Your Alberta energy plan is renewing: compare it before you accept

Should I accept my energy plan renewal in Alberta?

Compare the renewal plan with doing nothing, and with other eligible plans, before you accept. The Utilities Consumer Advocate (UCA) has a cost tool for this. Use the same yearly usage for each option. Get each offer in writing, with its dates and fees.

Do not accept or reject an energy renewal from the headline rate alone. First put three choices on the same page:

1. what happens if you do nothing;
2. the renewal or return offer in writing;
3. other eligible competitive and default choices available for the same home.

Then compare electricity and natural gas separately before testing any bundle. A good electricity offer can sit beside a weak gas offer, and a fixed gas price can be useful protection without making the retailer's electricity plan cheaper.

To compare offers with your own bills, 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.

When is the real decision date on my contract?

Your real decision date is the day your current price ends. It is not the day a renewal letter arrives. The Government of Alberta consumer guide says a renewed contract must state its end date. Find each date in your own papers and write it down.

Your contract expiry, promotion expiry and price-guarantee end date may be different. Record each exact date and the source document. Also record:

• the service address and Site ID;
• the fuels covered;
• current rate type, unit price and transaction formula;
• administration charge and whether it applies per fuel, site, invoice or day;
• deposit or prudential amount and any credited interest;
• incentives that end, continue or must be repaid;
• exit notice, exit fee and final-bill terms;
• the successor plan if you do nothing;
• the earliest start date of an alternative.

Renewal mechanics vary by contract. For example, ENMAX currently says Easymax plans automatically renew to a five-year fixed rate or a floating rate depending on the plan terms, while customers may choose another available rate in their account. That describes Easymax, not every Alberta retailer.

The Government of Alberta consumer guide to electricity and natural gas contracts (October 2022) says a marketer needs written or electronic consent to renew an energy marketing contract within six months before the renewed contract starts, and the renewed contract must state its expiry, energy charges and changes to the original terms. Read the actual current contract and use the Utilities Consumer Advocate if the paperwork and retailer's claim do not line up.

How do I compare the same twelve months?

Compare the same twelve months by using one yearly usage profile for every option. The Utilities Consumer Advocate (UCA) cost tool works from your location and usage. Then check each rate, fee and credit with the retailer. A lower rate can hide a higher monthly charge.

Use the same prospective kWh and GJ profile for every option. If the household is changing, use a reasonable range rather than quietly repeating last year's usage. Keep electricity and gas monthly data when possible: gas consumption and floating prices are seasonal, so a simple average of twelve monthly prices can be misleading.

For a fixed electricity plan:

annual retailer-controlled cost = kWh × rate + annual administration + other differential retailer charges − eligible credits

For floating gas:

annual commodity cost = sum(monthly GJ × that month's complete floating price)

“Complete floating price” means the actual index or procurement basis plus the transaction and processing charges defined by that retailer. Two offers both called “market” or “floating” need not use the same underlying formula.

Keep delivery charges in the full bill, but do not pretend changing retailers removes the distributor. The UCA says the distribution company is based on location and remains the same when a consumer at that location changes retailer. Include only genuine delivery differences in the switching comparison.

What does a both-fuel renewal comparison look like?

A both-fuel renewal comparison is two separate checks, one for power and one for gas. The Utilities Consumer Advocate (UCA) treats the two fuels as separate choices. These examples are made up to show the method. Replace every number with your own offer.

The following numbers are made up to show the method. They are not current or targeted offers. The home expects 9,000 kWh of electricity and 100 GJ of gas over the next twelve months. All values are before GST and omit common delivery charges.

Electricity

The alternative is C$75 below the renewal:

9,000 × (0.075 − 0.068) + 12 × (12 − 11) = C$75

It is only C$6 below the current plan. Calling it a large saving by comparing it with an older, already ending rate would be misleading. Contract length, eligibility, start date and exit terms still matter.

Natural gas

Suppose the current floating plan charges the monthly market basis plus C$0.50/GJ and C$10/month administration. The fixed renewal is C$3.40/GJ plus C$12/month. At 100 GJ, the underlying market-basis break-even is:

market basis + 0.50 + 120/100 = 3.40 + 144/100

market basis = C$3.14/GJ

Positive means the fixed renewal costs more; negative means it costs less. The fixed plan buys protection above the break-even. It does not prove that market prices will cross it. Use several plausible monthly price-and-usage paths and say where the answer changes.

