Rate setting process

The AUC regulates investor-owned electric, gas and water utilities and some municipally owned electric utilities to ensure that Albertans receive safe and reliable utility services at just and reasonable rates.

Regulated utilities must apply to the AUC for approval of their future operating and capital costs. If approved, these costs are recovered from rates charged to their respective customers in their approved tariffs. The AUC also approves utilities’ terms and conditions of service.

Utilities’ applications are considered in a fair and open regulatory process. In this process, the AUC and other participating parties have the opportunity to review the utility’s application and ask questions for clarification through written information requests and orally at an oral hearing (if one is convened). Parties opposing the application may present their own evidence (intervener evidence) and file their final submissions through argument and reply argument. For more information on this process, please visit Review process for rate applications.

The Office of the Utilities Consumer Advocate (UCA) was established by the Alberta Government to represent Alberta residential, farm and small commercial utility consumers in regulatory rate proceedings in an effort to reduce duplication of intervener efforts and regulatory costs. For more information, please visit the UCA website.

How to find rate proceedings

You can access rate applications currently being considered by the AUC by creating an account for the eFiling System. To find a specific rate application that is currently under review you will need a proceeding number, which is a five-digit number that identifies the proceeding under which rate application(s) are processed. The proceeding number can be found on the notice of application or on the list of applications published on the current applications list.

Once you have logged in to the eFiling System, enter the proceeding number in the “go to…” field. The system will then let you know that you have not registered to participate. At this time, you can determine your level of participation in the proceeding. You have the option of completing a statement of intent to participate to become an intervener in the proceeding, or you can choose to observe the proceeding. If you choose to observe the proceeding, you will have access to the application and all documents filed on the proceeding, but will not be able to file any documents of your own.

If you would like to know more about how a rate is set for a specific charge on your bill or what rate applications are currently under review by the AUC, please email info@auc.ab.ca.

Sharing rate concerns outside of rate hearings

The company responsible for issuing and managing your utility bill, also called the retailer, should be your first point of contact when you have concerns about the applicable rates and terms and conditions. If you are dissatisfied with the response of your retailer, you may contact the UCA to advocate on your behalf. Following that, you may wish to escalate your complaint formally with the AUC when the issue cannot be resolved or where there is a contravention of rules or there is a compliance issue.

The AUC assesses changes to rates and terms and conditions of service through a rate proceeding that involves a comprehensive review of how a utility’s rates are designed and where the utility and customer representative groups can share their positions.