Market Snapshot: How much do your neighbours across Canada pay for electricity?
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Release date: 2026-03-04
Residential electricity prices vary widely across Canada. Provinces with abundant, low-cost hydroelectric resources—like Quebec and Manitoba—tend to have the lowest average rates in the country. In contrast, Nunavut and the Northwest Territories face the highest costs due to their isolated grids and reliance on diesel generation. Among the provinces, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Prince Edward Island, generally have had the most expensive prices in recent years. For a household consuming 1,000 kWh per month, this translates to roughly $83 to $375 per month, depending on the province or territory.
The price consumers pay reflects the cost of generation, transmission, and distribution, as well as provincial and territorial policy choices, system and market structures, and rate designs. Electricity rates generally recover both long-term infrastructure costs (like investment in power plants and delivery infrastructure) and day-to-day operating costs (like fuel and maintenance). How these costs are allocated and recovered from customers varies across provinces and territories. In some jurisdictions, households pay a larger share of total system costs, while in others, industrial or commercial users absorb more. Prices may also fluctuate over time, especially in jurisdictions where wholesale market dynamics and fuel costs play a larger role in influencing retail prices.
Figure 1: Average Residential Electricity Prices by Region for Different Monthly Usages
Source and Text Alternative
Source: Utilities and government websites. Details in the Data Sources and Calculations section.
Text Alternative: This bar chart compares average residential electricity prices across all provinces and territories, measured in cents per kWh. It shows prices based on three representative monthly consumption levels: 750 kWh, 1,000 kWh, and 1,500 kWh. Quebec and Manitoba have the lowest average prices, while the Northwest Territories and Nunavut have the highest. In most regions, the average price per kWh decreases as consumption increases from 750 kWh to 1,000 kWh and 1,500 kWh.
Figure 1 shows the average price of residential electricity by region at three representative monthly consumption levels—750 kWh, 1,000 kWh, and 1,500 kWh—highlighting regional price differences and the effects of rate design. Taxes are excluded from the calculations.
Most provinces and territories combine a fixed monthly charge with a per-kWh rate that varies with electricity use. Some have flat pricing, others apply block (tiered) rates where the price per kWh rises once a threshold is reached, and others offer optional time-of-use (TOU) pricing that encourages households to shift demand away from peak periods. Several jurisdictions let customers choose which rate structure applies to them.
In several provinces, the average cost per kilowatt-hour (kWh) decreases as consumption increases. This reflects rate structures where fixed charges make up a relatively large share of the total bill. Under these structures, fixed costs are spread over more kilowatt-hours as consumption rises, resulting in a lower average price per kWh for higher-consuming households and a higher average price for lower-consuming households.
The territories’ reliance on diesel generation, lower population density, and more challenging operating conditions contribute to significantly higher residential electricity prices. With fewer customers spread across vast distances, the fixed costs of building and maintaining electricity infrastructure are shared among a much smaller customer base, raising costs per household.
In Alberta, where electricity is supplied through a competitive retail market, residential prices tend to be slightly higher and more variable over time compared with most other provinces. Prices reflect a combination of factors, including wholesale market conditions, fuel costs, and investment and risk-management decisions by retailers, which can change from year to year.Footnote 1 Saskatchewan and Prince Edward Island also fall toward the higher-price end among provinces.
Finally, affordability depends not only on the rate per kWh, but also on household income, local climate (which affects heating or cooling needs), and overall consumption patterns. Thus, even in a province like Quebec, where electricity rates are among the lowest in North America and average incomes are somewhat below the national average, homes in colder regions can face higher electricity burdens because of cold winters and widespread electric heating. In contrast, Alberta’s higher average incomes and lower residential electricity use—partly reflecting greater reliance on natural gas for heating—can partially offset higher electricity prices per kWh.
Methodology
Comparing residential electricity prices across Canada is complex due to wide differences in rate structures, varying system and market designs (e.g., vertically integrated or local distribution), and other factors such as subsidies, delivery charges and policy. Provinces and territories use a mix of tiered rates that vary with consumption, flat rates, and time-of-use pricing, and in many cases, households can choose among multiple rate options.
In several jurisdictions, multiple utilities serve different regions, leading to variations in rates within a single province or territory. As a result, this analysis required simplifying assumptions described in the Data Sources and Calculations section below. These include:
- Calculating results for a representative household, rather than a full population-weighted provincial or territorial average.
- Selecting the lowest-cost rate structure available at each of the three monthly consumption levels analyzed (750 kWh, 1,000 kWh, and 1,500 kWh).