Now test the package. If one retailer offers a C$60 annual bundle credit, apply it once and confirm that both fuels must remain. Do not let a small bundle credit hide a much worse electricity or gas component.

What is a return offer?

A return offer is a price that a former retailer sends you after you switch away. Treat it as a quote for your household only, and ask for it in writing. The Government of Alberta consumer guide covers contract terms, so compare those terms with the plan you hold now.

A former retailer may call or email after you switch. Ask for the complete offer in writing. Record the received date, deadline, fuels, rates, term, administration, transaction formula, deposit, incentive, bundle dependency, start date and exit conditions.

Compare it with the plan you actually accepted, not the older plan you already left. A “welcome” bonus on a public page may exclude recent former customers. A private return rate may be lower than the public rate and still be available only to the named household. Neither should be promoted as universally available without current evidence.

The practical test is:

return-offer benefit = cost of keeping accepted plan − complete cost of return offer − switching friction or lost benefits

Run it for electricity only, gas only and both fuels. Confirm that moving one fuel does not cancel the other fuel's price or a bundle benefit. A genuinely better return offer should be shown even if that reverses an earlier result. The customer's interest matters more than defending the previous decision.

What should I do with a phone offer?

You do not have to decide during a phone offer. Ask the caller to send the full offer in writing. Alberta's energy marketing rules set steps for phone contracts. The Utilities Consumer Advocate (UCA) can help if you are unsure a contract was formed.

You do not have to decide during the call. A calm response is:

Please send the complete offer in writing. I am not authorizing a contract, renewal or transfer today.

Alberta permits telephone energy contracts under a regulated process. The current Energy Marketing and Residential Heat Sub-metering Regulation requires a recorded call, specified disclosures, identity verification, confirmation that the consumer understands and consents, and a mailed written copy. Cancellation rights depend on how and when the contract was made. If you are unsure whether a contract was formed, ask the retailer promptly for the written contract and recording, keep the date and messages, and contact the UCA. Do not wait for a first bill if a cancellation period may be running.

A seller’s promise that a plan saves money is not the calculation. Test the written prices and conditions yourself. A pleasant call, a vague voicemail or a conversation about rates does not by itself establish what contract steps were completed.

Where can I check the current alternatives?

Check the current alternatives with the Utilities Consumer Advocate cost tool. It compares fixed, variable, default and bundle choices for your address and usage. Confirm each rate with the retailer first. Offers change, so ask again before you sign.

The UCA Cost Comparison Tool can compare fixed, variable, default and bundled choices using location and usage. Confirm every decision-critical rate and term with the retailer before accepting it. The UCA notes that competitive contracts typically last one to five years and can take 10 to 15 days to set up, sometimes longer depending on the situation.

Default products remain a real comparator. On 15 October 2026 the UCA says the electricity Rate of Last Resort is set through 31 December 2026, while the natural gas Default Rate Tariff changes monthly. Neither published rate includes billing and delivery costs. Do not use one default-rate rule for both fuels.

What should my renewal checklist cover?

A renewal checklist should cover what happens if you do nothing. It should also cover the rate and fees after renewal, the fuels included, and the exit terms. The Government of Alberta consumer guide explains what a renewed contract must state. Save the final terms in writing.

Before accepting, answer these questions:

1. What happens on the expiry date if I do nothing?
2. What exact rate, formula and administration apply after renewal?
3. Which fuels and sites are included?
4. What promotion, bundle credit, deposit interest or payment benefit changes?
5. What are the start, end, notice, cancellation and exit terms?
6. What do the same next-12-month kWh and GJ cost under each eligible choice?
7. Under what floating-price or usage scenario does the winner change?
8. Do I have the final quote and accepted terms saved in writing?

When two choices are close, certainty, liquidity and effort can reasonably decide the outcome. Say that plainly. A C$6 annual lead is not a reason to overstate precision or rush a household through another switch.