Retailer sets this
Energy charge
What you pay for the electricity or gas you actually used, your rate times your usage. On a fixed plan this rate is locked; on a variable plan it moves with the market each month.
Learn · Billing
Readingyour bill.
Every line on an Alberta energy bill, in plain language. Where each charge comes from, who sets it, and what makes your bill change from one month to the next.
Line by line
Where does each charge come from?
An energy bill is a stack of separate charges from different places. Only two of them are set by your retailer, the rest are regulated or passed through.
Regulated
Transmission & distribution
The cost of delivering power over the wires and poles to your home. Set by your local utility, billed the same under every retailer, and usually the biggest non-energy line (around 10.3¢/kWh on a typical Calgary bill).
Retailer sets this
Administration charge
Your retailer's flat account fee, charged per meter. Flux charges $0.31/day, so if you take both electricity and gas you'll see it on each. Watch this line, some retailers set it high or hide extra service fees inside it.
Pass-through
Rate riders & local access fee
Regulatory adjustments and a municipal fee charged on top of delivery. Set by the regulator and your city, not your retailer, so they show up no matter who bills you.
Tax
GST
5% federal tax applied to the total. Same on every Alberta energy bill.
Why your bill moves
Why did your bill change?
If your rate is locked but the total still changed, it's almost always one of these.
Your usage
More heating, cooling, or daylight hours changes how many kWh or GJ you burn through. Usage is the single biggest driver of the total.
The season
Gas climbs in winter with the furnace; electricity can climb in summer with air conditioning. Most bills show a 12-month graph so you can see your own pattern.
Estimated vs actual reads
If the utility estimated your meter, the next real read trues it up. That can make one bill look high or low, then correct on the following one.
A variable rate
If you're on a variable plan, the energy rate itself resets with the wholesale market each month, so the same usage can cost a little more or less.
Spotting the junk
What to watch for.
A clear bill should let you check every line against your plan. At Flux, the only things you pay for are the energy you used, the regulated wires charges, the $0.31/day admin fee on each meter, and GST, each with a plain-language description.
- !Admin or account fees that quietly climb over time
- !Low intro rates that step up after the first few months
- !Vague service or retail charges with no plain-language description
- !Exit fees buried in multi-year contracts
No surprises
A bill you can actually read.
See your rate instantly, with the fees shown up front, then get a bill that matches.