Understand your bill

We get it - you don’t always take a close look at your utility bill until something changes on it. Learn more how to read your bill, and the factors that may affect your bill.

Choose your bill breakdown

How your bill looks depends on what services you get and who you’re getting them from. Your bill will look different if you're on the Regulated Rate Option or if you're with our competitive retailer, Encor.

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Are you a Regulated Rate Option or Encor customer?

Charges on your bill

As a retailer and wires company in Alberta, EPCOR buys energy from the competitive wholesale market and delivers it to your home or business. EPCOR does not generate electricity.

Each utility bill will include charges for the following items:

Energy consumed (electricity and water)
Delivery of energy
If you live in the Blatchford community, you will also see a renewable energy charge on your bill

The consumption charges are based on how much energy you used and can fluctuate based on your usage. The delivery charges are largely fixed charges and cover costs like installing, operating, and maintaining the infrastructure to deliver energy to your home or business. For electricity, this infrastructure includes poles, wires and transformers.

How are the charges calculated

Your bill is calculated depending on the services you receive, your billing period and how much energy you consumed.

Each customer is billed for their services based on a billing period. This means customers are charged for energy used during a specific time frame.

If you're an Encor customer, you may see the Federal Carbon Tax on your bill. This is paid only on charges related to natural gas use. Read more.

Your EPCOR bill

View the page examples below to help you understand your EPCOR utilities bill with the Residential Rate Option for electricity.

Title	Definition
A. What you owe	A summary of your previous bill amount, any payments we received as well as any new charges or adjustments for the current billing period.
B. Usage at a glance	Compare your electricity and water usage over time to track whether you use more or less in a given billing period.
C. Contact information	How to contact us if you have questions about your account, a service emergency, or to request a repair.
D. Payment	A payment return slip with your account number, total amount, and due date. Include this return slip if you mail your payment or pay in person at your financial institution to ensure your payment is processed quickly and accurately. If you have set up automatic withdrawal in My Account this will be noted here.
E. Previous payments (pg.2)	This includes your last bill amount, any payments we received and any outstanding balance.
F. Total new charges (pg.2)	This is a total of all your new charges.

NOTE: The information on the sample bill is for general illustrative and informational purposes only.

Details of new charges

Below we have defined the charges included on your bill.

Electricity charges explained (page 2)

Section	Definition
1. Electricity	Charges based on your current rate and how much energy you used in the billing period. The energy you used can be based on an actual, estimated or adjusted meter reading. Your current rate will be available in this area for reference. Effective April 1, 2023, the Regulated Rate Option will include a deferral amount and the current market rate for the period. For more information, please visit alberta.ca/affordability-action-plan.
2. Administrative	Covers the cost of billing and providing online and phone call customer service and support.
3. Distribution	Covers the cost of distributing electricity within your area, usually within your city or town. This amount is billed on behalf of the power distribution company for your area. Distribution charges are regulated by the Alberta Utilities Commission. Note: EPCOR has about 7,700 kms of primary distribution wires in our system. Learn how distribution rates are set.
4. Transmission	Covers the cost of transmitting electricity over long distances from the source to your local area. This amount can be billed on behalf of the power distribution company for your area. Transmission charges are regulated by the Alberta Utilities Commission. Note: EPCOR has about 270 kms of aerial transmission wires in our system. Learn how transmission rates are set.
5. Rate riders	Temporary charges, approved by the regulator, to compensate the difference between actual cost of electricity and the initially approved rate. Learn more about rate riders.
6. Local access fee	Covers the cost to access municipal land for building and maintaining the power lines and other equipment used to deliver electricity to your home or business.

Water and wastewater charges explained

Charge	Definition
7. Monthly water service	This amount is based on the size of water meter you have. The charge covers the cost of maintaining the network of reservoirs, pumping stations and pipes to deliver water to you.
8. Public fire protection fee	Previously billed through City of Edmonton property taxes, this is a new charge on the EPCOR bill for public fire protection and is applicable to all water customers. The charge is based on how many days there are in the billing cycle and will fluctuate with more or less days in the billing cycle.
9. Cost of water used	This amount is based on how much water you use in the billing period based on your water meter. Your water meter measures the quantity of water that passes through your water service line. The charge covers the cost of sourcing, storing, and treating the water delivered to you.
13. Wastewater treatment	This amount is based on how much water you used in the billing period. The charge covers the cost of removing, cleaning and returning the used water safely back into the environment.
14. Wastewater treatment service	This amount covers the cost of building and maintaining sewer pipes to deliver used water to treatment facilities.

