Distributor vs retailer: a quick refresher

Alberta separates the company that physically delivers your electricity (the distributor) from the company that sells you the kWh contract (the retailer). Knowing which is which determines who you call when something goes wrong.

Distributor (fixed by address)
The wires company
  • Owns the poles, wires, transformers, meter
  • Restores power, installs new connections
  • Tariff set by AUC or municipal bylaw
  • Call for outages, never your retailer
Retailer (you choose)
The contract seller
  • Sells you the kWh contract, sets the rate
  • Sends the monthly bill, handles accounts
  • Switch any time, no work to the wires
  • 60+ licensed retailers in Alberta
See retailer directory

All 10 Alberta electricity distributors

Click any card for the full contact, outage, tariff and territory page.

ATCO Electric
ATCO Electric
Edmonton

Investor-owned

Customers: around 250,000
View distributor
Battle River Power Coop
Battle River Power Coop
Camrose

Rural Electrification Association (REA), member-owned cooperative

Customers: more than 8,700 member-owners
View distributor
City of Lethbridge Electric Utility
City of Lethbridge Electric Utility
Lethbridge

Municipally-owned

View distributor
ENMAX Power
ENMAX Power
Calgary

Municipally-owned (wholly owned by The City of Calgary)

Customers: over 750,000 service points across the Calgary wires territory
View distributor
EPCOR Distribution & Transmission
EPCOR Distribution & Transmission
Edmonton

Municipally-owned (wholly owned by The City of Edmonton)

Customers: approximately 400,000 customers in the Edmonton service area
View distributor
EQUS REA Ltd.
EQUS REA Ltd.
Innisfail

Rural Electrification Association (REA), Canada's largest member-owned electric utility

Customers: over 14,000 members served
View distributor
FortisAlberta
FortisAlberta
Calgary

Investor-owned

Customers: almost 600,000 residential, farm and business customers
View distributor
Town of Cardston Electric Utility
Town of Cardston Electric Utility
Cardston

Municipally-owned

View distributor
City of Red Deer Electric Light & Power
City of Red Deer Electric Light & Power
Red Deer

Municipally-owned

View distributor
Town of Ponoka Electrical Department
Town of Ponoka Electrical Department
Ponoka

Municipally-owned

View distributor

Filter by ownership type

Alberta wires companies fall into four ownership models, each with a different tariff process.

ATCO Electric
ATCO Electric
Edmonton
Battle River Power Coop
Battle River Power Coop
Camrose
City of Lethbridge Electric Utility
City of Lethbridge Electric Utility
Lethbridge
ENMAX Power
ENMAX Power
Calgary
EPCOR Distribution & Transmission
EPCOR Distribution & Transmission
Edmonton
EQUS REA Ltd.
EQUS REA Ltd.
Innisfail
FortisAlberta
FortisAlberta
Calgary
Town of Cardston Electric Utility
Town of Cardston Electric Utility
Cardston
City of Red Deer Electric Light & Power
City of Red Deer Electric Light & Power
Red Deer
Town of Ponoka Electrical Department
Town of Ponoka Electrical Department
Ponoka

How to find your electricity distributor in 60 seconds

1
Check your bill

The distributor name appears under "Delivery charges" on every Alberta electricity bill. The line items "Service charge", "Distribution charge" and "Transmission charge" are all collected by the distributor.

2
Look up your address

The AUC publishes a service-territory map. Type your postal code at auc.ab.ca and the distributor for that address appears within seconds.

3
Call your retailer

Your retailer's customer service knows which wires company serves your address. They can give it to you in under a minute.

Distributors by region

Where you live determines who delivers your electricity. Here is the map in plain English.

Northern + east Alberta

Fort McMurray, Grande Prairie, Cold Lake, Lloydminster

ATCO Electric
Calgary metropolitan area

Calgary, Rocky View, Tsuut'ina Nation

ENMAX Power
Edmonton metropolitan area

Edmonton, Beaumont, parts of Leduc County

EPCOR Distribution
Central + south rural Alberta

Red Deer area, Airdrie, Okotoks, Strathmore, Camrose

FortisAlberta
REA territories

Member-owned cooperatives in central and east-central AB

Battle River Power Coop EQUS REA
Municipal exceptions

Cities and towns that run their own wires by bylaw

Lethbridge Cardston Red Deer Ponoka

Selectra energy expert insights

Distribution rates are the same for everyone

Switching retailers does not change your delivery cost. The "Distribution charge" and "Service charge" are set by AUC tariffs (or municipal bylaw) and apply equally regardless of who bills you.

Outage line, not retailer

Save the 4 big-city outage lines in your phone today: ATCO Electric 1-800-668-5506, ENMAX 403-514-6100, EPCOR 780-412-4500, FortisAlberta 310-9473. Retailers cannot dispatch crews.

Damage claims are negligence-based

Alberta has no automatic statutory compensation for outages. Damage claims must show the distributor was at fault. Weather, wildlife and third-party causes are routinely denied. Home insurance covers food spoilage with a lower threshold.

Selectra energy expert answers

How many electricity distributors operate in Alberta?
Ten electricity wires companies serve residential customers in Alberta. The four largest by customer count are ENMAX Power (Calgary, 750,000+ service points), EPCOR Distribution (Edmonton, ~400,000 customers), FortisAlberta (central and southern rural, ~600,000 customers) and ATCO Electric (northern and eastern AB, ~250,000 customers). Two rural electrification associations (Battle River Power Coop, EQUS REA) operate as member-owned cooperatives, and four municipalities (Lethbridge, Red Deer, Cardston, Ponoka) run their own wires under council bylaw rather than the AUC tariff.

How do I find out which electricity distributor serves my address?
Three reliable ways: (1) check your most recent electricity bill, the distributor name is printed under "Delivery charges"; (2) look up your postal code on the AUC service-territory map at auc.ab.ca; (3) call your retailer's customer-service line.

Can I choose my electricity distributor in Alberta?
No. The distributor is fixed by your address. You can only choose your retailer, which sells you the energy contract and bills you. The same wires deliver the electricity regardless of who you buy from.

What is the difference between AUC-regulated and municipal-bylaw distributors?
Most Alberta distributors file their distribution tariffs with the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) under a multi-year Performance-Based Regulation (PBR) framework. Four municipalities (Lethbridge, Cardston, Red Deer, Ponoka) are exceptions: their council sets the distribution rate by bylaw instead. The two rural cooperatives (Battle River, EQUS) operate inside the AUC framework but with a member-elected board.

Who do I call for a power outage?
Always your distributor, never your retailer. The retailer cannot dispatch a line crew. Save these 24/7 outage lines: ATCO Electric 1-800-668-5506, ENMAX 403-514-6100, EPCOR 780-412-4500, FortisAlberta 310-9473. For a downed live wire, call 911 first.

Does my distribution charge change if I switch retailer?
No. Distribution and transmission charges are set by AUC-approved tariffs or municipal bylaws and apply equally to every customer at your address, regardless of retailer. Only the commodity (per-kWh) half of your bill changes when you switch.

What is an REA?
A Rural Electrification Association is a member-owned cooperative that built and operates electricity infrastructure in rural Alberta when the major utilities did not extend service. Today, Battle River Power Coop and EQUS REA Ltd. are the two largest, serving more than 22,000 member-owners between them across central and southern Alberta.