Customer Choice
The choice is yours! If you are a residential or small business customer, you can choose the electricity price plan that meets your energy needs and lifestyle: Time-of-use (TOU), Tiered or the new Ultra-low overnight (ULO) prices. You have the flexibility to switch your price plan, as your needs change.
With TOU and ULO, the price depends on when you use electricity. This means you can help manage your electricity costs by shifting your usage to lower price periods when possible. With Tiered, the price depends on how much electricity you use overall in a month.
Time-of-Use (TOU)
TOU pricing has three 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 Rate (ULO)
ULO pricing has four 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 Pricing
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.
Tiered prices give you the flexibility to use electricity at any time of day at the same price, although that price will change if you exceed the threshold during the month.
Considering a Switch?
Power is personal. Depending on how much electricity you use and when you use it, one price plan may suit you better than the others. Use our calculator to see what your total bill would look like under Time-of-Use (TOU), Ultra-Low Overnight (ULO) and Tiered prices.
Submit a rate plan switch to review and change your current electricity pricing plan.
For more information, you can also visit the Ontario Energy Board’s Customer Choice webpage at oeb.ca/choice.
Considering a Switch? Here are some factors to take into consideration to help you decide.
Learn MoreIf you do want to switch price plans, here are the rules that apply:
Learn More