Distributor vs retailer: the one diagram that explains everything
Alberta deregulated its energy markets in the early 2000s. The result is a clean split between the company that physically delivers the energy (fixed, regulated, address-based) and the company that sells you the contract and bills you (your choice, competitive). Mixing them up is the single biggest source of confusion when something goes wrong.
- Own the wires, poles, transformers, pipes, meters
- Restore outages and respond to gas leaks 24/7
- Tariffs set by the AUC, the same for every customer at your address
- Total: 10 electricity + 3 gas distributors
- Sell the kWh or GJ contract, set the commodity rate
- Send your monthly bill, handle account, contracts, moves
- You can switch any time, no work to the wires or pipes
- Total: 60+ licensed retailers in Alberta
Browse Alberta utilities by category
Start with the category that matches what you need. Each sub-hub lists every company in that category with contact lines, territory and how it appears on your bill.
ATCO Electric, ENMAX Power, EPCOR Distribution, FortisAlberta plus 4 municipal exceptions (Lethbridge, Red Deer, Cardston, Ponoka) and 2 rural cooperatives (Battle River, EQUS).
ATCO Gas North (Edmonton + north), ATCO Gas South (Calgary + south) and Apex Utilities (100+ rural communities). Plus a handful of small municipal franchises.
Featured distributors
HQ: Calgary · over 750,000 service points across the Calgary wires territory customers
Municipally-owned (wholly owned by The City of Calgary)
HQ: Edmonton · approximately 400,000 customers in the Edmonton service area customers
Municipally-owned (wholly owned by The City of Edmonton)
HQ: Calgary · almost 600,000 residential, farm and business customers customers
Investor-owned
HQ: Calgary
Investor-owned natural gas distributor
HQ: Edmonton
Investor-owned natural gas distributor
HQ: Leduc · approximately 80,000 customers customers
Investor-owned natural gas distributor
Filter by ownership type
Alberta distributors fall into four ownership models. Each comes with a slightly different tariff approval process and customer-service style.
How to find your distributor in 60 seconds
Your distributor is fixed by your address. Three reliable ways to confirm which one delivers to you.
The distributor name appears under the "Delivery charges" or "Distribution" line on every Alberta electricity and gas bill, regardless of retailer.
The AUC publishes a service-territory map at auc.ab.ca. Type your postal code and the distributor for that address appears.
Your retailer's customer service knows which wires/pipes company serves your address. They can give it to you in under a minute.
Alberta utilities by region
Pinpoint who delivers your electricity and gas based on where you live.
Fort McMurray, Grande Prairie, Cold Lake, Lloydminster
Calgary, Rocky View, Tsuut'ina Nation
Edmonton, Beaumont, parts of Leduc County
Red Deer, Airdrie, Okotoks, Strathmore
Member-owned in central and east-central AB
Lethbridge, Cardston, Red Deer, Ponoka
Selectra energy expert insights
Three things our team wishes every Alberta household knew before opening their next bill.
The "Delivery" half of your bill does not change when you switch retailers. Compare offers purely on the commodity rate plus admin fees. A retailer cannot give you a "cheaper" distribution charge: it is set by the AUC.
The Regulated Rate Option is recalculated each month from wholesale forecasts. Some months it is cheap, others it spikes. A 1 to 5 year fixed contract locks in a predictable per-kWh rate. Compare carefully: a fixed contract is good if you value certainty more than the lowest possible average.
Your retailer cannot dispatch a line crew. Save your distributor 24/7 number in your phone today: ATCO Electric 1-800-668-5506, ENMAX 403-514-6100, EPCOR 780-412-4500, FortisAlberta 310-9473. For gas: ATCO Gas 1-800-511-3447, Apex 1-866-222-2068.