an informed consumer.

Primary Sidebar

Footer

EnmaxEpcorSponsor EnergyEncorDirect EnergyRite Rate
EasyMaxEncorSpot PowerHudson EnergySummitt EnergyEncor

Get Monthly Energy Insights!

Alberta fair competition statement:

Customers are free to purchase natural gas services or electricity services from a retailer of their choice. For a list of retailers, visit www.ucahelps.gov.ab.ca or call 310-4822 (toll free in Alberta).

review
  • Scholarship Information
  • Press Room
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2025 ENERGYRATES.CA

This website uses cookies and similar tracking technology for several purposes, including enhancing your experience when you visit our websites and personalizing ads/content available on our website. You can learn more about our use of these technologies in our Privacy Policy. By continuing to use this website, including clicking off or closing this banner, you consent to the use of these technologies by this website.AcceptPrivacy Policy