Utility bills differ based upon the consumer's retailer. However, there are standard items that appear on all farm utility bills including:
Consumer Information
- Site identification
- Rate classification e.g., residential, farm, irrigation, street lighting
- Rate or plan type e.g., fixed, default, variable
- Any incentives, bonus, or green energy offset included in the contract rate
Total consumption for the month
- Electricity usage is recorded in kWh or kVA and natural gas usage is recorded in GJ
- This is based upon estimated or actual readings of the electricity and natural gas meters
- Start and end dates of billing period
- Total amount due
- Credits
- Breakdown of charges from both the retailer and the distributor
- Retailer contact information
Charges on electricity and natural gas bills
Utility bills in Alberta have fixed and variable costs.
Fixed costs
Fixed costs on your utility bill can include charges from both the retailer and the distributor. These charges can include:
- Administration fees: a fixed fee to cover meter readings, billing, and customer service fees.
- Transmission and distribution charges: these charges cover building and maintaining the distribution infrastructure.
- Local Franchise Fees or Municipal Access Fees: municipalities may grant distributors exclusive rights to distribution companies to provide utility services to the municipality through a franchise agreement. The distributors are then charged a franchise fee which appears on a utility bill. Franchise fees are typically calculated as a percentage of the total distribution charges on your bill and are capped at 20 per cent for electrical and 35 per cent for natural gas.
- Rate riders: These temporary charges or credit adjust rates to help the utility company recover actual operational costs. Rate riders are approved by the Alberta Utilities Commission.
- Vegetation management: These fees can vary depending on the utility company. Know the fees and frequency of vegetation management on your property by consulting and asking before signing a contract agreement.
Variable costs
- Cost of energy used: energy and gas usage are calculated by multiplying your consumption for the month by the current contracted rate.
- Demand charges: based on the highest amount of power (kW and kVA) needed at a given point in time.
Example of a farm electricity bill
Bill concerns
Consumers can contact their retailer if they have concerns with their utility bills. The retailer's contact information can be found on the utility bill or by visiting the Retailers and distributors page and clicking on the retailer’s logo. For additional support, please contact the UCA.