Drainage and monthly waste charges explained

Charge	Definition
10.Monthly drainage service	This amount covers the costs associated with planning, designing, building, operating and maintaining the pipes and facilities required for the collection and transfer of wastewater to the Gold Bar Wastewater Treatment Plant.
11. Sanitary	This amount is based on how much water you used in the billing period. The charge covers the costs associated with planning, designing, building, operating and maintaining the pipes and facilities required for the collection and transfer of wastewater to the Gold Bar Wastewater Treatment Plant.
12. Stormwater	This amount covers the cost of collecting the unmetered water that flows off your property (typically weather related) into the sewer system.
15. Monthly waste services fee	This amount covers the cost of recycling and garbage collection, Eco Stations, Big Bin events, recycling depots, and the environmentally responsible processing operations at the Edmonton Waste Management Centre. This monthly waste services fee is billed by EPCOR on behalf of the City of Edmonton. For more information, contact the City of Edmonton at 311.

For more information about understanding your utility bill, visit ucahelps.alberta.ca/understanding-your-bill.

The Government of Alberta has passed legislation, and a deferral rate will be applied to RRO customer bills from April 2023 – December 2024 to recover the cost of a legislated temporary price ceiling.

For more information about the RRO market and the deferral rate, please visit our historical electricity rates page.

For more information about the Government of Alberta’s policies, please visit Affordability Action Plan.

Factors that might affect your bill

The most common factors that can increase or decrease your bill are energy rates, seasonal weather, and your overall energy consumption.

Wholesale Energy rates

If you are a Regulated Rate Option (RRO) customer, you may see the rate you pay for electricity change from month to month. The RRO is based on competitive market conditions in which electricity is purchased, so it varies based on weather, supply and demand. Although fluctuations in electricity markets are normal, recently there has been a general trend of increasing electricity prices, and based on publicly available information record high RRO rates are expected to continue in the months ahead.

Seasonal weather

Cold temperatures in winter months and hot summer temperatures mean the average Albertan household consumes more energy to keep their homes comfortable. These fluctuations can lead to increases on your bill. Transmission and distribution charges, which are regulated by the Alberta Utilities Commission, can increase during the months when consumption is high due to seasonal weather. More information on transmission and distribution charges can be found on the UCA website.

Energy Consumption

Save money by saving energy. It’s always a good idea to familiarize ourselves with some easy, low-cost ways that everyone can consider to reduce energy consumption. To learn more, read our Efficiency & Conservation tips.

Connect with us

We are committed to working with our customers. If you need support with any aspect of your utility bill, reach out to our Customer Care team toll-free in Alberta at 310-4300. We're available to review your bill with you and offer options to help you manage your account.

There are a number of financial supports available to assist customers. If you need help to manage your bills, please view the financial support resources provided or connect with our Customer Care team.

Your Encor energy bill

Your Encor energy bill might seem a little complicated, but once you understand what you're looking at, it makes sense. It's basically the cost of the energy you use and the cost to deliver that energy to your home or business.

Charges for electricity and natural gas

Your bill is based on the terms and conditions you accepted when you signed up with Encor By EPCOR. There are 5 basic types of charges on your energy bill.

1. Energy charges

Energy charges are calculated by applying your energy plan rate to the actual amount of electricity or natural gas you used.

2. Administrative costs

The administrative fee covers the costs of customer service and billing. It pays for calculating and sending bills, friendly responses to all your questions, helpful advice in choosing the right Energy Plan, switching services or helping with moving arrangements. The administration fee is an average of $0.27 per day, per site, for each electricity and natural gas service.

3. Distribution and transmission charges

D and T charges, or delivery charges, are the costs of delivering electricity and natural gas to customers. This includes meter reading and the costs of building, operating and maintaining the local and provincial systems and infrastructure that moves the energy into homes and businesses. These costs do not change based on the energy provider you choose but are based on where your property is located in the province.

4. Miscellaneous fees and charges

Miscellaneous fees and one-time charges appear on your bill as needed. They cover things like late fees, rush services, reconnection fees and duplicate bills.

5. Taxes

EPCOR is required to collect taxes, such as GST, on the services we provide.

