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Choosing your electricity price plan

Published: July 17, 2026

Summary

  • Customer Choice is an Ontario Energy Board (OEB) initiative that lets customers choose the electricity pricing plan that works best for them: Time-of-Use (TOU), Ultra-Low Overnight (ULO) or Tiered pricing
  • TOU and Tiered plans have different price periods in the summer (May 1 to October 31) and winter (November 1 to April 30), while ULO price period stays the same year-round
  • When choosing a plan, think about when your household uses electricity most, whether you can shift energy use to certain times of day, your overall electricity usage and whether you own an electric vehicle

 

Did you know you can choose the electricity price plan that best fits your household’s energy needs? This article highlights key considerations to help residential customers make an informed decision.

Through Customer Choice, an Ontario Energy Board (OEB) initiative, most residential customers enrolled in the Regulated Price Plan can select the pricing option that best aligns with their lifestyle and electricity usage habits.

Whether you charge an electric vehicle overnight, do laundry during off-peak hours or simply prefer more flexibility in when you use electricity, there’s a price plan that may help you manage your electricity costs more effectively.

Your price plan options

Time-of-Use (TOU) rates

TOU pricing charges customers according to the day of the week and time of day that they use electricity. This price plan may benefit you if you shift high-electricity-usage activities, such as doing laundry or running the dishwasher, to off-peak periods, which are charged at a lower rate.

Chart showing Ontario time-of-use electricity pricing periods. On weekdays, off-peak hours are overnight (7 p.m. to 7 a.m.), while on-peak and mid-peak hours vary by season. Weekends and statutory holidays are off-peak all day. Colours indicate off-peak (green), mid-peak (light beige), and on-peak (gold).

Ultra-Low Overnight (ULO) rates

ULO offers customers rates based on ultra-low overnight, mid-peak, on-peak and weekend off-peak pricing. This may benefit you if you shift high-electricity-usage activities, such as charging electric vehicles, doing laundry or running the dishwasher, to lower-demand periods overnight. ULO price periods are the same in the summer as they are in the winter.

Chart showing the Ultra-Low Overnight electricity pricing plan. On weekdays, overnight hours are ultra-low overnight, daytime hours are mostly mid-peak with an on-peak period from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., and overnight pricing resumes at 11 p.m. Weekends and statutory holidays are weekend off-peak during the day and ultra-low overnight at night. Colours indicate ultra-low overnight (blue-green), weekend off-peak (dark green), mid-peak (light beige), and on-peak (gold).

Tiered rates

Tiered pricing separates electricity consumption into two price tiers. Customers are charged one rate for electricity usage up to a certain amount of consumption (or threshold) per month, and a higher rate for electricity used above that amount. This price plan may benefit you if you prefer to have the flexibility to use electricity at any time of day.

Chart showing the Tiered electricity pricing plan. Residential customers pay Tier 1 rates up to 600 kWh in summer and up to 1,000 kWh in winter, with Tier 2 rates applying to usage above those thresholds. Small business customers pay Tier 1 rates up to 750 kWh, with Tier 2 rates applying to additional usage. Colours indicate Tier 1 (green) and Tier 2 (gold).

What are summer and winter price periods?

Summer and winter price periods change with the seasons, so that on-peak rates align with when electricity demand in the province is typically highest. This helps encourage electricity use during lower-demand periods, reducing strain on the grid and supporting a reliable electricity system.

  • From May 1 to October 31 each year, summer price periods are in effect for TOU and Tiered price plans
  • From November 1 to April 30 each year, winter price periods are in effect for TOU and Tiered price plans
  • The Ultra-Low Overnight price plan remains the same year-round, meaning there are no summer and winter price periods

What to consider when choosing a price plan

With TOU and ULO, consider when you use electricity. You can help manage your electricity costs by shifting your usage to lower price periods when possible. With Tiered, consider how much electricity you use overall in a month.

Compare and change your price plan

We make it easy to compare and change your price plan in our self-serve portal.

To review or change your current price plan, simply:

  1. Log in to our self-serve portal. If you don't have an existing account, register for access
  2. Select “Track my energy use.”
  3. Click “Pricing comparison.”

For more information
For further details on how to choose your price plan, as well as factors to consider and tools that can help you decide, visit our Customer Choice web page. To view current electricity rates, visit our Residential rates and charges web page.

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