Electricity is a vital utility which our house uses all the time, even when we’re sleeping at night or working out of the house. So, it’s only fair that you’re looking for reliable and cost-effective electric utility companies that can help you.
In this article, we have a list of where you can get the best electric utility companies and a guide on how you can choose among them. We also have FAQs and a rate comparison chart to make your search for the best electric utilities in Calgary easier.
Table of Contents
The Best Electric Utilities in Calgary Compared
For your convenience, we’ve made this chart comparing the fixed and floating rates of each of the best electric utility companies in Calgary.
| Electric utility company | Fixed rates | Variable rates (depending on market prices) |
| Bow Valley Power | 8.21¢/kWh-8.6¢/kWh | + 0.47¢/kWh |
| ATCO Gas | 6.79¢/kWh | + 0¢/kWh |
| Origin Energy | Contact for more details | Contact for more details |
| Regional Energy | 6.49¢/kWh | + 1¢/kWh |
| Energy for Less | — | 3.5¢/kWh + 1¢/kWh fees |
| Spot Power | 7.45¢/kWh | + 0.002 ¢/kWh |
The Best Electric Utility Companies in Calgary
Now, let’s take a closer look at each of our top picks for electric utilities in Calgary.
1. Bow Valley Power
| PRODUCTS | Electricity, natural gas, internet |
| RATES | Variable-rate market price: + 0.47¢/kWh Fixed-rate market prices: Senior/military personnel rates: 8.21 ¢/kWh Discount rates: 8.21¢/kWh Base rates: 8.6¢/kWh Administration fees: $7.84 per metered site |
| WEBSITE | https://www.bowvalleypower.net/ |
| ADDRESS | Suite 200, 1316 – 9th Avenue SE Calgary, AB T2G 0T3 |
| CONTACT DETAILS | (403) 621-3525 | [email protected] |
| OPERATING HOURS | Monday – Friday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM |
Bow Valley Power is an all-around utility company offering electricity, natural gas, and internet connection. It offers all these services for homes, business establishments, and farms alike.
This utility company supplies electrical power from non-renewable and renewable sources alike.
Bow Valley Power also offers both floating-rate and fixed-rate plans. We also think it worth mentioning that this company offers special discounts for seniors and military personnel choosing the fixed-rate plans.
Additionally, we appreciate that it allows customers to specify the percentage of green power they’d want for their plan.
Bow Valley Power even gives a few more liberties to its customers by offering the Build Your Plan option. With this option, customers can bundle electricity, natural gas, and internet services in one package.
And like many other electric utility companies, Bow Valley Power requires a Prudential fee. But what makes it special is that it makes the Prudential refundable should its clients switch providers.
The only thing we don’t like that much about this company is that its working hours only span common weekday hours. Luckily, its customers still commend it for its excellent client support practices.
Pros
- Caters to residential, commercial, and farm spaces
- Customers can specify the percentage of green power
- Multi-utility packages
- Prudential is refundable
- Senior and military personnel discounts
Cons
- Additional administration fees for those above 2500 kWh consumption
- Unavailable on weekends
Customer Reviews
Read these reviews to know more about just how Bow Valley Power delivers reliable electricity and customer service:
“Bow Valley Power has extremely competitive prices but really stands out with THE BEST customer service of any utility company I’ve had contact with. BVP even makes moving addresses hassle free! Thanks for always being so helpful.”—Melanie Chin
“This company is amazing!! When you call in, you will speak to the most incredibly helpful customer care people almost immediately and they treat you with the utmost respect every time. I have been a customer since 2016 and I have to contact them twice a year…….5 stars every time I call with complete satisfaction. You cannot go wrong with this company!!”—Brent Schaefer
2. ATCO Gas
| PRODUCTS | Renewable electricity, non-renewable electricity, natural gas |
| RATES | Floating rates: wholesale market + 0¢/kWh + 0¢ daily access fees Fixed rates: Guaranteed Rate: $0.0679/kWh Renewable energy sources: 0.5¢/kWh-2¢/kWh (depending on amount of green power) Non-renewable energy sources: 6.79¢/kWh-6.79¢/kWh (depending on number of years in plan Administration fees: $6.99 per month |
| WEBSITE | https://www.atco.com/en-ca.html |
| ADDRESS | 500 Crowfoot Crescent NW, Calgary, AB T3G 2W4 |
| CONTACT DETAILS | (403) 245-7070 |
| OPERATING HOURS | Monday – Friday: 7:30 AM – 4:00 PM |
ATCO Group is responsible for Canada’s largest off-grid solar project, which means it can easily find ways for you to get clean energy. As a local electricity supplier, it has both fossil fuel-derived power and green power for residential and commercial
Besides, ATCO Group also offers flexibility in many ways, all thanks to its Build Your Plan online form. In this form, ATCO lets its clients choose between guaranteed rates and market rates, aka fixed rates and floating rates, respectively.
