Ontario Electricity Rates and Cheaper Hours Change on November 1

Electricity prices across Ontario change on November 1, and so do the hours when power is cheapest. The Ontario Energy Board sets these rates every October, and they apply to regulated price plan customers, which covers most households, small businesses and farms in the province.

Every rate is coming down. On time of use, off-peak falls to 9.1 cents per kilowatt hour from 9.8, mid-peak to 14.6 from 15.7, and on-peak to 18.9 from 20.3. Ultra-low overnight drops to 3.7 cents from 3.9, with weekend off-peak at 9.1 cents and on-peak at 37.7. On tiered pricing, tier one falls to 11.2 cents from 12 and tier two to 13.2 from 14.2.

The Ontario Electricity Rebate shrinks on the same day, to 15.7 per cent from 23.5 per cent. The Energy Board says the lower prices are what allow the smaller rebate, and that the overall rate of increase on customer bills stays consistent with previous years. For a household using 700 kilowatt hours a month, the rebate works out to roughly $23 off the bill.

Winter price periods start the same day and run to April 30, which moves the cheap time of use hours. The tiered threshold also changes for residential customers in winter: the first 1,000 kilowatt hours a month are billed at the tier one rate, and anything above the threshold is billed at tier two. Small business thresholds hold at 750 kilowatt hours all year, and ultra-low overnight periods stay the same through every season.

Anyone on time of use who built a laundry or dishwasher routine around the summer schedule will want to look at the new winter hours before the bill arrives. The Energy Board's rate page carries the full breakdown.