Sub-metering in Alberta: your rights if your landlord bills you by a meter

Sub-meter billing is allowed in Alberta with rules, says Service Alberta. Your landlord or sub-meter company bills by a formula you may see, often plus an administration fee. You cannot choose a retailer. Measurement Canada requires electricity and gas meters used to bill to be approved and tested.

A sub-meter measures your home behind the master meter

A sub-meter measures your home’s use behind the building’s master meter, says Service Alberta. The master meter counts the whole building’s power or gas. Your landlord or a sub-meter company sends your bill. You cannot choose your own retailer when you pay through a sub-meter.

Adding sub-meters during a tenancy can affect the rent and lease. Read the Government of Alberta’s during a tenancy guidance before agreeing.

Our guide for renters and condo owners explains when an account lets you choose a retailer.

Sub-meter billing is allowed with rules

Sub-meter billing is allowed when the tenancy agreement includes it, says the Government of Alberta. A month-to-month renter must consent before it starts. The heat sub-meter rules add duties for meters used solely for heating a home. Ask which rules apply to your contract before you agree.

This is general information, not legal advice.

Part 4.1 of the Energy Marketing and Residential Heat Sub-metering Regulation, AR 246/2005, covers energy supplied solely for heating. These heat rules do not apply to every type of sub-meter.

Your contract sets the formula and fees

Your sub-meter cost depends on the use billed, the formula and the fees, says Service Alberta. The landlord or sub-meter company sets the charge under your contract. You have a right to know the formula. An administration fee is common, and a deposit may also be required.

Ask for the formula in your sub-meter contract. If there is a deposit, the contract should state its amount and how long it will be held.

Separate the price per kWh of electricity or GJ of gas from the administration fee and other charges. Compare the energy unit price only with the UCA’s default rate for the same fuel, area and billing period.

Service Alberta points to the Utilities Consumer Advocate for price comparisons. Its website lists default rates. That comparison does not show what your whole sub-meter bill should total.

Meter rules and the steps to ask for a test

A meter used to bill must meet federal rules, says Measurement Canada. Those rules cover electricity and gas revenue meters, including sub-meters. The device must be an approved type, verified and sealed before use. A meter used only to monitor use, without setting charges, is not a revenue meter.

Measurement Canada’s revenue-meter bulletin explains section 9 of the Electricity and Gas Inspection Act. The rules also cover trailer parks and property managers. A seller billing for measured power or gas must register with Measurement Canada under section 6.

Write to the seller first: the landlord or company that sends your statement. Give the readings, dates and the reason you doubt the meter. Ask for an investigation and keep the reply.

If the concern remains, you may submit a Statement of Complaint to Measurement Canada. Its GEN-43 policy requires you to contact the seller before it processes your request.

The GEN-43 title refers to electricity and gas. Its mandate line names electricity meter accuracy and the quantity of electricity measured. Ask Measurement Canada which process applies to a gas-meter concern.

Measurement Canada does not cover estimates or bill errors unrelated to the measured values. It does not settle disputes about money. A formula or fee dispute needs a different route.

Measurement Canada’s electricity meter testing page is written for utility customers. For a sub-meter, ask the seller in writing who would remove the meter and whether there is a charge. You can state a wish to witness testing; the seller must not change equipment under investigation.

Rules for heat sub-meters

Section 22.3(1) makes charging a tenant from heat sub-meter readings an unfair practice. Section 22.3(2) allows it if the meter is approved under the Weights and Measures Act (Canada).

Under section 22.3(3), the supplier must first disclose these details in writing:

• The meter readings.
• The charge for the energy measured.
• Any administration or other fees.
• The method used to calculate the energy charge and fees.

Section 22.1 includes a landlord as a supplier. Section 22.2 excludes certain premises under the Residential Tenancies Act. Breaking section 22.3(1) or (3) is an offence under section 22.4.

Condos and mobile-home parks have different rules

The Condominium Property Act has no sub-meter section. Under section 39(1)(a), bylaws may allow a levy on a basis other than unit factors, subject to the regulations. Ask the corporation for its registered bylaws and billing contract. A condominium lawyer can advise on how they apply to your utility charges.

The Mobile Home Sites Tenancies Act has no sub-meter section. Section 24 requires written disclosure of extra fees before the tenancy agreement, then written notice for increases or new fees. Section 24(3)(a) requires at least 180 days for a site in a park. Ask for the contract. Service Alberta’s sub-meter guidance names the Residential Tenancies Act; ask the Consumer Contact Centre which applies to your park tenancy.

Take a bill dispute from the seller to the right service

Start a sub-meter bill dispute with the contract and the seller, says Service Alberta. Keep the statement and a copy of each reply. Ask for the formula and readings in writing so you can trace each charge. A meter accuracy concern follows a separate path through Measurement Canada.

1. Read the tenancy or sub-meter contract. For a condo, ask for the registered bylaws and the basis for the charge.
2. Ask the seller for the formula, fees and meter readings in writing. Identify the charge or reading you dispute.
3. Ask the seller for a meter check if you doubt the measured use. Follow the Measurement Canada complaint steps above if the concern remains.
4. Call the Utilities Consumer Advocate at 310-4822. Service Alberta says the UCA can explain sub-meters and bill calculations.
5. Call the Consumer Contact Centre at 1-877-427-4088 about the contract or tenancy rules. Park residents should ask which Act applies.
6. For a tenancy dispute, consider the Residential Tenancy Dispute Resolution Service (RTDRS) or the courts. From 1 April 2026, filing costs $75 for claims or counterclaims of $7,500 or less; $150 for claims over $7,500 (from 1 April 2026) [source]. Ask RTDRS about eligibility and the separate fee for larger counterclaims in an existing case.

Our energy complaints guide explains the roles of the energy complaint services.

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.

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.

If you are given a statement for your power or gas, send us a photo and a person tells you what we can read from it, free during our launch.

For a sub-meter statement, we can compare the energy unit price only where it can be read apart from fees. We cannot move you to another retailer.

Start a bill check