Energy guides by province

Pick where you live. Each provincial hub explains the local market end to end — how rates are set, whether you can switch supplier, what the regulator does, and the rebates worth claiming.

British Columbia

13 guides

BC Hydro's regulated, almost entirely hydroelectric grid, with two-step residential pricing and a separate footprint served by FortisBC.

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Alberta

40 guides

Canada's only fully deregulated market: you choose your electricity and gas retailer, weighing the regulated rate against fixed and floating plans.

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Saskatchewan

5 guides

SaskPower, the provincial Crown utility, sets regulated rates across a grid still leaning on natural gas and coal as it builds out renewables.

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Manitoba

5 guides

Manitoba Hydro is a single Crown utility delivering some of the lowest electricity rates in the country from public hydroelectric dams.

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Ontario

20 guides

Regulated price plans with Time-of-Use peak hours, the OEB's regulated price plan, and a patchwork of local distribution companies.

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Quebec

5 guides

Hydro-Quebec delivers the lowest residential rates in North America, with the standard Rate D and the winter peak Flex D option.

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New Brunswick

5 guides

A regulated NB Power market where the real choice is your heating fuel, electricity vs natural gas vs oil, and the rebate stack behind switching.

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Nova Scotia

5 guides

Nova Scotia Power's regulated grid, among the highest rates in Canada, overseen by the UARB through a heavy coal-to-renewables transition.

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Cross-Canada guides

These apply wherever you live: national programs and rules that aren't tied to one province. Several changed in 2025, so check what's still open before you plan around them.

Electricity peak hours

Peak hours are the times of day when power costs the most. In Canada this is mostly an Ontario rule: under Time-of-Use pricing, on-peak power costs about twice the off-peak rate. Most other provinces have no peak hours at all.

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Canada Greener Homes Loan

The interest-free Greener Homes Loan closed to new applications on October 1, 2025. How it worked, why it ran out, and the federal and provincial programs still open in 2026.

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Carbon tax rebate

The Canada Carbon Rebate ended with a final quarterly payment on April 22, 2025, when the federal fuel charge was removed. How much it was, who qualified, and what it means for your bill now.

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Frequently asked questions

Energy in Canada is regulated province by province, not federally. Each province decides whether households can switch supplier, how rates are set, who the regulator is, and which fuels dominate. That is why Alberta has retail competition while most provinces run a single regulated utility, and why peak-hour pricing is normal in Ontario but unheard of elsewhere.
Alberta is the only province with a fully open retail market for both electricity and natural gas, so you can sign with a competitive retailer or stay on the regulated rate. Everywhere else, residential electricity comes from a single regulated utility — the leverage is in your plan type, your usage and the rebates you stack, not in switching company.
Mainly Ontario, where Time-of-Use is the default and on-peak power costs roughly twice the off-peak rate. Quebec has an optional winter peak rate (Flex D). Most other provinces bill a flat rate with no time-of-day variation, so there are no peak hours to plan around.
Yes. Federal programs run nationwide, though several have recently changed: the Canada Greener Homes Loan closed to new applications in October 2025, and the Canada Carbon Rebate ended in April 2025 when the federal fuel charge was removed. The cross-Canada guides above explain what each one did and what is still available in 2026.
Start with your province

Not sure where to begin?

The market only makes sense once it's local. Jump to your province's guides — rates, supplier choice, the regulator and the rebates worth claiming, all on one page.

Choose a province