# Utilities cheap electricity gas water edmonton alberta



## Mike1 (Jul 22, 2015)

Hi,
I am buying a home in west edmonton alberta.
Can you let me know for each of the following which company I should go with to get cheapest? I and another tenant will be staying. So, we wont be using much. I dont know anything about the companies and I am new to all this. I want with cheapest admin fees and price per usage

1) Electricity = a) which company cheapest? b) fixed or variable is cheap c) should I take with contract with one- two years or no contract at all
2) Gas = a) which company cheapest? b) fixed or variable is cheap c) should I take with contract with one- two years or no contract at all
3) Water = a) which company cheapest? b) fixed or variable is cheap c) should I take with contract with one- two years or no contract at all

Any feedback will be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much in advance

Mike


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## spirit (May 9, 2009)

Ask the owners what they have done with the house you eventually buy.....the realtor should have all that information and if not they can get it easily. it might be better to just stay with their choices, then you can ask your neighbors for their experiences. Personally we have gone with regulated, no contract prices and have been happy with our choices....some of our friends have chosen the contract and have no complaints. I do not think you pay much for the product...it is all the extra fees tacked on that are unavoidable.


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## Mike1 (Jul 22, 2015)

Hi spirit,
Thank you for the reply. The previous owner had Epcor for water and sewer. Also, direct energy for gas and electrical. So are these all regulated? And, these have without contract?

One of my friend also said to ask about blue bills to direct energy, and said it is cheap. Not sure what that is

Thank you

Sibin


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## Spudd (Oct 11, 2011)

Check out this link:
http://www.energyshop.com/es/homes/default.cfm


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## Brian K (Jan 29, 2011)

For what it is worth, I have a monthly 'contract' with Enmax for gas and power (and water because they are the also the City billing service for that) but I think most (Direct Energy, EPCOR and others) are about the same. The pretty much have to be otherwise customers would leave. I looked around at different supplies a few years ago and they were offering slight differences but you won't find one that is considerably cheaper than the others. I chose the Fixed Rate for power and a Floating rate for gas. These are the choices: Fixed rate, floating rate, or Regulated rate - then they charge "flow through charges" for billing, distribution and transmission and fees the city charges so they get their cut. Delivery and transmission charges are generally pass through charges originated by Atco etc topay for the wires that get the power to you. The charges are all separated and designed to "show you all the components' that make up your power bill - at least that is how we were sold on a deregulated system. 

Get ready for the transmission component for power to go up to pay for the new power lines that caused so much debate a few years ago once they come into service.
I generally find I pay about $0.16 per kWhr for power all in, even though the bill shows about $0.08 per kWhr for energy. Because there are fixed and variable charges, the less you use, the more on a per kWhr basis you will pay. Enmax are offering something like $0.675 per kWhr for energy, but their fees (to process the bill etc) are higher for some reason. I guess it is them taking advantage of lower power rates to get a rate hike in. 

For general interest - Warren Buffet aka Berkshire Hathaway owns our (Alberta's) high voltage transmission lines and get a guaranteed rate of return on 'his' asset. 

In 15 years, our power rates (all in) have about tripled. Let's hear it for the private sector delivering a more efficient system! (not).


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## Mike1 (Jul 22, 2015)

Hi Spudd and Brian K.

Thank you so much for your reply. I think there is only Epcor for water. Will call Enmax, Direct energy and Epcor for electricity and gas rates for fixed and variable and will choose best rate..

Thank you


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## AltaRed (Jun 8, 2009)

Mike1 said:


> Thank you so much for your reply. I think there is only Epcor for water. Will call Enmax, Direct energy and Epcor for electricity and gas rates for fixed and variable and will choose best rate..


Water, sewer and garbage/recycling will be the municipal provider. No choice. There are various options for electricity and gas but in either case, I would NOT go with a 1-5 year fixed contract rate from anyone. Few people come out ahead with fixed contracts because: 1) in many cases, the provider has to pay the salesperson a commission for capturing the contract (not applicable if contracted for over the phone directly to the provider, 2) the energy company has to hedge that contract with matching supply so as not to lose money over the course of the contract and hedging that risk costs money, and 3) I don't see electrical/gas costs going up any time soon in Alberta given the price slump on commodities and an NDP gov't in Alberta destroying business. I think power (commodity portion) prices are going to be trending down as demand decreases. Gas may be close to bottom though.


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## nobleea (Oct 11, 2013)

Go with Epcor for power on the market rate and Direct Energy regulated rate for gas. Simple set up. All the 'contract' rates out there are much higher (sometimes twice as high) than the market/regulated rates. Power was under 4c/kwh this summer.
You have to use Epcor for water, waste, sewer, so add power for one bill.


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## Brian K (Jan 29, 2011)

I chose to go with the contracted rate for power at $0.08/kWhr. Enmax has a 6.75 cent rate but as I said with this lower rate, they are increasing their billing rate. The NDP are threatening to shutdown the coal plants so expect the floating power rates to go up if that happens. Also, the bigger expense is the delivery charge which has a fixed and variable component and that can range from 8 - 16 cents per kwhr of course depending on usage. Power is the cheaper component. I didn't like the Regulated Rate option pricing.

Conservation helps a lot - I bought a small counter top oven which I use rather than the larger oven (a gas range and dryer would be nicer) and have switched to LED lighting and bought some bulbs on sale at HD and Costco and I nag to shut the lights off when not needed lol. Our KWhr usage in a typical month is about 450 kwhrs. I also have a hot tub which I converted to use a heat exchanger across the gas hot water tank and of course the power bill dropped dramatically with that project and I didn't see the gas bill rise much. When I asked at the hot tub place what they base their operating cost for power was based on, they said about $0.08 per kwhr when in reality true delivered cost is about $0.16/kwhr - so double what they tell prospective customer. 

What did you decide to go with?


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## patricia b (Dec 20, 2020)

looking for power water and gas providers in edmonton


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## Just a Guy (Mar 27, 2012)

It’s always been my experience that the cheapest part of the utility bill has always been the actual utilities. They hardly make a dent in the bill, so saving a penny or two is meaningless. The vast proportion of the bill is made up of municipal access fees, line fees, administration fees, and other assorted taxes. So, you can look around all you want, but your final bill will likely remain basically the same no matter which provider you use.


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## Freedom55? (Mar 29, 2019)

patricia b said:


> looking for power water and gas providers in edmonton


Always look at administration fees and delivery costs. Really the costs of the actual product is the lowest part of the bill. There are deals to be had but you need to do your research and act accordingly. Best of Luck.


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## Ponderling (Mar 1, 2013)

yes, the cheapest way to save on energy costs is cut consumption of electricity. a gas stove, gas dryer, and a higher efficiency gas furnace, and draft proof and better insulate. The last 2 cut a/c costs when they come into play.

We started in 03 in this house with a used gas stove, and a used gas dryer. The original found on the curb in working order stove was replaced with another gas stove 5 years ago when the ovens brains board blew. The clothes dryer got new motor in 03 under warrantee, and new gas solenoid valve i installed on 08, The chassis and drum likely goes back to late 80's or early 90's but so far the mechanical timer still is working.


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