You have two options for electricity supply.
You can buy electricity from Hydro Ottawa through the Regulated Price Plan (RPP) where prices are set by the Ontario Energy Board (OEB), or sign a contract with a company that sells electricity, also known as an electricity retailer.
If you buy your electricity under the RPP, there are different types of price plans to choose from: Time-of-use (TOU), Tiered, or Ultra-low overnight (ULO) rates.
Time-of-Use (TOU) – TOU has three price periods, and you pay a different rate for electricity depending on the time of day and day of the week you consume it. Prices are highest during on-peak, when energy demand and cost is high, medium during mid-peak, when energy demand and cost is moderate, and lowest during off-peak when energy demand and cost is low.
Ultra-Low Overnight (ULO) – Similar to TOU rates, under ULO, the price depends on when you use electricity. ULO has an additional price period, 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.
This plan could be beneficial to those who consume a major portion of their electricity overnight, or to those who charge an electric vehicle overnight.
Tiered rates – 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’’. Once you exceed the monthly threshold, you are billed at a higher rate per kWh for all additional electricity used in that month.
Residential and small business customers are automatically part of the RPP unless they choose to purchase their electricity from an electricity retailer.