Cheaper times to use electricity have changed in Ontario

Some changes to electricity pricing just took effect in Ontario.

Electricity customers in Ontario who are under the regulated price plan have three options for billing: time-of-use and ultra-low overnight, with prices changing depending on when power is used; customers can also choose a tiered plan, with costs depending on how much electricity is used overall in a month.

Most pay time-of-use rates.

For time-of-use and tiered plans, there are two different price periods during the year.

From Nov. 1 to April 30, the winter price period is in effect for time-of-use and from May 1 to Oct. 31, the summer period is in place.

That means as of Friday, summer pricing has taken effect.

Here’s a look at what has changed:

Off-peak hours are from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., which is the same as the winter period, but mid-peak is now from 7 a.m. until 11 a.m., as well as 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. On-peak hours are from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

On weekends and holidays, off-peak rates apply all day.

The rates, which were set by the OEB last fall, remain the same:

Off-peak: 9.8 ¢/kWh

Mid-peak: 15.7 ¢/kWh

On-peak: 20.3 ¢/kWh

The residential tiered threshold has also changed as of May 1. Tiered rates allow customers to use a certain amount of electricity at a particular price up to a certain threshold. Beyond that threshold, the rate changes.

Here is how that now differs:

As you can see, in the summer period the threshold for residential customers is lower than in the winter.

“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,” the OEB says.

“In the winter period (Nov. 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 – Oct. 31), the tier threshold for residential customers is 600 kWh. The Tier threshold for small business customers is 750 kWh all year round.”

The rates, however, remain the same:

Tier 1: 12.0 ¢/kWh

Tier 2: 14.2 ¢/kWh

And lastly, ultra-low overnight pricing remains the same all year and there aren’t any changes:

For more information, visit the Ontario Energy Board’s website.