Additionally, ATCO’s forms ask how many years you’d likely spend with them. Despite having this, the electricity company still guarantees that you can cancel or change plans anytime.
Lastly, clients can specify how much green power they want and how much they’re willing to pay for. Unfortunately, it only offers three options for green power mix—0%, 25%, and 100%.
To add to this restriction, ATCO’s Build Your Plan forms require that you purchase both electricity and natural gas.
Back to its better qualities, know that ATCO offers customer support anytime, all thanks to its emergency hotline. Its office is also open on Saturdays and until early evenings during weekdays.
Pros
- Responsible for the greatest solar projects in Canada
- Cancel or change plans anytime
- Caters to residential, commercial, and industrial spaces
- Emergency hotline available
- Affordable rates
Cons
- Limited to three options for green power percentage
- Electricity and natural gas only come in bundles
- Unavailable on weekends
Customer Reviews
Read these reviews to find out what else it is about ATCO Group that Calgarians like so much:
“I took advantage of one of ATCOenergy’s recent promotions and couldn’t be happier. I’ve saved a significant amount on my monthly energy bill. In addition, the customer support during the switch made the entire process easy.”—Calin Yablonski
“Finally an honest Alberta energy company that provides reasonable billing. Outstanding people work here”—Colin Emerson
3. Origin Energy
| PRODUCTS | Solar panel, LED lights |
| WEBSITE | https://www.originenergy.ca/ |
| ADDRESS | 303 40 St SW, Calgary, AB T3C 1V9 |
| CONTACT DETAILS | (587) 703-0334 | [email protected] |
| OPERATING HOURS | Monday – Friday: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM |
Now, if you’re committed to getting the best electric utilities in Calgary from renewable sources, then Origin Energy should be your pick. Its products include solar panels and LED lights.
This company is responsible for installing solar panels for the benefit of homeowners and business owners alike. Origin Energy even offers its help by making available various financing options to its clients.
Before every installation, Origin Energy offers free estimates. Additionally, it does energy audits then provides recommendations and transparent quotations.
Origin Energy also takes pride in its 3-year warranty for both its products and services.
Origin Energy also offers maintenance services for plumbing, electrical, and HVAC needs. So, they can also advise and act on how you can make your overall system more energy-efficient.
But do know that most of its assessment and installation services are only suitable for commercial and industrial buildings with high energy consumption. So, if you’re just a homeowner with a small household, then you should find other more suitable options.
Pros
- Energy audits and recommendations
- Fully renewable options
- Financing options available
- Free estimates
- 3-year warranty
Cons
- Limited to commercial and industrial spaces
- No other options except for solar power
Customer Reviews
From assessments to installation, Origin Energy is known to deliver nothing but professional and efficient services. Here are some reviews that have said the same thing:
“Jason and Mick did a stellar job installing a solar array on our garage roof and setting it up for easy monitoring. It’s now been six months since we were connected to the grid and so far the power production from our small, 10 panel array has exceeded our expectations and the production level they estimated for us in advance. Very candid, professional, and down to earth. Can’t go wrong with these two.”—Benjamin R
“The Origin Energy team did a great job with our list of asks, and after everything was done they checked back with us a few weeks later to make sure everything was working well. They even went out of their way to get us some replacement bulbs so we didn’t have to go into a store – a simple thing, but with Covid lockdowns everywhere it really felt like they went above and beyond for us. I will definitely work with them again.”—David B
4. Regional Energy
| PRODUCTS | Electricity, natural gas |
| RATES | Fixed rate: 6.49¢/kWh Variable rate: market price + 1¢/kWh |
| WEBSITE | https://www.regionalenergy.ca/ |
| ADDRESS | 1040 7 Ave SW #408, Calgary, AB T2P 3G9 |
| CONTACT DETAILS | (587) 329-5257 |
| OPERATING HOURS | Monday – Friday: 9:00AM – 5:00 PM |
Now offering both fixed-rate and variable-rate electricity plans, Regional Energy is one of the best electric companies in the city. It offers both fossil fuel and green power alike.
Regional Energy offers not only the best electric utilities but also numerous conveniences to its customers. We say this for a number of reasons.
First of all, Regional Energy has short and fast yet detailed forms for signing up and submitting your payment information. With your information, this company then sends out transparent invoices via email then gets pre-authorized debit payment five days later.
The five-day window is plenty of time for clients to review their bills and report any mistakes. Besides, Regional Energy also allows its customers to change their payment due date, as long as the payment still hasn’t been processed.
