Moving utilities in Alberta: a checklist for buyers and renters

How do I set up utilities when I move in Alberta?

Start your Alberta moving checklist by setting up utilities. Check who pays for power and gas. Set dates for each home. The Utilities Consumer Advocate (UCA) explains your choices. Ask about notice, deposits and transfer terms. Check the first bills. Use the official links below to change your address and set up other services.

What belongs on my electricity and gas moving checklist?

Your electricity and gas moving checklist should name each service, address, responsible person and start or end date. The UCA explains how to compare energy choices for your home. Ask providers to confirm the notice needed. Keep the written terms so you can check the first and final bills.

1. Confirm who pays. Check your lease or possession arrangements. Electricity, gas, water and waste may not all be your responsibility.
2. Identify the actual service location. Use the full address and unit number. Confirm the site or meter details with the provider where needed.
3. Ask your current retailer about a transfer. Request the rate, fees, eligibility and notice required at the new address in writing. Do not assume the old offer follows you.
4. Compare setting up with another retailer. Check electricity and gas separately as well as together, including deposits and payment conditions.
5. Confirm start and end dates. Keep the new-home confirmation and the old-home closure or transfer confirmation. Allow for a genuine overlap if you are responsible for both homes.
6. Check the first and final bills. Match the service address, dates, plan, meter readings and any adjustment or deposit.

Contact the provider as soon as your dates are known and ask it to confirm the lead time for your particular move. EPCOR’s moving guidance and Direct Energy’s moving hub describe their processes. Their timing and transfer conditions should not be treated as a rule for every company.

The rest of your Alberta moving checklist

These official pages cover the non-energy parts of a move. Use the city guidance for your address; other municipalities may have different arrangements. Official pages checked on 21 October 2026.

• Driver’s licence and vehicle registration: Alberta says to apply at a registry agent in person within 14 days of the change taking place. See Alberta: Update driving documents.
• Alberta Health Care card: use the AHCIP address-change form and submission instructions in Alberta: Health card updates.
• Canada Revenue Agency: the CRA says to report your new address as soon as possible. See CRA: Change your address.
• Mail: review forwarding options and conditions through Canada Post: Mail Forwarding.
• Calgary water and waste: ENMAX is the City’s contracted billing provider. Start with Calgary: Utility accounts and billing.
• Edmonton water and waste: waste charges appear on the EPCOR utility bill. See Edmonton: Waste rates and fees.
• Internet: use the communications checklist in Canada Post: Six tasks before moving into a new home.
• Home insurance: review home, condominium and tenant coverage through Canada.ca: Home insurance.

Can I compare plans without previous bills?

You can compare plans without previous bills by using a range of likely energy use. The UCA tool helps you choose a usage range. Check the heating fuel and home size. Think about who will live there. Treat the result as an estimate until you have your own bills.

A first-time buyer or renter does not need to manufacture a “before” bill. Start with an estimated consumption range and compare eligible plan costs within it. The UCA comparison tool offers usage guidance for people without billing history.

Useful questions include the heating fuel, home type and size, number of occupants, work-from-home habits, and major loads such as an electric vehicle. Ask for only information that could change the decision. Treat the result as a budget estimate and plan comparison, not money saved against a bill you never had.

Should I use my old home’s bill history?

Your old home’s bill history can help form an estimate, but it may not match the new home. The UCA comparison tool offers usage ranges. Check the service address and dates before using any bill. Replace estimates with new-home bills as they arrive, since heating needs and daily habits can change.

A bill can carry your new mailing address while charging for the old service location. Check the service address or site identifier and consumption dates before using its history. Two properties on one account are still two different energy profiles.

Historical use from your previous home may help form a starting scenario, but it does not establish the new home’s heating needs. Mark transferred assumptions clearly and replace them with actual new-home bills as they arrive. Save a complete historical chart if your last old-home bill contains one; avoid turning a partial month into an annual forecast.

Can renters choose an energy provider?

Renters can often choose an energy provider if they hold the account and pay the firm directly. The UCA explains household choices. Check what your lease includes. Find out who controls each service and what you pay for. Ask about shared or sub-metered bills before you sign a new plan.

The first question is who controls the account. If you arrange and pay the retailer directly, check the options available at your site. If utilities are included in rent or a landlord or sub-metering company bills you, do not assume you can switch the building’s supplier. Review your agreement and ask which charges and services you control. The UCA’s residential guidance is a useful starting point for unresolved questions.

Do electricity, gas, water and garbage move together?

Electricity, gas, water and garbage each need a check when you move. Some may share a bill. The UCA explains energy choices. Ask the local council who handles water and waste at your new home. Keep the start date and written signup for each service so nothing is missed.

Make a separate line on your checklist for each service, even when several appear on one bill. Confirm water and waste arrangements with the municipality or responsible provider at the new address. An energy retailer change is not confirmation that these services are arranged.

Moving between Edmonton, Sherwood Park or another community should trigger an address-specific check, rather than a copied city checklist. Local service responsibilities can differ. If the home is newly built or service is disconnected, tell the provider; do not treat a new connection as a routine retailer change.

What should I keep after the move?

After the move, keep service confirmations, accepted energy offers and the first and final bills for each address. The UCA explains how to check bills and compare plans. Match the charges to the dates and terms you accepted. Ask the retailer to explain unclear lines and save the reply.

Keep the accepted offer, service confirmations and first bills together. Once supply is confirmed, the next job is to check that the price and fees match what you accepted. If a former retailer proposes a return offer, request the full written terms before agreeing. Compare against your new accepted plan, not the plan you already left. Our switching guide explains the follow-through.

Use your bills to compare plans for your address. Start the bill check. Send us your gas and electricity bills as PDFs. No PDF? Screenshots or a photo work too. We compare the plans at your address, free during our launch period.