Rates & Regulatory

Electricity delivery is a fully regulated service. That means the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) reviews our costs in detail and approves our rates to ensure all of our charges are fair and reasonable. The AUC also approves our Terms and Conditions, and our Code of Conduct Compliance Plans. 

We work around the clock to make sure the power is there when your home, farm or business needs it. The approved distribution tariffs we collect let us continue providing this service safely and reliably. Your cost for electricity delivery includes distribution tariffs and rate riders, which can change throughout the year.

REA tariffs apply to farm and acreage customers who are members of a Rural Electrification Association. The tariff is approved by the REA board on behalf of its members.

Electricity delivery rates have been approved by the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) for 2023. Here is what customers can expect, effective July 1, 2023:

• Overall increase of 3.6% of their current total bill (total bill includes distribution, transmission, rate riders, retail energy charges etc.).
  • What this means for you? Rate changes will impact customers differently, depending on their energy usage. A typical residential household that uses 600 kWh of electricity per month will see about a $9.41 increase on their monthly bill. Since 2020, commodity prices (reflected in the retailer portion of the bill) have been a primary driver of bill increases for customers who are on the Regulated Rate Option (RRO) for retail energy. 
     
• Effective Jan 1, 2023, ATCO distribution rates decreased by 7.9% and transmission rates decreased by 2.8% as a result of efficiencies that lower costs for customers.
  • Offsetting the decrease in distribution and transmission rates is higher rate riders, mainly driven by the utility payment deferral/relief programs implemented during pandemic and economic downturn (Rider J). A Rate Rider is a temporary credit or charge that may appear on utility bills. The AUC approves rate riders to enable firms to recover actual operational costs that are not included in the approved rates. Learn more about our rate riders further down in the Distribution Tariffs section.
     
• For additional details on rate changes for 2023, please refer to the below table. 

Our commitment to our customers is to deliver reliable electricity around the clock while operating as safely and efficiently as possible. In addition to ATCO Electric’s operating costs, rates cover the improvements in infrastructure which will modernize and strengthen the grid, improve resiliency, and restore power faster when outages do occur. 

On December 20, 2022, the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) approved (in Decision 27672-D02-2022) ATCO Electric's Base Rates and Riders, effective January 1, 2023.

The approved tariff is required in order to continue to provide safe and reliable service to the growing load and increased customer base in ATCO Electricity Transmission and Distribution division's service area.

On September 14, 2023, the AUC acknowledged the changes to the quarterly Rider S, effective October 1, 2023.

• Rider S collects costs flowed through by the AESO for access to Alberta's interconnected power grid.

• Rider S is adjusted quarterly in response to changes in AESO charges to ATCO Electric.

On December 20, 2022, the AUC approved changes to Rider B, effective January 1, 2023.

On December 20, 2022, the AUC approved changes to Rider G, effective January 1, 2023.

On December 20, 2022, the AUC approved changes to Rider J, effective January 1, 2023. 

In addition, the AUC approved changes to ATCO Electric's Rider A (Municipal Assessment Surcharge), effective April 1, 2023.

We value our relationships with customers, the retailers who supply energy in our service area and the Rural Electrification Associations (REAs) that we operate systems on behalf of. These documents outline how we do business with you, your rights and obligations and our responsibilities.

We’re committed to being open, fair and transparent. It’s an ATCO core value and one we take very seriously. The way we work with other industry participants, including energy retailers and other ATCO companies, is governed by two codes of conduct, the Code of Conduct Regulation and the Inter-Affiliate Code of Conduct. These codes set out the rules and standards we follow day-in and day-out in all of our dealings.

COMPLAINTS OR QUESTIONS? 

Complaints about contraventions of the Code of Conduct Regulation or Inter-Affiliate Code of Conduct may be directed to Atco Electric's Compliance Officer at nadine.bergecumming@atco.com for resolution. The The Compliance Officer will acknowledge receipt of the dispute, complaint or inquiry within 5 working days of receipt. The Compliance Officer will respond to the dispute, complaint or inquiry within 21 days of its receipt. The response will include a description of the dispute, complaint or inquiry and the initial response of ATCO to the issues identified in the submission. ATCO's final disposition of the dispute, complaint or inquiry will be completed as expeditiously as possible in the circumstances and, in any event, within 60 days of receipt of the dispute, complaint or inquiry, except where the party making the submission otherwise agrees.

Complaints about contraventions of the Code of Conduct Regulation or Inter-Affiliate Code of Conduct may be submitted to the the Alberta Utilities Commission: 1-780-427-4903 or utilitiesconcerns@auc.ab.ca. Additionally complaints about contraventions of the Code of Conduct Regulaton may also be submitted to the Market Surveillance Administrator: 1-403-705-3181 or compliance@albertamsa.ca.

The Alberta Utilities Commission and the Market Surveillance Administrator are independent of ATCO.

ATCO Electric's Compliance Officer

Nadine Berge Cumming
ATCO Park West 04
5302 Forand St SW, Calgary, AB T3E 8B4
Email: nadine.bergecumming@atco.com

If you’re looking to produce and sell electricity to the power grid or want to produce power for your own use, you’ll want to be familiar with your rights, obligations and costs. Your local ATCO representative will work with you to bring all the pieces together and help you get started.