Toronto households will see a reshuffled electricity bill on November 1, when Ontario's winter Regulated Price Plan rates take effect for households, small businesses and farms, including Toronto Hydro customers.
Under time-of-use pricing, power will cost 9.1 cents per kilowatt-hour off-peak, 14.6 cents mid-peak and 18.9 cents on-peak. Customers on tiered pricing get a bigger winter cushion: the lower-price threshold rises from 600 to 1,000 kWh per month. The Ultra-Low Overnight plan is also repriced, at 3.7 cents overnight from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. and 37.7 cents during the weekday 4-to-9 p.m. peak.
The Ontario Electricity Rebate falls to 15.7 per cent from 23.5 per cent — a cut of nearly eight points — because the underlying price of electricity is falling year over year, the Ontario Energy Board said. For a typical customer using 700 kWh a month, the rebate will now reduce the bill by about $23 a month, roughly $275 a year, down from about $36 a month.
Energy Minister Stephen Lecce's office framed the change as relief holding steady. Spokesperson Noah Mawji said the government continues to keep electricity costs down for Ontario families, with falling winter prices and a rebate still saving an average family nearly $275 annually.
The province says the overall pace of bill increases stays consistent with previous years — meaning November's statement will look different line by line, even if the bottom line moves less than the rate card suggests.
