Behind on your power or gas bill? Payment arrangements in Alberta

Call your retailer before the due date and ask for a payment arrangement. The Utilities Consumer Advocate (UCA) urges prompt contact. ENMAX, EPCOR and Direct Energy Regulated Services offer arrangements. One missed payment does not mean an immediate cut to service. If you switch, you still owe your old retailer, so pay its final bill. A new retailer may run a credit check or ask for a deposit, and a default provider may refuse new service while you owe it.

How do I set up a payment arrangement?

To set up a payment arrangement, call your retailer and ask to pay the balance over time. The UCA says to contact your retailer right away. ENMAX also lets you use your online account. Ask for the dates and amounts, then check that you can meet the plan.

Each company detail below was read on 30 October 2026.

Ask ATCO Energy about an overdue bill.

ENMAX also describes a separate plan for a deposit: For regulated Rate of Last Resort accounts, the security deposit will be divided into three monthly payments (read 30 October 2026) [source].

What happens if I miss a payment?

If you miss a payment, service does not end at once, says ENMAX. EPCOR says this is true in most cases. Late fees can still add to your balance. Call your retailer as soon as you know you cannot pay. Ask what happens next and how to keep service on.

Missing a single payment will not immediately result in your power being limited or disconnected (read 30 October 2026) [source]. Missing a single payment or making a late payment will not result in disconnection in most cases. Late fees apply and the unpaid balance carries forward (read 30 October 2026) [source].

After a Pending Disconnection Notice is issued, customers generally have 17 days to pay the past-due balance or make payment arrangements (read 30 October 2026) [source]. Follow the date on your own notice.

Read the winter disconnection rules for shut-off protections and load limiters.

Can I switch providers if I owe money?

If you switch, you still owe your old retailer, so pay its final bill. A new retailer may run a credit check or ask for a deposit, and a default provider may refuse new service while you owe it. The Utilities Consumer Advocate says payments and credits cannot move between retailers. Check the new retailer’s sign-up terms before you apply.

Pay the final bill from the old retailer to clear amounts owing. Payments and credits cannot be transferred between retailers (read 30 October 2026) [source]. Retailers may have different sign-up requirements, including credit checks (read 30 October 2026) [source]. Both default and competitive retailers may require a deposit (read 30 October 2026) [source].

A default provider may refuse new service while you owe that same provider. The terms filed with the Alberta Utilities Commission state each provider’s rule:

• ENMAX may refuse regulated service if the customer has an outstanding balance with ENMAX Energy for regulated rate service (read 30 October 2026) [source].
• EPCOR Energy Alberta may refuse service if the customer has an outstanding balance with EPCOR Energy Alberta for service (read 30 October 2026) [source].
• Direct Energy Regulated Services may refuse service if the person has an outstanding balance with Direct Energy Regulated Services (read 30 October 2026) [source].

Read about switching providers and security deposits and credit checks before signing up.

What happens to an unpaid Easymax contract?

An unpaid Easymax contract will be cancelled if the balance stays unpaid, says ENMAX. Your service moves to the Rate of Last Resort provider for your area. You may have to pay a deposit. You still owe the old balance, so contact ENMAX about a way to pay it.

If an Easymax balance remains unpaid, the agreement will be cancelled and service moved to the Rate of Last Resort provider for the area. A security deposit may be charged. You still owe the account balance (read 30 October 2026) [source].

Can a collection agency call me, and when?

The Collection and Debt Repayment Practices Regulation says a collection agency can call you only in set hours. The agency must have good reason to believe you owe the money. False claims are not allowed. If a reported debt changes status, the agency must tell the credit reporting firm.

The regulation sets these rules:

• An agency or collector must believe in good faith that the money is due and owing (read 30 October 2026) [source].
• Collection calls may only be made between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. in Alberta (read 30 October 2026) [source].
• An agency or collector must not give false or misleading information (read 30 October 2026) [source].
• An agency that reports a debt must tell the credit reporting agency of a change in account status within 35 days (read 30 October 2026) [source].

If an EPCOR account remains past due, its Collections team sends notifications by phone or letter (read 30 October 2026) [source].

Will an unpaid energy bill hurt my credit?

A credit report may include utility accounts and debts sent to collection agencies, says the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada. Equifax Canada says a collection account is removed six years from first delinquency, typically when it went to collection. Paying it sooner does not remove it at once.

A credit report may include debts sent to collection agencies, and phone, internet or utility accounts (read 30 October 2026) [source]. Equifax says the entire collection account is removed six years from the date of first delinquency on the account, typically when it went to collection. Paying it sooner does not remove it at once (read 30 October 2026) [source].

Where else can I get help?

You can get help from the Utilities Consumer Advocate if you cannot agree on a plan with your retailer. Contact the retailer first and ask to pay over time. Our help paying utility bills guide lists other support that may help with the cost of energy.

Call the UCA at 310-4822 in Alberta; 1-888-644-6608 outside Alberta (read 15 October 2026) [source].

A bill check, free during our launch

BillRobin is an Alberta service. We compare every plan we can confirm for your home, show them in order of estimated cost, and you decide. We never switch your plan, never phone you and never ask for banking details or a social insurance number.

A bill check compares supported plan costs for the same energy use at your address. Any saving is an estimate.

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.