FortisAlberta and ATCO Electric delivery charges: what each line on your bill is

FortisAlberta and ATCO Electric own the local wires. They bill your retailer, which passes the regulated charges to you. The AUC approves rates; the UCA explains delivery. You pay daily charges, distribution and transmission per kWh, riders and town fees. You cannot choose the wires company. Switching retailers leaves these rates unchanged.

Your retailer collects the delivery charges

Your retailer collects the delivery charges for the wires at home. ATCO Electric’s terms say it bills the retailer. FortisAlberta’s sample bill shows these costs apart from the power you buy. The bill comes from your retailer. You still pay for the same wires when you choose a new plan.

ATCO Electric bills the retailer for electric distribution services. Its retailer terms also allow it to bill a customer directly for some amounts under the customer terms. (read 30 October 2026) [source]

The default electricity retailer in the EPCOR Distribution (Edmonton) and FortisAlberta areas is EPCOR. (read 15 October 2026) [source] The default electricity retailer in the ATCO Electric area is Direct Energy Regulated Services. It is also the default natural gas retailer for ATCO Gas. (read 15 October 2026) [source]

The lines in FortisAlberta Rate 11

FortisAlberta’s home rate has a daily charge and charges for each kWh you use. Its schedule calls them facilities and service, system usage and transmission. Riders adjust those charges, and town fees add local costs. The AUC approves the schedule. Your retailer may group several lines under one bill heading.

Rate 11 has no demand charge. The daily facilities and service charge is also its distribution minimum charge. (read 30 October 2026) [source] FortisAlberta says retailers may use different names for riders. (read 30 October 2026) [source]

The bill wording below comes from FortisAlberta’s sample and terminology guide. A bill category can cover several tariff lines. Rider A-1 passes on a property tax set in part by the local taxation authority. (read 30 October 2026) [source]

Find the figures and towns on the FortisAlberta distributor page. Read the guide to delivery and riders for the wider picture.

The lines in ATCO Electric D11

ATCO Electric’s home schedule splits delivery into daily charges, use charges and riders. The distribution and service lines each have a daily part. Distribution and transmission also charge for each kWh. The AUC approves these interim home rates. Your retailer’s bill may group them under broader delivery headings.

D11 has no demand charge. The AUC approves these interim 2026 rates. Distribution and service have daily customer charges. Distribution and transmission have energy charges per kWh. (read 30 October 2026) [source]

The bill categories below come from a retailer’s published bill guide. They are broad categories, not a promise of your bill’s exact wording. ATCO Electric’s municipal assessment rider includes franchise fees and property taxes. (read 30 October 2026) [source]

D11 TOTAL PRICE, before riders and town fees: C$1.6823 /day and 13.82 ¢/kW.h. These are delivery rates, not the price of the power you buy. D11 schedule.

D13 time of use is available by request only, at the company’s discretion, with an advanced meter. On peak runs from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. (read 30 October 2026) [source] ATCO Electric’s PBR Re-Opener Refund, Rider J, ended on 28 February 2026. (read 30 October 2026) [source]

Find the figures and towns on the ATCO Electric distributor page.

A worked month in each town

FortisAlberta and ATCO Electric file different rates with the AUC. The two examples below use the same amount of power and the same number of days. Each shows daily charges, use charges, riders and town fees. These towns are two examples of the tariffs, with no ranking of households.

Rates and riders change, including by quarter. These examples use the rates in force on the date shown. Delivery is the same whichever retailer you pick. The energy part uses each area’s default seller. Your plan may have a different energy price and retailer charge.

The Airdrie example includes the small base transmission credit.

Read the local pages for Airdrie and Grande Prairie. Town fees are explained in local access and franchise fees.

Rural homes share longer lines

Rural delivery costs more because homes are far apart. The Utilities Consumer Advocate points to low population density and longer distances between sites. More wires serve fewer homes, so each home bears more of the network cost. Switching retailers leaves that network and its regulated delivery rates the same.

The UCA describes “low population density and longer distances between consumer sites”. Distribution charges are higher in rural Alberta than in urban areas because of low population density and longer distances between customer sites. (from 1 January 2026) [source]

These are the UCA’s historic figures, not the current tariff examples above. In 2025, for 600 kWh, monthly distribution charges ranged from $31.55 (in EPCOR's service area) to $97.89 (in ATCO’s service area), according to the Utilities Consumer Advocate. (1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025) [source] In 2025, for 600 kWh, monthly transmission charges ranged from $23.93 (in ENMAX's service area) to $26.32 (in ATCO Electric's service area), according to the Utilities Consumer Advocate. (1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025) [source]

The examples also reflect different distribution tariffs. FortisAlberta’s daily line is C$1.034442 per day (from 1 January 2026) [source] and its use line is 3.3477¢ per kWh (from 1 January 2026) [source]. ATCO Electric’s daily distribution line is C$1.4125 per day (from 1 January 2026) [source], plus service of C$0.2698 per day (from 1 January 2026) [source]. Its distribution use line is 9.03¢ per kWh (from 1 January 2026) [source].

Read how transmission, distribution and riders fit together.

Using less lowers the lines charged per kWh

Using less power lowers the lines charged per kWh. The daily lines stay due for each day of service. The Rate 11 and D11 schedules list these daily charges and charges based on use. A retailer switch changes none of these delivery rates. Your power use still affects the total.

ATCO Electric’s time of use option is available by request. Whether it costs less depends on when you use power. Ask your retailer to explain a disputed line. Read who to contact about an energy bill complaint if it remains unresolved.

Read about fixed charges and a high utility bill.

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