Choose a Price Plan
Choose the electricity price plan that’s right for you.
Customer Choice is an Ontario Energy Board (OEB) initiative that allows Regulated Price Plan (RPP) customers to choose their electricity price plan.
Residential, small business and net metering customers billed under the RPP can choose the electricity rate that best meets their energy needs and lifestyle: Time-of-Use, Tiered or Ultra-Low Overnight prices.
So what’s the difference?
Time-of-Use (TOU)
With TOU, 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.
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).
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.
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.
Ultra-Low Overnight (ULO)
With 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. 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.
This plan could be beneficial to those who consume a major portion of their electricity overnight, or to those who charge an electric vehicle overnight.
Considering a Switch?
To better understand the potential impacts of a rate change on your bill, it’s important to know what your overall energy consumption is and how your day-to-day habits can influence your energy costs.
Renfrew Hydro’s rate plan comparison tool is available for myAccount customers under the Price Plan menu. If you don’t have an online account, you can easily create one today. Our tool uses historical consumption data to estimate the electricity cost difference.
If a price plan change makes sense for you, you can simply select Switch Plan within myAccount and your new price plan will become effective on the next available bill. Please note: if you are enrolled with a retailer, you will be unable to switch plans at this time.
If you would like to make a switch but do not want to register for myAccount, you can complete the Customer Choice form online.