Alberta rate riders: what each rider on your bill pays for

Rate riders on an Alberta bill

A rate rider on an Alberta bill is a temporary credit or charge. The UCA says it recovers the actual cost of a service. It can also refund an overcharge. The AUC must approve it before use. The dates on the filed sheet tell you when it applies.

A rate rider is a temporary credit or charge that can appear on electricity and natural gas bills, used to recover the actual cost of providing utility services. It can also refund customers who were overcharged. (from 1 January 2026) [source]

A company that needs a rate rider applies to the Alberta Utilities Commission. A rider is applied to bills for a set period and only after the Commission approves it. (from 1 January 2026) [source] Rate riders are updated monthly, quarterly or annually to reflect the actual cost of providing service for a specific period. (from 1 January 2026) [source]

For the wires and pipes behind these lines, read transmission, distribution and riders.

Electricity riders by distributor

The AUC lists electricity riders by the company that delivers power to your home. Its filed rates give each amount below, with a minus sign for a credit. Town fees vary by area, so those rows show the lowest and highest amounts in force.

Each name links to its row. Dates and decisions come from each amount’s source document. “No end date printed” means that document gives none.

A town fee differs by town, so its row shows the lowest and highest amounts and does not give one date. The fee table by town gives the dates and decision for your own town. Use the municipal fee guide for the calculation at your address.

ATCO Gas and Apex household riders

ATCO Gas riders follow the North or South delivery area on your bill, with their purposes listed by the AUC. The tables use the Low Use household rate for ATCO Gas and small general service for Apex. Town fees apply to the charges named in each fee rule, and a row that differs by town points to the fee table by town.

ATCO Gas Riders A and B apply as an addition to delivery charges, including other riders. Apex Rider B also applies as an addition to distribution billings. Its district tax and municipality-specific tax are separate rows.

Calgary’s Method C also uses ATCO Gas South’s Rider E deemed gas value, C$3.15 per GJ (from 1 March 2025) [source], as a fee basis rather than a separate gas purchase.

The balancing pool allocation rider

The balancing pool allocation rider passes on an AESO charge or refund, the AUC says. Each power company shows the amount on its own line, but the same job has different names. The sign of the rate tells you if you pay a charge or get a credit.

The Balancing Pool allocation rider is a flow-through of an amount from the Alberta Electric System Operator, shown on its own line for transparency. It passes on the Balancing Pool refund or collection the distributor receives through the AESO Rider F. (from 1 January 2026) [source]

ENMAX files its rider as the 2026 Balancing Pool Allocation Rider and gives it no letter. FortisAlberta’s rider has no letter either. In ENMAX’s tariff, Rider F is the AESO’s ISO Consumer Allocation Rider, which is the source of the amount.

AESO Rider F applies to transmission system access under its DTS and DOS rates. This is the source of the distributor pass-through.

Transmission access charges and adjustments

A transmission access charge pays for grid access, which ENMAX calls TAC in its filed sheets. The AESO charges the distributor, which passes the cost on, while riders settle gaps between costs and collections. A later credit can return money if customers paid too much.

FortisAlberta says its quarterly rider changes at the start of each quarter. These are the published figures for each quarter. An earlier quarter can have a different sign. A quarter with no figure shown here is not a zero.

Other riders on the AUC list

The AUC list covers household riders and other charges for gas firms, producers and special sites. A letter on that list does not prove it is a separate line on your home’s bill. Some riders have ended, so match the customer class and dates to your own bill.

• ATCO Gas Rider D: Rider D accounts for gas lost on the distribution system. Its sheet applies to retailers and default supply customers using Distribution Access Service. The in-kind rate is 1.549% (1 November 2025 to 31 October 2026) [source].
• ATCO Gas Rider P: ATCO Gas Rider P applies to producers exporting gas from the distribution system. Its filed sheet is effective from 1 November 2025.
• ATCO Gas South Rider E: ATCO Gas South Rider E supplies the deemed gas value used for Calgary’s Method C franchise fee. It is a calculation basis, not a separate household line.
• Apex Rider E: Apex Rider E is a gas-loss basis used in calculating Rider G and gas deliveries. Its current sheet starts on 1 November 2026.
• Apex Rider H: Apex Rider H accounts for gas losses in settlement and balancing calculations. Its sheet applies to retailers. The in-kind rate is 0.88% (1 November 2025 to 31 October 2026) [source].
• ATCO Electric Rider E: Rider E applies to facilities covered by a customer-specific agreement. The AUC overview prints no dates for this rider tied to an agreement.
• EPCOR Rider E: EPCOR Rider E covers customer-specific facilities and is not currently in effect.
• FortisAlberta Rider E: FortisAlberta Rider E covers facilities under a customer-specific agreement. The AUC overview prints no dates for this rider tied to an agreement.
• EPCOR Rider DJ: EPCOR Rider DJ adjusts distribution costs and is not currently in effect.
• FortisAlberta’s distribution adjustment rider is not currently in effect.

These gas supply and settlement sheets do not establish whether a retailer passes them through as separate household lines.

Direct Energy Regulated Services’ Rider C7 is printed in the retailer’s own schedule. The AUC overview marks that retailer’s riders as currently inactive. The filed schedule prints the credits below. They are already included in its net administration charge; do not add the credit twice.

This guide excludes city-owned electricity utilities in Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Red Deer, Cardston and Ponoka, Rural Electrification Associations and gas co-ops, which set their own charges.

Find the rider and match its dates

Find the rider’s letter, the billing days and the line beside delivery, then match the rate to those dates. FortisAlberta says names on bills can differ, while the UCA says riders change each month, quarter or year. Switching the firm that sells your energy does not change these delivery riders.

FortisAlberta says each retailer may use different names for the same rider. An old bill can use an older figure. For a bill that spans a rate change, ask which consumption dates each amount covers.

Start with your electricity bill or your gas bill. For a company layout, use EPCOR, ENMAX or Direct Energy. Our high bill guide covers other causes of a larger bill.

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