FAQs

Customer Choice is an Ontario Energy Board (OEB) initiative that allows Regulated Price Plan (RPP) customers to choose their electricity price plan.

Residential, net-metered, and small business customers billed under the RPP can choose the electricity rate that best meets their energy needs and lifestyle: Time-of-use, Tiered or Ultra-low overnight prices.

You can choose a rate plan if you’re a residential, small business or farm customer on the Regulated Price Plan (RPP). This also includes net-metering customers.

You must have a smart meter to be billed under TOU or ULO pricing.

If you are enrolled with an electricity retailer, you are not eligible to choose between TOU, Tiered and ULO rates. This is because you pay a contracted rate set by the retailer.

For customers who live in a condo or apartment with an individual meter and your bill comes from a company other than your electricity utility, you are a customer of a unit sub-meter provider (USMP). Individual customers of a USMP cannot switch rate options (e.g., TOU, Tiered or ULO rates). That decision can only be made for the building as a whole by the “master consumer,” who is the person that retained a USMP for the property. In most cases, the master consumer is the property manager, landlord or condominium board.

Visit our Rates and Sample Bills page or check the Ontario Energy Board’s Customer Choice page for more information.

The Ontario Energy Board (OEB) sets new electricity rates under the Regulated Price Plan (RPP) once a year in November.

To learn more about the RPP rate setting, please refer to the Ontario Energy Board.

Under TOU, your rate depends on whether you use electricity during on-peak, mid-peak or off-peak periods of the day. Learn more about TOU.

Shift high-use activities (laundry, dishwashing) to off-peak hours (evenings, weekends).

Under tiered rates, you can use a certain amount of electricity each month at a lower rate up to a predetermined kilowatt-hour (kWh) amount called a ‘’threshold’’. Usage above the monthly threshold is billed at a higher rate per kWh. Learn more about tiered pricing.

Tiered pricing may suit customers who use more power during the day or can’t shift their usage. Use the rate plan comparison tool in MyAccount to compare plans based on your usage.

ULO has an additional price period, a different set of rates and offers an ultra-low overnight rate in exchange for a higher on-peak rate.

With ULO pricing you are charged according to the day of the week and time of day that you use electricity. There are four price periods: on-peak, mid-peak, weekend off-peak, and ultra-low-overnight. The ULO plan sets a very low price for the overnight period, however, the on-peak price is significantly higher. Learn more about ULO.

Customers who use more electricity overnight (e.g., EV charging or running appliances late at night) get the most out of our ULO plan.

Yes, there are two different online tools available to help customers make a choice and compare TOU, tiered, and ULO rate plans:
 • Our rate plan comparison tool (in MyAccount) - uses your consumption data to show you the electricity cost difference (in percentage) under TOU or Tiered prices for your account. Ultra-low overnight (ULO) rates are not available in the MyAccount rate plan comparison tool.
 • The OEB’s bill calculator - compares estimated monthly costs under TOU, Tiered or ULO.

Summer (May 1 - Oct 31): On-peak weekdays 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Winter (Nov 1 - Apr 30): On-peak weekdays 7 - 11 a.m. and 5 - 7 p.m.
Mid-peak weekdays  11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Off-peak: Weekdays 7 p.m. - 7 a.m.; Weekends/Holidays: Off-peak all day.

To submit a request, you’ll need:

• Your Hydro Ottawa account number (first 10 digits)
• The service address (as it appears on your bill)
• Authorization to make changes on the account

Submit your request:
 • Online (fastest): Log in to MyAccount → Manage rate plan
 • Email: Send signed PDF form to [email protected]
 • Phone: (613) 738-6400 (weekdays 8 a.m.- 8 p.m.; Saturdays 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.)
 • Mail: Send the signed and completed printed form to:
Hydro Ottawa
PO Box 8700
Ottawa, ON K1G 3S4 
Attn: Customer Service – Rate Selection Form

We process valid requests within 10 business days. Your new rate will appear on your next bill or the one after, depending on your billing cycle.
For example:

If your billing period is from November 15 to December 14, and you requested to change your rate plan on November 24, your new rate plan will be effective on December 15.

The date on which you should start using electricity based on your new rate plan is the first day of your billing period on your new rate plan. 

Yes, following the prescribed process and timelines, you can change your rate plan at any time.

Note: If you have already submitted a rate change request, you need to wait until this initial request has been fully processed before submitting another one.

Electricity retailers are private companies that sell electricity under contract (separate from Hydro Ottawa). They set their own terms and prices.

An electricity retailer contract covers only some parts of your bill. You will continue to pay other charges to Hydro Ottawa regardless of whether you sign a contract with an electricity retailer.

We deliver electricity and maintain the local grid. Retailers only supply the electricity portion of your bill. Delivery, regulatory and tax charges remain the same and you will receive a bill from Hydro Ottawa with all charges listed.

If you have a contract with an electricity retailer, your electricity retailer’s name and phone number will be listed in the ‘’For Your Information’’ box of your electricity bill.