- Including distribution charges and direct subsidies (like rebates or support programs) but excluding all taxes.
The prices shown are modeled estimates based on publicly available rate data, as of November 2025. Differences in timing and methodological assumptions may result in slight variations from other published estimates of residential electricity prices.
Data Sources and Calculations
British Columbia
Source: BC Hydro Power smart
In British Columbia, residential electricity is supplied primarily by BC Hydro and FortisBC. BC Hydro serves roughly 1.8 million residential customers, compared with about 213,000 for FortisBC. Residential energy rates are regulated by the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC). Given BC Hydro’s large market share, our analysis includes only BC Hydro rates.
BC Hydro customers can choose between two base rate plans—the tiered rate and the flat rate—and may also opt into a time-of-use (TOU) pricing overlay that may apply in combination. The tiered rate charges a lower “Tier 1” price up to a monthly threshold (675 kWh), and a higher “Tier 2” price above that. The flat-rate option applies a single per-kWh charge regardless of consumption, while TOU pricing offers lower prices overnight and higher ones during on-peak hours.
Because TOU participation remains limited and publicly available data is incomplete, we excluded it from our analysis. For each consumption level (750 kWh, 1,000 kWh, 1,500 kWh), we selected the lowest-cost plan: the tiered rate for 750 kWh and 1,000 kWh, and the flat rate for 1,500 kWh. Our results reflect the 2025 rate environment.
Alberta
Source: Utilities Consumer Advocate
Alberta operates a competitive retail electricity market, where residential customers may choose among a range of electricity plans offered by competitive retailers, including fixed rate and variable rate contracts, or remain on the default Rate of Last Resort (RoLR).Footnote 2 Customers who do not select a competitive retail plan are served under the RoLR, which replaced the former Regulated Rate Option.
While electricity generators in Alberta are paid based on hourly wholesale market prices that fluctuate with supply and demand, retail electricity rates faced by consumers are structured differently. Retail rates are set either through competitive retail contracts or, in the case of the RoLR, through rates approved by the Alberta Utilities Commission based on forward-looking cost estimates, which smooth short-term wholesale price volatility.
For this analysis, residential electricity rates were estimated using data published by the Utilities Consumer Advocate (UCA). RoLR rates were drawn from ENMAX Energy Corporation in Calgary, and EPCOR Energy Alberta GP in Edmonton, the retailers affiliated with the local distribution utilities in Alberta’s two largest cities.Footnote 3 Monthly RoLR rates for 2025 were averaged to smooth seasonal price fluctuations, and a population-weighted average of Calgary and Edmonton—together accounting for roughly 57% of Alberta’s population—was used to represent RoLR costs in Alberta. RoLR rates were very similar in the two cities, and rates for other regions were not included.
Calculations were also performed for a two-year competitive fixed rate contract where data were available. Because fixed-rate data were available only for ENMAX in Calgary, and not for EPCOR in Edmonton, the ENMAX two-year fixed rate was used as a single province-wide proxy for competitive fixed-rate offerings in Alberta. ENMAX was selected given its role as the retailer affiliated with the local distribution utility in CalgaryFootnote 4 and its position as the largest competitive residential electricity retailer in Alberta by customer sites, accounting for approximately 36% of competitive residential customer sites.Footnote 5 As a result, unlike the RoLR, fixed-rate estimates were not population-weighted.
For each consumption level analyzed, the lower of the RoLR and two-year fixed rate estimates were used in the figure above, reflecting the minimum readily available price for residential customers. This approach does not necessarily represent the average price paid, as not all customers may have access to, or choose the lowest-cost option. Across all consumption levels analyzed, the fixed-rate option was slightly lower than the RoLR, though this may change over time and is based on specific plans. Overall, this is a representation of readily available residential prices faced by residential customers in Alberta.
All cost estimates include the full set of applicable components: the energy charge, administration fee, distribution and transmission charges (fixed and variable), balancing pool rider, rate riders, and municipal access fee.
Alberta’s Restructured Electricity Market (REM) is expected to come into effect in mid-2027. The reform aims to modernize the province’s wholesale electricity market by introducing locational marginal pricing, higher offer caps, and new reliability products, among other changes. While these adjustments occur at the wholesale level, they could indirectly influence retail prices paid by consumers over time. These future changes were not considered in this analysis.
Saskatchewan
Source: SaskPower
In Saskatchewan, residential electricity is supplied by three utilities: SaskPower, Saskatoon Light & Power, and Swift Current Light & Power. SaskPower is by far the largest provider, serving roughly 560,000 customers across the province. Saskatoon Light & Power serves about 117,000 customers within the city of Saskatoon, while Swift Current Light & Power serves around 16,600 customers in the municipality of Swift Current. For the purposes of this analysis, only SaskPower rates were considered.
