TIME-OF-USE PRICING
Time-of-Use pricing is being phased in through spring and summer 2011. Please look for a direct mail letter advising when your account is switching to Time-of-Use billing.
- What is Time-of-Use pricing?
- What are the Time-of-Use time periods?
- What are the current Time-of-Use prices?
- When will I move to Time-of-Use rates?
- Will I pay more?
- Time-of-Use sounds complicated?
- I'm a senior, disabled person, low-income, stay-at-home parent or a person reliant on medical equipment who is home during weekdays. Will I be disadvantaged by TOU prices because of the power I use during the day?
- I run a business that’s open mostly in peak and mid-peak times. Won’t these rates cost me more?
Time-of-Use (TOU) pricing is based on the time of day and day of the week that energy is used. Smart meters that measure hourly energy use make this kind of pricing possible. The pricing is determined by the Ontario Energy Board based on how much energy is used and how much energy is available in the province at different times.
What are the Time-of-Use time periods?
With rates that vary, we’ll all have an incentive to shift and/or reduce electricity consumption at times of peak demand. There are the three TOU periods:
- Off Peak —(24 hours a day on weekends and holidays as well as weekday evenings after 7 p.m.) The demand for electricity and the cost is typically lowest during this time. (View the 2012 Holiday Schedule)
- Mid-Peak —(Weekdays only – 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. in the winter months, morning and early evening in the summer months): Moderate energy demand and price.
- On-Peak —Weekdays only – morning and early evening in the winter months, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. in summer months): times of day when energy use and price is the highest.
What are the current Time-of-Use rates?
The Winter schedule is in effect from November 1 to April 30th.
The Summer schedule runs from May 1 to October 31st.
Click here for the Time of Use Chart PDF
When will I move to Time-of-Use rates?
While TOU rates have been set by the Ontario Energy Board (OEB), you will receive advance notification from Waterloo North Hydro before Time of Use rates are implemented for your account. Look for a direct mail letter advising of the start date for TOU accumulation and billing.
Once you are billed on a time-of-use basis, depending how and when you use electricity, you may pay a bit more or less or see very little difference. With Smart Meters, those who work to conserve and shift their usage to off-peak, weekends or holidays may benefit the most. Currently those customers see no price advantage no matter what time of the day they use power.
Time-of-Use sounds complicated?
It’s true that, at first, you’ll need to be more aware of how and when you use energy, but over time, it will simply become a habit.
Smart metering will give you a tool and better information to help you make informed decisions about your electricity usage. With this information in hand, you’ll be able to develop the best strategies for you.
I'm a senior, disabled person, low-income, stay-at-home parent or a person reliant on medical equipment who is home during weekdays. Will I be disadvantaged by TOU prices because of the power I use during the day?
Time of use prices have not been designed to penalize consumers who for whatever reason have difficulty shifting consumption.
Testing and piloting under time-of-use pricing to date has shown that for most customers, if they do not change their consumption patterns, then they will pay about the same price for electricity that they did under the tiered pricing model.
This is due in part to the fact that there are many more off-peak hours than there are on-peak in a given week (all hours of the weekend are off-peak). In the summer for instance, for every hour of the week that your fridge is running on-peak, there are more off-peak hours when you’re paying significantly less than the current tiered rates.
Remember too that there are almost 60% more off-peak hours in the week then there are mid-peak and on-peak hours.
In this way, the time-of-use prices tend to off-set one another so that customers are not penalized by this rate but are still given incentives to reduce or shift some of their discretionary consumption if they are able.
Regarding Electric heat: Similarly, in winter months, electric heaters run 24 hours a day. In fact to the extent night-time temperatures are often colder than during the day, there may even be some small advantage for electric heat consumers -- because heaters may run more frequently in the off peak evening.
I run a business that’s open mostly in peak and mid-peak times. Won’t these rates cost me more?
TOU rates better reflect what it actually costs to provide electricity at various times of the day, so to the extent that you can shift some electricity usage to off-peak time, you’ll save. Many businesses can also reduce their electricity bill through conservation and improved energy efficiency.
Waterloo North Hydro Inc.
526 Country Squire Road
PO Box 640
Waterloo, Ontario, N2J 4A3
Phone: 519-886-5090
Employment Opportunities
General Inquires:
Customersupport@wnhydro.com
Phone: 519-885-6840
Fax: 519-746-0133
Engineering Inquiries:
eclerk@wnhydro.com
Phone: 519-888-5552
ECRA/ESA LICENCE 7004206
Standard Business Hours:
8:30am - 4:30pm (Monday - Friday)
Emergency Hours:
24 hours a day, seven days a week
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