Ottawa households take note: Ontario winter electricity prices take effect today as rebate drops to 15.7%

Winter electricity prices announced by the Ontario Energy Board (OEB) on October 16 take effect today, November 1, bringing two changes at once for Ottawa households: regulated commodity prices fall, but the Ontario Electricity Rebate (OER) also drops, from 23.5% to 15.7%. The new prices apply to households, small businesses and farms on the Regulated Price Plan, with winter time bands in effect through April 30.

New time-of-use and tiered prices

Under time-of-use pricing, off-peak power costs 9.1 cents per kWh (weekdays 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., and all day on weekends and holidays), mid-peak 14.6 cents (weekdays 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.) and on-peak 18.9 cents (weekdays 7 to 11 a.m. and 5 to 7 p.m.). Under tiered pricing, residential customers pay 11.2 cents for the first 1,000 kWh each month and 13.2 cents above that threshold, which rises from 600 kWh; the ultra-low overnight rate stays at 3.7 cents from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. every day.

Smaller rebate, and no guarantee of a lower bill

The board says regulated prices are decreasing year over year, which allows for a smaller rebate; for a typical residential customer using 700 kWh a month, the rebate will cut bills by about $23 a month. It also cautions that the overall pace of bill increases will remain consistent with previous years, so a lower commodity price does not by itself mean a lower total bill, which also includes delivery and other charges. A related date is November 15, when Ontario's winter disconnection ban begins: until April 30, 2027, distributors cannot disconnect residential customers for non-payment.