SaskPower’s residential rates include a basic monthly charge and a variable energy charge that applies to all consumption. Rates used in this analysis are effective 1 April 2025, and cover customers in cities, towns, villages and rural areas.
Manitoba
Source: Manitoba Hydro
In Manitoba, nearly all residential customers are served by Manitoba Hydro, the province’s publicly owned, vertically integrated utility. It generates, transmits, and distributes electricity across the province, serving more than 632,000 electric customers. Electricity service and pricing are fully regulated by the Manitoba Public Utilities Board (PUB).
Residential rates consist of a fixed monthly basic charge and a variable energy charge that apply uniformly to all consumption. The same rates apply across the province, regardless of location or community size—except for a few remote zones with different systems, which are not reflected in this analysis.
Rates used in this analysis are effective 1 January 1 2026.
Ontario
Source: Ontario Energy Board
In Ontario, residential electricity pricing is set by the Ontario Energy Board (OEB) under the Regulated Price Plan (RPP). While most households pay OEB-regulated rates, a small share (fewer than 1 in 10) have retail contracts with private energy providers. Under the RPP, residential customers can choose between three main pricing structures: Time-of-Use (TOU), Tiered, and Ultra-Low Overnight (ULO). TOU prices vary by time of day, tiered rates vary by usage level, and ULO rates offer deeper overnight discounts paired with higher daytime rates.
For each monthly consumption level considered in this analysis (750 kWh, 1,000 kWh, and 1,500 kWh), the lowest-cost pricing option among the three systems was selected. Consistent with the OEB’s electricity rates, for TOU pricing we assumed 64% off-peak, 18% mid-peak, and 18% on-peak usage. For the ULO plan, we assumed 25% on-peak, 20% mid-peak, 25% ultra-low overnight, and 30% weekend consumption.
Numbers obtained from the OEB already include the Ontario Electricity Rebate (OER), as well as delivery and regulatory charges and the Global Adjustment (GA).
We used 2025 RPP rates for three major electricity distributors—Hydro One, Toronto Hydro, and Alectra Utilities—and averaged them using the following weighting based on relative customer base: 45% Hydro One, 25% Toronto Hydro, and 30% Alectra Utilities. For Hydro One, we included the AUR, AR Residential, UR Residential, R1 Residential, and R2 Residential rate classes. For Toronto Hydro, we used the Multi-unit and Limited rates. For Alectra, we averaged rates across the Brampton, Enersource, Guelph, Horizon Utilities, and PowerStream zones.
Quebec
Source: Hydro-Quebec
In Quebec, virtually all residential customers receive electricity from Hydro-Quebec, the province’s publicly owned utility. Hydro-Quebec serves more than 4.3 million residential customers, making it the largest electricity distributor in Canada. Residential customers are billed under Rate D, which applies uniformly across the province and is regulated by the Régie de l’énergie du Québec.
Rate D includes three components: a fixed system access charge for each day in the consumption period, a price applicable to energy consumed up to 40 kWh times the number of days in the consumption period, and a second tier, higher variable rate for consumption above that amount in the consumption period.
Optional rate components, such as the time-of-use pilot program, were not considered in this analysis. Rates used are effective 1 April 2025.
New Brunswick
Source: NB Power
In New Brunswick, nearly all residential customers receive their electricity from NB Power, the province’s vertically integrated, publicly owned utility. NB Power serves nearly 400,000 direct customers across the province and is responsible for generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity. Residential service is regulated by the New Brunswick Energy and Utilities Board (EUB), and the same general rate structure applies province wide.
NB Power’s residential rate includes a fixed monthly service charge and a variable energy charge based on total consumption. The fixed charge differs slightly between urban and rural customers, for this analysis the average of the two was used.
Rates used in this analysis are effective 1 April 2025.
Nova Scotia
Source: Nova Scotia Power
In Nova Scotia, nearly all residential customers are served by Nova Scotia Power, the province’s investor-owned, but regulated, electric utility. Residential rates are approved by the Nova Scotia Energy and regulatory Boards Tribunal (NSERBT) and apply uniformly across the province. For this analysis, only rates from Nova Scotia Power were considered, since it serves most households.