The Federal Carbon Tax on natural gas consumption appeared on Encor by EPCOR customer bills starting January 1, 2020. Customers will recall seeing the line item “Federal Carbon Tax” on their bills. This tax will increase to $4.095/GJ on April 1, 2024, as part of its design to increase every April 1 until 2030.

The Federal Carbon Tax is a Government of Canada tax on carbon pollution (including natural gas) to encourage the reduction of emissions and encourage investments in clean technology. This is not an Encor by EPCOR charge and every Albertan pays this tax, regardless of who their energy provider is.

For further details on the program, visit www.canada.ca or the UCA website.

Encor bill summary

The first page of your Encor bill is a summary of your energy and water use for the current billing period. If you don't have your own bill in front of you, you can view a bill example to see what the individual line items mean.

Here's what you owe

This billing summary includes information about your previous payments as well as any new charges and adjustments for the current billing period.

The total payment due is provided at the end of this list, along with a due date. If you signed up for Authorized Payment Withdrawals, the due date will be the date of withdrawal.

Highlights of this billing

Encor provides useful information that affects your monthly consumption, such as the number of days in your current billing period, your electricity usage for the billing period, and your average daily cost.

Usage graphs

The graph(s) on the front of your bill lets you visually track the energy you used each month. Did you purchase energy saving appliances? Install a smart thermostat? This tool helps you see how changes in your life impact your energy use and make adjustments to be more efficient.

Payment return slip

The Payment Return Slip clearly identifies your account number, amount owed, and the due date to ensure that your payment is processed quickly and accurately. If you are paying by mail, include the payment return slip in your envelope.

Encor bill details

The remaining pages of your Encor bill give you a breakdown of your energy usage and the associated fees charged to provide you with those services. These line items are charged by all energy retailers.

Details of your previous payments

This section provides details of your previous payment. If you did not pay your bill in full, you'll see a balance owing from your last billing period.

Details of your new charges

Electricity
Electricity energy charges	Your plan rate or Regulated Rate Option (per kWh) multiplied by the amount of electricity you used. A kilowatt hour (kWh) measures the amount of electric energy equivalent to 1,000 watts for one hour. The average residential customer uses 600kWh/month.
Transaction charge	A fee applied to floating rate electricity and floating rate natural gas plans. Fixed rate plans don't include a transaction fee. The current transaction fee for Encor floating rate electricity plans is 1.0¢ per kWh and $1.00/GJ for floating rate natural gas plans.
Administration charge	The administration fee covers the cost of billing and customers services. The fee is an average $0.27 per site, per day for each of electricity and natural gas service as applicable.
Delivery charge	Delivery costs that are billed by Encor on behalf of your Wires Owner distributor. Your Wires Owner maintains the power lines, responds to power outages and reads your meter.
Distribution charge	The cost of your Wires Owner to build and maintain the distribution system used to deliver electricity to to your home or business. This charge includes both a fixed fee and a variable fee that's based on your energy usage this billing period.
Transmission charges	The cost for your Wires Owner to operate the transmission system. It is based on your energy usage this billing period.
Rate riders	A temporary credit or charge, approved by the regulator, that may appear on utility bills in certain communities. Rate riders are used to adjust for differences between actual operational costs that are not included in the energy rate. Typically, rate riders relate to transmission and distribution costs. More than one rate rider can appear on your bill at the same time.
Local access fee	A fee billed by Encor on behalf of your municipality. For example, it allows access to municipal lands.

Natural gas
Natural gas charges	Your plan rate (per GJ) multiplied by the amount of natural gas you used. A gigajoule (GJ) is a metric unit that measures natural gas volume.
Administration charge	The administration fee covers the cost of billing and customers services. The fee is an average $0.27 per site, per day for each of electricity and natural gas service as applicable.
Delivery charges	Delivery costs billed by Encor on behalf of your natural gas distributor. Your distributor maintains the distribution system, responds to outages and reads your meter.
Transmission service charge rider	The cost charged by your natural gas distributor for transmission services to its distribution system. It is approved by the regulator.
Municipal franchise fee	A fee billed by Encor on behalf of your municipality. For example, it allows access to municipal lands.
UFG (unaccounted for gas) and other riders	Credits or charges associated with delivery or transmission costs or losses.
Federal carbon tax	The Federal Carbon Tax on natural gas consumption will increase to $2.629/GJ on April 1, 2022. This is a Government of Canada tax, not an Encor by EPCOR charge, that every Albertan pays regardless of who their energy provider is.

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