February 11, 2026
Key Takeaways
- If you never actively chose your electricity retailer, you are most likely on Alberta’s Rate of Last Resort, and probably paying more than you need to.
- ROLR customers pay an average of 12.03 cents per kWh, plus daily admin fees averaging 48 cents, plus a new ROLR Rider charge that appeared in early 2026.
- A typical Calgary ROLR customer paid roughly $107.20 in February 2026, before distribution and transmission charges were added.
- The same household with Alberta Utility Source would have paid about $36.60, a saving of $53.63 in a single month.
- Switching costs nothing and takes only a few minutes at albertautility.ca.
How do I know if I am on the ROLR?
You can tell whether you are on the ROLR by asking one question: did you choose your retailer? If you did, you are likely not on the ROLR. If you did not, you are likely on it, and that is a problem for your wallet. The good news is that Alberta Utility Source has a solution that helps you keep more money in your pocket, so read on to find out how.
What is the Rate of Last Resort?
The Rate of Last Resort was implemented on January 1, 2025, by providers such as ENMAX, EPCOR, and Direct Energy, and it is a two-year fixed rate. It replaced the old Regulated Rate Option, known as the RRO, with a new name and a new structure. The goal was to make it clear to customers that this rate is meant to be, quite literally, a last resort.
What does the ROLR actually cost?
If you are still on the ROLR, you are paying an average of 12.03 cents per kWh, plus admin fees that range from 26 cents per day to 77.5 cents per day, which averages out to 48 cents per day. That is not the end of it. Edmonton ROLR customers under EPCOR paid an extra 5.38 cents per day in January 2026 for a charge called the ROLR Rider. For Calgary ROLR customers under ENMAX, that same Rider added an extra 17.97 cents per day in February 2026.
What is the ROLR Rider for?
The Rider is a cost recovery tool that funds the rollout of the Rate of Last Resort. EPCOR used theirs to recover approximately $435,000, and ENMAX is using theirs to recover approximately $359,000.
How much could I save by switching?
A typical Calgary household can save about $53.63 in a single month. Let us walk through the math on a February bill.
- The average home uses roughly 750 kWh per month. At 12.03 cents per kWh, that comes to $90.23 for electricity.
- Calgary’s admin fee of 41.34 cents per day adds another $11.58, and the February ROLR Rider adds a further $5.39.
- Altogether that totals $107.20, and that figure does not yet include the regulated Distribution and Transmission costs.
Now consider the same household as an Alberta Utility Source customer.
- That same 750 kWh per month at our industry-leading Variable rate, plus a 0.65 cent transaction fee, based on the 30-day moving average of 3.77 cents per kWh, works out to $27.75 for electricity.
- Our flat admin fee is $8.85 per month, and we do not charge a ROLR Rider.
- Your total comes to just $36.60, which is a difference of $53.63 for the month of February alone.
How do I switch?
You can switch in just a few minutes by signing up at albertautility.ca, where you can access our industry-leading rates and start saving right away.