Rate Options
Residential and small business customers who are billed under the provincial Regulated Price Plan (RPP) can choose between Time-of-Use (TOU), Ultra-Low Overnight, or Tiered pricing for their electricity. The Electric Vehicle Charging (EVC) Rate is only available for eligible electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in Ontario.
Residential and small business customers who choose to be billed under the Time-of-Use (TOU) pricing structure pay different rates for electricity consumed during different times of the day. There are three TOU periods:
- on-peak
- mid-peak
- off-peak
Prices are highest during on-peak, lower during mid-peak, and lowest during off-peak. TOU prices encourage households and small businesses to use electricity during lower-cost time periods (ex. running your dishwasher and doing laundry at night).
TOU prices are set to be cheapest when demand is lower: during the evenings, on weekends, and on holidays. TOU price periods are different in the summer than they are in the winter.
Effective May 1, 2026 to October 31, 2026
| TOU Price Period | Winter (Nov. 1 to April 30) | Summer (May 1 - Oct. 31) | TOU Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Residential and small business customers who choose to be billed under the tiered pricing structure pay a set rate for the electricity they consume up to a kilowatt-hour (kWh) threshold per month. Customers that exceed this monthly threshold are billed at a higher rate per kWh for all additional electricity consumed.
Tiered prices give you the flexibility to use electricity at any time of day at the same price, although that price will change if you exceed the threshold during the month.
Tiered Rates and Thresholds
For residential customers, the threshold changes with the season to reflect changing usage patterns. In the winter period (November 1 – April 30), the tier threshold for residential customers is 1,000 kWh so that households can use more power at a lower price. In the summer period (May 1 – October 31), the Tier threshold for residential customers is 600 kWh.
Effective May 1, 2026 to October 31, 2026
| Tier Threshold | Winter (Nov. 1 to April 30) | Summer (May 1 - Oct. 31) | Tiered Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | Residential – first 1,000 kWh/month / Small business – first 750 kWh/month | Residential – first 600 kWh/month | 12.0¢/kWh |
| Tier 2 | Residential – for electricity used above 1,000 kWh/month / Small business – for electricity used above 750 kWh/month | Residential – for electricity used above 600 kWh/month | 14.2¢/kWh |
With Ultra-Low Overnight (ULO) pricing, the price depends on when you use electricity. You can help manage your electricity costs by shifting your usage to lower price periods when possible. There are four price periods:
- Ultra-Low Overnight: When demand for electricity is lowest on average
- Weekend Off-peak: When demand for electricity is generally lower
- Mid-peak: When demand for electricity is moderate
- On-peak: When demand for electricity is highest on average
With ULO, the price periods remain the same all year round.
Effective May 1, 2026 to October 31, 2026
| ULO Price Period | All Year | ULO Price |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
If you own or operate a commercial electric vehicle (EV) charging station, you may be eligible for the new Electric Vehicle Charging (EVC) Rate.
The EVC Rate is an electricity delivery rate designed specifically for eligible EV charging stations in Ontario to better reflect the transmission costs of serving EV chargers with low load factors. It reduces the Retail Transmission Service Rates (RTSRs) paid by participating EV charging stations.
Who is eligible for the EVC Rate?
EV charging stations must meet all the following criteria to participate in the EVC Rate:
- Have at least one Direct Current Fast Charger,
- Ensure that at least 90% of total monthly peak demand is attributable to EV charging,
- Have a monthly peak demand between 50 kW and 4,999 kW,
- Have a 12-month average load factor of 20% or less,
- Must not primarily serve commercial/public sector EV fleets, and
- Any distributed energy resource behind the account’s meter must not exceed the station’s annual peak demand.
Who is considered a “customer” under the EVC Rate?
A “customer” refers to the owner or operator of an EV charging station whose facilities are connected to or are intended to be connected to an electricity distributor’s distribution system. A customer is not the end-user of the EV charging service, such as the driver of a vehicle that uses the EV charging station.
How is the EVC Rate calculated?
The EVC Rate reduces the RTSRs that participating EV charging stations would otherwise pay. RTSRs are part of the electricity bill.
Participating customers will pay 17% of the RTSR that other customers in a distributor’s General Service 50 kW to 4,999 kW class will pay. In other words, if a customer’s base RTSR is $100/kW, it would instead pay $17/kW under the EVC Rate.
The EVC Rate better aligns the RTSRs paid by participating EV charging stations with the transmission system costs incurred to serve them.
How do I apply for the EVC Rate?
You must complete an EVC Rate Opt-In Form and submit it via email to info@erthpower.com.
The Choice is Yours
Considering a switch? Learn more about Tiered, Time-of-Use, and Ultra-Low Overnight pricing to determine which one best suits your consumption behavior. Visit the Ontario Energy Board’s website.