Most of all, we like that Regional Energy doesn’t require any type of fees upon cancellation. All clients need to do is inform the utility company ten days before their desired cancellation date.
Unfortunately, Regional Energy still lacks in some areas of customer service as it’s only available on weekdays. Additionally, it prefers that its customers call distribution companies for power outages.
Pros
- Convenient online billing and payment
- Payment and due date considerations
- No cancellation fees
- Easy online sign-up
Cons
- Unavailable on weekends
- Customer support reliant on distribution companies
Customer Reviews
Customers mostly praise Regional Energy for its very convenient switching practices. Here are some of its satisfied customers’s testimonials for more information:
“Our experience with Regional Energy has been great! Everything switched over without any hassle and now we are paying a lot less than we used to with Just Energy. Thanks for making this switch easy and I look forward to using your service for a long time.”—Alesha Anderson
“The company is friendly, inexpensive, they are also knowledgeable and not afraid to answer tough questions. They really are the company to go with, like the ones you see in the cliche ads “switching to this company was one of the best decisions I have ever made” financially it has been. I have started recommending them to everyone.”—Rebecca Mackie
5. Energy For Less Ltd.
| PRODUCTS | Electricity, natural gas, internet |
| RATES | Wholesale: 3.5¢/kWh + 1¢/kWh fees Administration fees: $9.95 per month |
| WEBSITE | https://www.energyforless.ca/ |
| ADDRESS | 408, 1040 7th Ave SW, Calgary, AB T2P 3G9 |
| CONTACT DETAILS | (800) 929-8966 |
| OPERATING HOURS | Monday – Friday: 8:30 AM – 7:00 PM Saturday: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM |
Energy for Less is yet another electric utility company offering an easy switching process. All clients need to do is fill out its online forms and wait for at most 2 days for the electricity service to start.
The online forms require you to submit payment information so that Energy for Less can set up convenient pre-authorized debit payment schemes. Email billing even comes 4-7 days before each payment schedule, giving its clients enough time to review their invoices.
And to stay true to its name, Energy for Less promises to give its customers an average of $408 of energy savings per year. And if their bills don’t lessen by $102 in their first three months, then Energy for Less guarantees to pay back its customers and let them switch to other providers.
Energy for Less doesn’t even require any cancellation fees and claims to help its old clients during the switching out process for free.
But while it offers the best and most affordable rates, we’ve noticed that its administration fees are much more expensive than its competitors.
Pros
- 90-day guarantee for $408 yearly electricity savings
- Easy switching process
- Convenient online billing and payment
- No contracts or cancellation fees
- Available on weekends
Cons
- Relatively expensive administration fees
- Limited to variable rate
Customer Reviews
Here are some reviews to tell you how current Energy for Less customers feel about the company’s services:
“Easy to deal with, energy prices are really cheaper than the competitors. Easy to switch over, you can do it yourself without the need of talking with someone. Being with them means saving money and you don’t experience any problems with them. I have all my services with and so far so good; highly recommended.”—Tony Montana
“Really happy with this company and our reasonable energy bills. Anytime there has been an issue (rare) it has always been resolved quickly and professionally.”—Kaylie Montgomery
6. Energyrates.ca
| PRODUCTS | Electricity, natural gas |
| WEBSITE | https://energyrates.ca/ |
| CONTACT DETAILS | (855) 635-9608 |
Now, this entry is not exactly a supplier of electricity, but it can still lead you to get the best electric utilities in Calgary.
Energyrates.ca is an online platform where you can compare the rates of electricity and natural gas from various suppliers in an area.
Those who want to compare rates can simply input their postal code and select whether they want to compare natural gas or electricity rates.
Energyrates.ca’s form also asks about your energy consumption. So, you can select among residential, small commercial, medium commercial, to large industrial space options.
The website then shows variable, fixed, and even regulated rates from all electricity suppliers in the area. All of this is done within just a few minutes.
We also like that the website shows the history of electricity rates. So, those still deciding between variable and fixed rates can make wiser decisions with some extra knowledge on the power market.
Pros
- Free and fast comparison of energy rates
- Fixed, variable, and regulated rates
- Comprehensive forms
- Applicable for residential, commercial, and industrial spaces
Cons
- Only a third-party company
- No comparison of bundles
Customer Reviews
Here are some reviews to tell you more about how Energyrates.ca has helped Canadians:
“Spoke to Matt about how energy and gas providers work here and he was very helpful knowledgeable. It is our first time learning about how things work here in Canada and it is very different from where we come from which there is only one provider. The conversation was easy and I feel very good about making a decision now. Thanks Matt!“
“I stumbled across them when I was researching energy rates in the province. Super easy to check rates online for your area.”