Nova Scotia Power offers two main residential rate options: the Standard Service rate and the Time-of-Day (TOU) rate. Under their TOU pricing, electricity prices vary depending on when power is used. For this analysis, a typical household consumption pattern of 64% during off-peak hours, 18% during mid-peak hours, and 18% during on-peak hours, is used to reflect typical usage patterns. Similarly, winter was defined as a three-month period during which mid-peak and on-peak hours are combined into a single “high-rate” period, while the non-winter period lasts nine months and follows the standard TOU schedule.
Nova Scotia Power also offers a small number of pilot pricing programs, which were not included in this analysis. For all consumption levels considered (750 kWh, 1,000 kWh, and 1,500 kWh per month), the Time-of-Day rate was selected, as it was found to be less expensive for households at each consumption level than the Standard Service rate.
Rates used in this analysis are effective 1 November 2025.
Prince Edward Island
Source: Maritime Electric
In Prince Edward Island, most residential customers receive electricity from Maritime Electric, which supplies roughly 90% of the province’s electricity. The company is an investor-owned utility regulated by the Prince Edward Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission. For this analysis, Maritime Electric’s residential rates were used, since they represent nearly all households in the province.
Residential customers pay a fixed monthly service charge and a variable energy charge based on total electricity consumption. The fixed charge differs slightly between urban and rural customers, so for this analysis the average of the two was used.
Rates used are effective 1 March 2025.
Newfoundland and Labrador
Source: Newfoundland Power
In Newfoundland and Labrador, residential electricity service is primarily provided by Newfoundland Power, which distributes electricity to over 87% of the province’s customers. The remaining households are served directly by Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro, mainly in rural or remote areas. For this analysis, Newfoundland Power’s residential rates were used, which cover the vast majority of residential customers in the province.
Residential rates include a basic monthly customer charge and a variable energy charge based on total consumption. All residential customers within Newfoundland Power’s service territory, which covers most of the island portion of the province, pay the same rate structure. Rates are regulated by the Newfoundland and Labrador Board of Commissioners of Public Utilities (PUB).
Rates used in this analysis are effective 1 July 2025.
Yukon
Source: ATCO Electric Yukon
In Yukon, residential electricity is generated primarily by Yukon Energy Corporation and distributed to customers by ATCO Electric Yukon. ATCO Electric Yukon serves more than 19,000 customers, in 19 communities, and delivers electricity generated by YEC across most of the territory. Because ATCO Electric Yukon is the main distributor, their rates were used for this analysis.
These calculations used ATCO Electric Yukon’s YECL YEC Rate Schedule, specifically Rate Schedule 1160 – Residential Service, Hydro, Non-Government. This rate applies to Whitehorse and other major communities on the hydro grid. This rate was selected because Whitehorse alone represents about 70% of Yukon’s population, and when combined with other communities under the same rate, it covers approximately 80% of the territory’s residents.
The rate schedule is effective as of 1 July 2025.
Nunavut
Source: Qulliq Energy Corporation
In Nunavut, almost all residential electricity service is provided by Qulliq Energy Corporation, the territorial utility owned by the Government of Nunavut. In Nunavut, 57% of housing is public housing and 43% is non-government-housing. Since government housing is paid for by the government and not residents, these were excluded from the calculations and only non-government housing was considered. The published residential rate schedule for “Non-Government Residential (Domestic)” customers was used, to which the Nunavut Electricity Subsidy Program thresholds were incorporated, which subsidize the first 700 kWh per 30-day period (April–September) and 1,000 kWh for October–March.
Rates are effective as of 1 October 2022.
Northwest Territories
Source: Naka Power Utilities (NWT)
In Northwest Territories, most electricity is generated by the Northwest Territories Power Corporation (NTPC), while Naka Power (formerly Northland Utilities) and NTPC both handle distribution depending on the region. Yellowknife, which accounts for roughly 50% of the territory’s population, is served by Naka Power.
Residential rates in Northwest Territories vary by community and service provider, but the Territorial Power Support Program (TPSP) ensures rate equity across the territory for typical household usage. Under the TPSP, from 1 September to 31 March, residential customers pay the same rate as Yellowknife for the first 1,000 kWh of monthly consumption, and from 1 April to 31 August, the subsidy applies to the first 600 kWh. Consumption above those thresholds is billed at each community’s local Zone Rate, which is generally higher.
Because the TPSP effectively aligns base residential pricing with Yellowknife rates for most consumption, the Naka Power (Yellowknife) residential rate was used as a representative value for the territory. This rate is published in the Naka Power Rate Schedule. As rates outside Yellowknife are typically higher, the territorial average cost would be slightly greater than our modeled results.
Rates are effective as of 1 May 2025.
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