Regulated Price Plan (RPP) customers can choose their preferred price plan and can change up to once per billing cycle. This page will explain the options for each customer type to help you decide what plan you’d like to be on. If you’re ready to make a switch, please follow the options below:
RESIDENTIAL/SMALL BUSINESS
As a default, you will be provided with the Time-of-Use rate plan but have the option to select Ultra-Low Overnight (ULO) or Tiered rates.
TIME-OF-USE (DEFAULT)
Time-of-use (TOU) is the default price plan for residential and small commercial accounts. The majority of residential and small commercial accounts are on TOU (89% and 98% respectively as of July 2023). There are three TOU price periods:
- Off-peak, when demand for electricity is generally lower. Ontario households use most of their electricity – nearly two thirds of it – during off-peak hours.
- Mid-peak, when demand for electricity is moderate. These periods are during the daytime, but not the busiest times of day.
- On-peak, when demand for electricity is generally higher. These are the busier times of day – generally when people are cooking, starting up their personal electronics and running heaters or air conditioners.
TOU price periods are different in the summer (May 1 – October 31) than they are in the winter (November 1 – April 30).
ULTRA-LOW OVERNIGHT
Ultra-Low Overnight (ULO) is a variation of the Time-of-Use plan but benefits those who use a lot of electricity overnight and little during the day. There are four ULO price periods:
- Ultra-Low Overnight, when demand for electricity is lowest on average.
- Weekend Off-peak, when demand for electricity is generally lower.
- Mid-peak, when demand for electricity is moderate.
- On-peak, when demand for electricity is highest on average.
The ULO price periods are the same in the summer as they are in the winter.
TIERED
With Tiered prices, you can use a certain amount of electricity each month at a lower price. Once that limit (called a threshold) is exceeded, a higher price applies. The threshold changes with the season to reflect changing usage patterns – for example, there are fewer hours of daylight in the winter and some customers use electric heating.
In the winter period (November 1 – April 30), the Tier threshold for residential customers is 1,000 kWh, so that during the heating season households can use more power at the lower price. In the summer period (May 1 – October 31), the Tier threshold for residential customers is 600 kWh. The Tier threshold for small business customers is 750 kWh all year round.
WHAT’S BEST FOR ME?
We advise that you visit the following link that will take you to the Ontario Energy Board billing calculator to help you decide on what plan is best for you. OEB Bill Calculator
IMPORTANT POINTS TO CONSIDER
- You’re on TOU by default so if you’re happy with these rates, you don’t have to do anything. If you use more than the Tier 1 threshold of the price plan and can shift your usage to Off-Peak times, then TOU may be the best for you.
- If you typically use less than 600kWH per month in the summer months, or less than 1,000kWh in Winter months, then you may save the most on Tiered Price Plan. As a bonus, you won’t need to adjust your habits such as doing laundry at night.
- If you are a Net Metering customer who generates more than you use during the mid-day hours, you may benefit from ULO rates in the summer. The ULO On-Peak rate is about 10x higher than the ULO Overnight rate so a credit would help.
- You aren’t limited to one rate throughout the year. If you think you’ll save with Tiered in the winter and TOU in the summer, submit a change request and we’ll switch you. You can switch once per billing cycle.
The Ontario Energy Board reviews and sets the prices under the Regulated Price Plan (RPP) for TOU, ULO and Tiered. Embedded in the RPP is the Global Adjustment (GA). The GA is collected to account for variances in the wholesale generation market, sustain Green Generation contracts and support the various conservation programs for Ontario.
Please note that if you currently have a contract with an energy retailer or if you sign one, you are not eligible for RPP price plans.
For more information on Ontario’s electricity pricing, please click here.