Industrial Conservation Initiative (ICI)

The Industrial Conservation Initiative (ICI) is a demand response program aimed at shifting large electricity users’ consumption to off-peak hours. This allows these customers to manage their global adjustment (GA) costs by reducing demand during peak periods.  

Ontario’s electricity system is built to meet the highest demand periods of the year. By reducing demand during peak periods, ICI participants can both reduce their global adjustment costs and help defer the need for investments in new electricity infrastructure that would otherwise be needed.

Customers who participate in the ICI, referred to as Class A, pay GA based on their percentage contribution to the top five peak Ontario demand hours (i.e. peak demand factor) over a 12-month base period.

Eligibility

Each cycle of the ICI starts with a base period from May 1 to April 30. At the end of this period, customers are assessed for eligibility.

Customers will receive an information package via e-mail no later than May 31 which will contain their peak demand factor and an ICI Analyzer that compares Class A vs B using their historical data. This information should be used to determine if you will opt-in or opt-out of the program for the following adjustment period (July 1 to June 30).

In order to be eligible all submission forms must be received by Hydro Ottawa no later than June 15. A self-declaration form will be available on this page as of June 1, 2024

Customers who are eligible to participate in ICI include:

• Account(s) with an average monthly peak demand greater than 500 kW and less than 1 MW are eligible to opt-in to the ICI dependent on their NAICS code. In order to be eligible NAICS code must commence with the digits “31”, “32”, “33” or “114”.
• Account(s) with an average monthly peak demand greater than 1MW and less than or equal to 5MW are eligible to opt-in to the ICI.
• Account(s) with an average monthly peak demand greater than 5MW are automatically considered Class A customers and must opt-out if they choose not to participate in the ICI.

Separate facilities that don’t serve a single function cannot be aggregated in order for a customer to qualify as Class A (even if they are under the same ownership).

Resources

All requirements related to the ICI can be found in Ontario Regulation 429/04, amended by Ontario Regulation 257/22.

Further information on Class A eligibility, including backgrounder information, Frequently Asked Questions and a peak tracker tool is available on the Independent Electricity System Operator’s (IESO) website.

More information on the GA is available on the IESO’s website.

Assistance with determining your NAICS code can be found at Statistics Canada's website.
 

If you have any questions, please reach out to us at [email protected].