“I accidentally called them when trying to call Epcor and they helped me find the lowest rate for my electricity and natural gas. Great free service.”
7. Spot Power
| PRODUCTS | Electricity Gas Solar Green Energy Internet |
| RATES | Variable-rate market price: + 0.67 ¢/kWh Fixed-rate market prices: 5-year Variable Rate Average: 5.33¢/kWh 30-day average: 34.21¢/kWh Administration fees: CAD 7.45 per metered site |
| WEBSITE | https://www.spotpower.net/index.html |
| ADDRESS | 1316 9 Ave SE #200, Calgary, AB T2G 0T3, Canada |
| CONTACT DETAILS | Phone: 403-450-3458 Email: [email protected] |
| OPERATING HOURS | Monday – Friday: 09:00 AM – 09:00 PM Thursday – Saturday: 09:00 AM – 09:00 PM |
Spot Power has been in Alberta’s energy industry for over 44 years and has since expanded to provide electric, gas, solar, and green energy.
We were immediately impressed by their mission: to help their clients save money by delivering low-cost energy and the best rates possible.
We also liked that they have helpful resources on their websites, such as how to find the best energy rates and a detailed explanation of various energy industry jargon like variable, regulated, and many more.
This, in our opinion, is important so that consumers can understand the details and benefits and make an informed decision about which rate is best for them.
Spot Power offers guaranteed rate plans in which you can sign up for a price per kilowatt-hour (kWh) guaranteed for the duration of your contract.
We believe this rate is ideal for customers who prefer certainty about their electric bill for monthly budgeting.
Now, if you’re okay with fluctuating monthly bills, this company also offers variable rate plans to benefit from market price drops.
The best part about Spot Power is that customers can change rates anytime, so you will not have to worry about changing your mind.
Unfortunately, when it comes to solar rates, they have relatively higher rates. However, we appreciate their green energy plans’ affordability, with base prices starting at 0.0166/kWh.
On a whole, if you’re looking for one of the best electric utilities in Calgary, we highly recommend you consider Spot Power.
Pros
- Years of experience
- Helpful resources
- Varying rate plans
- Can change rates anytime
- No contract necessary
Cons
- Relatively higher green energy plan rates
- Additional 0.002/kWh for consumption over 2,950 kWh per month
Customer Reviews
High level of customer service
“We’ve been with Spot Power for the 3 years, and are so happy with them. The level of customer service and communication is unmatched by other providers. Very happy.” -Iryna G.
Affordable energy rates
“So happy to be able to support a local energy company and have the choice to power my home with 100% renewable energy at an affordable rate…” -Stella S.
How to Choose An Electric Utility Company in Calgary
Here are the factors you should consider when choosing a new electricity provider.
1. Type of plan
There are two types of energy plans in Calgary, namely fixed-rate and floating-rate/variable-rate.
Fixed-rate plans provide you with electricity for a fixed amount every month. Thus, you can easily plan your finances with such plans.
However, fixed-rate plans also often come with a cancellation fee. If you want to avoid this fee and not be tied to year-long plans, then you can opt for floating-rate plans.
Aside from giving you the freedom to cancel anytime, floating-rate plans also allow you to save up. That said, you won’t be able to plan ahead for your monthly expenses as rates can increase or decrease according to the energy market.
2. Energy sources
With Calgary’s leading industries be oil & gas, it’s no wonder that 91% of Alberta’s energy comes from fossil fuel sources. So, it’s common for electric utility companies to offer electricity from natural gas, coal, and coke sources.
However, if you’re looking to reduce your carbon footprint, you can opt for utility companies with renewable energy sources such as hydro, wind, solar, biomass, and geothermal sources.
3. Cost and payment scheme
Next, consider the costs not only of the electricity but also of other fees. Since distribution charges are often standard, you should also check out the administration fees.
Some electric utility companies also have cancellation fees, so beware of those.
4. Customer service
Like many other things, electricity supply may also encounter problems from time to time. And when such problems arise, it’s vital that your electricity provider offers responsive and efficient customer support.
You can also check out the quality of customer service a utility company provides by checking customer reviews and testimonials.
FAQs About Electrical Utilities
We hope our complete guide can help you get the best electric utilities in Calgary as fast as you need them. So, go ahead and give your pick a call and receive reliable and cost-effective energy solutions for your home, business, or farm.
Know any other electric utility companies in Calgary that should be on our list? If so, feel free to send us their names so we can check them out, too!
If you’re looking for other lists concerning your household’s operations, then you can also check out our article on the best boiler repair in Calgary. With the best boilers, you can enjoy hot showers and indoor temperatures while you enjoy all your gadgets and appliances.
