Choose your electricity price plan

Make the decision that’s right for your business.

Customer Choice is an Ontario Energy Board (OEB) initiative that allows customers on the Regulated Price Plan (RPP) to choose the price plan that works best for them.

Effective May 1, 2023, the OEB has introduced the new Ultra-Low Overnight (ULO) price plan for all RPP customers.

Customers currently have three price plan options:

  1. Time-of-Use (TOU) pricing, which is based on the day of the week and time of day electricity is used.
  2. Ultra-Low Overnight (ULO) pricing, which is based on the day of the week and time of day electricity is used, but with an ultra-low overnight rate that encourages shifting high electricity-usage activities to lower-demand periods overnight.
  3. Tiered pricing, which is based on two thresholds of electricity consumption.

Which price plan is right for your business? See factors to consider and tools that can help you decide in our Customer Choice FAQ below.

Who is eligible to change price plans?

Customers on the Regulated Price Plan (RPP) are eligible to change price plans if:

  1. You're a small commercial customer with a peak demand less than 50 kW.
  2. You're a mid- or large-size commercial customer who has self-declared to be on the the RPP. Please note that you'll need to follow our self-declaration process to change your price plan.

Not sure what type of customer you are? Your rate class appears before 'Your Electricity Charges' on your bill. For an example, refer to our small commercial interactive sample bills.

How to change your price plan

The process to change your price plan depends on if you're a small commercial customer or a mid- to large-size commercial customer. In this section, we've outlined the steps you need to take depending on what type of customer you are.

The fastest way to change your price plan is online using our self-serve portal.

Don't have an online account? Register for access to our self-serve portal

If you're unable to make the change online, you can change your price plan by completing a Customer Choice Request Form (PDF, 99 KB). Once complete, please submit it to us according to the instructions on the form.

Commercial customers billed under the Regulated Price Plan (RPP) can change their price plan at any time by sending an email to billingspecialist@torontohydro.com.

Note: If you have not yet completed an RPP Self-Declaration/Election Form (PDF, 107 KB), you’ll need to complete this step to see if you qualify.

Types of electricity rates

Under TOU pricing, customers are charged according to the day of the week and time of day that they use electricity. This gives customers the option to shift high electricity-usage activities to off-peak periods, which are charged at a lower rate.

There are three different TOU price periods:

  • Off-peak
  • Mid-peak
  • On-peak

TOU rates typically change once a year (November 1). Price periods typically change twice a year (May 1 and November 1). Both the rates and price periods are set by the Ontario Energy Board (OEB).

To learn more about TOU rates, visit our electricity rates page.

Winter pricing periods in effect from November 1, 2023 to April 30, 2024
TOU period Hours Price
Off-peak Weekdays from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. and all day weekends and holidays 8.7¢ per kWh
Mid-peak Weekdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 12.2¢ per kWh
On-peak Weekdays from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. 18.2¢ per kWh

Under ULO pricing, customers are charged according to the day of the week and time of day that they use electricity, but with an ultra-low overnight rate that encourages high electricity-usage activities, such as charging electric vehicles, to be done overnight. ULO price periods are the same in the winter as they are in the summer.

There are four different ULO price periods:

  • Ultra-low overnight
  • Weekend off-peak
  • Mid-peak
  • On-peak

ULO rates, which are set by the Ontario Energy Board (OEB), currently change once a year (November 1).

To learn more about ULO rates, visit our electricity rates page.

ULO price periods are the same in the winter as they are in the summer — the following pricing is in effect from November 1, 2023 to April 30, 2024
ULO period Hours Price
Ultra-low overnight Everyday from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. 2.8¢ per kWh
Weekend off-peak Weekends and holidays from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. 8.7¢ per kWh
Mid-peak Weekdays from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. 12.2¢ per kWh
On-peak Weekdays from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. 28.6¢ per kWh

Tiered pricing separates electricity consumption into two price tiers. Customers are charged one rate for electricity usage up to a certain amount of consumption (or threshold) per month, and a higher rate for electricity used above that amount. Both the rates and the price threshold — the amount of electricity consumption that is charged at the lower price — are set by the OEB. The rates change once a year (November 1), while the price threshold changes twice (May 1 and November 1).

To learn more about Tiered rates, visit our electricity rates page.

Winter Tiered pricing thresholds in effect from November 1, 2023 to April 30, 2024
Price tier Description Price
Tier 1 Non-residential customers: for electricity used up to 750 kWh/month 10.3¢ per kWh
Tier 2 Non-residential customers: for electricity used above 750 kWh/month 12.5¢ per kWh

Frequently asked questions

Only you can decide which price plan is right for your business, since only you know how you plan to use electricity in the future. Some of the factors to consider when deciding which plan may be right for your business include:

  • How many hours does your business operate?
  • When does your business need electricity the most?
  • Does your business use electric vehicles that need charging overnight?
  • Is it convenient for your business to shift high electricity-usage activities to evenings and weekends, or even overnight?

The Ontario Energy Board (OEB) created an online calculator to help customers make their decision. The calculator is available on the OEB website.

Effective date of your price plan change

When your change is receivedWhen the change will take effect
At least 10 calendar days before the beginning of your next billing periodAs of your next billing period
Less than 10 calendar days before the beginning of your next billing periodBy the second billing period after your change has been received

If you don't make a change online or complete the Customer Choice Request Form, you'll remain on your current price plan.

Customers are able to change back to their previous price plan, or a different one, if they choose.

Please note that changes will not be reflected until your next billing period, at the earliest. If you make a change less than 10 days before the start of your next billing period, then the change may not take effect until the second billing period after your change has been received.

Once we receive your request, we'll notify you within 10 business days regarding:

  1. When your chosen price plan will take effect; or
  2. Why we could not process your request

If you look at the Electricity line on your bill, you'll either see it broken down into Time-of-Use rates (on-peak, mid-peak, off-peak), Ultra-Low Overnight rates (ultra-low overnight, mid-peak, on-peak, weekend off-peak) or Tiered rates. If it's not showing the option you selected, then your price plan hasn't been changed yet.

Note: Please allow up to 10 business days for the change to be processed. For more information about when your change will be reflected on your bill, please refer to the FAQ above.

If you're the primary account holder on the bill, you can make the change by following the instructions in the How to change price plans section of this page.

If your tenant is the account holder and pays the electricity bill, then you can update your preference using our Electricity Service Agreement for Owners/Landlords/Property Owners (PDF, 67 KB). When your tenant moves out, we’ll automatically update the price plan to the option you’ve selected on the form.

Customers who have signed a retailer contract aren't eligible to change their price plan.

If you would like to change to a Regulated Price Plan option, you would need to cancel your current retailer contract and apply for the price plan of your choice. Please note that regardless of which plan you select, your first bill will be charged on the Time-of-Use price plan.

If you've previously applied for the Regulated Price Plan (RPP) for a multi-unit premises billed to one meter, you can request to change your price plan by emailing billingspecialist@torontohydro.com.

If you haven't previously submitted an RPP request form, please read our RPP frequently asked questions to determine if you're eligible to enrol in the RPP.

After we've processed your move request, you can change your price plan by following the instructions in the How to change price plans section of this page.

You can also contact our Customer Care team at 416-542-8000 (press 3) and speak with a representative to make the change as part of your move.