Your bill and rates explained
Your electricity bill includes several components: from the price of electricity itself to delivery charges, rebates and taxes. This page explains who receives each portion of your bill payment, outlines your rate plan options, and breaks down delivery and other charges. You’ll also find sample bills and tools to help you compare plans and manage your energy use with confidence.
Compare rate plans
Switch your rate plan
Hydro Ottawa service charges
Want to know more about various charges that may appear on your bill? View a full list of Hydro Ottawa’s service fees.
Electricity: Regulated Price Plan (RPP) options
Customer Choice is an Ontario Energy Board (OEB) initiative that allows eligible customers to choose the electricity rate plan that best matches their energy habits and lifestyle. Residential customers billed under the RPP can choose from:
Expand the below sections to see prices/rates and sample bills.
Prices vary based on when you use electricity. This plan reflects changes in electricity demand throughout the day.
| TOU Price Periods | Winter (Nov. 1 to April 30) | Summer (May 1 - Oct. 31) | TOU Prices Effective November 1, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Off-peak | Weekdays 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Weekends and holidays all day | Weekdays 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Weekends and holidays all day | 9.8 ¢/kWh |
| Mid-peak | Weekdays 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Weekdays 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. | 15.7 ¢/kWh |
| On-peak | Weekdays 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. | Weekdays 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. | 20.3 ¢/kWh |
View a sample Time-of-Use bill →
Pay a fixed rate for electricity up to a set monthly threshold. If you exceed the threshold, you pay a higher rate for additional usage.
| Tier Thresholds | Winter (Nov. 1 to April 30) | Summer (May 1 to Oct. 31) | Tiered Prices Effective November 1, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | First 1,000 kWh/month | First 600 kWh/month | 12.0 ¢/kWh |
| Tier 2 | For electricity used above 1,000 kWh/month | For electricity used above 600 kWh/month | 14.2 ¢/kWh |
View a sample Tiered bill →
Ultra-Low Overnight (ULO): Ideal for customers who use most of their electricity overnight, such as electric vehicle owners. This plan offers a significantly lower rate overnight in exchange for higher rates during peak hours.
| ULO price periods | All year | ULO Prices Effective November 1, 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Ultra-low overnight | Everyday 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. | 3.9 ¢/kWh |
| Weekend off-peak | Weekends and holidays 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. | 9.8 ¢/kWh |
| Mid-peak | Weekdays 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. | 15.7 ¢/kWh |
| On-peak | Weekdays 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. | 39.1 ¢/kWh |
View a sample Ultra-Low Overnight bill →
Interim Delivery & Regulatory Charges
These charges cover the cost of getting electricity from the generating station to your home. That includes maintaining transmission and distribution lines, operating provincial and local electricity systems, and accounting for line losses (small amounts of electricity lost as it travels through the grid).
Delivery charge breakdown (Interim rates):
- Transmission: $0.0198/kWh
- Hydro Ottawa other charges (non-RPP): $0.0000/kWh
- Hydro Ottawa monthly service charge: $34.26/month
- Smart meter entity charge: $0.42/month
- Low-voltage services charge: $0.00005/kWh
- Delivery line loss charge: 3.38% of total electricity charge
Regulatory charges:
Set by the OEB to recover the costs of administering the wholesale electricity system and maintaining reliability ($0.0053/kWh). If you do not purchase your electricity from a retailer, an additional $0.25 monthly administration fee applies.
- Ontario Electricity Rebate: A 23.5 per cent rebate applied before tax for eligible customers.
- HST (13 per cent): Applied to the total bill.
Additional service charges may appear depending on your situation:
[View all service charges →]
Hydro Ottawa keeps only the portion of the bill related to distribution. We collect and pass along other charges without markup to:
- Electricity generators
- Transmission providers
- Regulators like the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) and the Ontario Ministry of Energy
- Provincial and federal governments
Additional rate information
MyAccount Rate Plan Comparison Tool →
Compare your actual electricity costs under TOU and Tiered pricing using your real usage data. No manual data entry is needed.
Ontario Energy Board Bill Calculator →
Use this tool to estimate your monthly costs under the ULO rate plan.
Reminder: Savings depend on how much electricity you use and when you use it. Consider your usage habits and seasonal variations when comparing plans.
You can switch between TOU, ULO or Tiered pricing at any time.
How to switch rate plans:
- Log in to MyAccount.
- Choose “Manage Rate Plan” and follow the prompts.
Other ways to switch rate plans:
If you prefer, you can also request a rate plan change by:
- Email: Send your completed and signed fillable PDF form to [email protected]
- Phone: Call (613) 738-6400 (weekdays 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturdays 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.)
- Mail: Print and mail your signed form to:
Hydro Ottawa
PO Box 8700
Ottawa, ON K1G 3S4
Attn: Customer Service – Rate Selection Form
Are you on net metering?
View a sample net metering bill or learn more about net metering →