Choose Your Rate Option

Residential and Small Business customers can choose from three pricing options: Time-of-Use Pricing, Tiered Pricing, or Ultra-Low Overnight Pricing.

Use the Ontario Energy Board bill calculator to see what your total bill would look like with Time-of-Use (TOU), Tiered, and Ultra-Low Overnight (ULO) prices. 

Choose the rate option that's right for you

A few tips:

  • With TOU and ULO pricing, you can help manage your electricity costs by shifting your usage to lower off-peak price periods when possible.
  • If you have an electric vehicle that you charge at home overnight, ULO rates may be best for you, because you'll be able to take advantage of the very low-priced overnight period.
  • If you live in a smaller home and don't typically use a lot of electricity (less than 700 kilowatt-hours per month), choosing Tiered rates may lower your total bill, because you won't consume enough to hit the threshold for the higher rate.

Tools to help you make an informed choice

Use the Ontario Energy Board bill calculator to see what your total bill would look like with Time-of-Use, Tiered, and Ultra-Low Overnight prices.

  • You'll need your Alectra Utilities bill, or several months of bills. To use the calculator most effectively, you'll want to know how much electricity you use and when you use it. You can find this information on the Electricity line of your bills or in MyEnergy View.
  • Remember, your monthly use and usage pattern may be different in the winter season than it is in the summer season.

 

Choose Your Rate Option

You can opt-out of Time-of-Use pricing and switch to Tiered pricing or Ultra-Low Overnight pricing one of these ways:

Log in to MyEnergy View

You can switch your Rate Option in MyEnergy View and select Billing Optionality.

Sign-up for MyEnergy View

All you need is your Alectra Utilities (formerly Guelph Hydro) account number to sign-up. Right away you'll be able to switch your Rate Option in the Billing Optionality menu.

Sign up Now
Submit a Rate Option Selection form

Online, by email, or by postal mail.

Residential Customer

Small Business Customer

We're here to help

Call Alectra Utilities (formerly Guelph Hydro) Customer Service at 519-822-3010 during business hours, Monday to Friday for assistance with submitting your selection.

 

FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between Time-of-Use, Tiered, and Ultra-Low Overnight price plans?

With Time-of-Use Pricing (TOU), the price depends on the time of day and day of the week you use electricity. There are three TOU price periods:

  • On-peak, when demand for electricity is generally higher;
  • Mid-peak, when demand for electricity is moderate; and
  • Off-peak, when demand for electricity is generally lower.

TOU price periods change twice a year in summer (May 1 to October 31) and in winter (November 1 to April 30). The electricity you use from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. every day and all day on weekends and holidays, is the lowest TOU price all year round. With TOU pricing, you can help manage your electricity costs by shifting your usage to lower price periods when possible.

 

With Tiered Pricing, you can use a certain amount of electricity each month at a lower price. Once that limit (threshold) is exceeded, a higher price applies.

  • The monthly Tier threshold for residential consumers changes twice a year: 600 kilowatt-hours during the summer period (May 1 to October 31); 1,000 kilowatt-hours during the winter period (November 1 to April 30).
  • The monthly Tier threshold for small business consumers is 750 kilowatt-hours all year round.

Tiered prices give you the flexibility to use electricity any time of day at the same price, although that price will change if you exceed the threshold during the month.

 

With Ultra-Low Overnight Pricing (ULO), there are four price periods: On-peak, Mid-peak, Weekend Off-peak, and Ultra-Low Overnight.

The ultra-low overnight period is between 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. every day, when demand for electricity is lowest on average, and there is a higher on-peak price for consumption between 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on weekdays, when demand is usually higher.

The ULO price periods are the same all year round. With ULO pricing, you can help manage your electricity costs by shifting high usage activities, like electric vehicle charging, to lower price periods when possible.

 

Time-of-Use, Tiered, and Ultra-Low Overnight prices are set by the Ontario Energy Board once a year on November 1.
I like Time-of-Use and don't want to switch my pricing option. Do I have to do anything?
No. If you choose to stay on Time-of-Use Pricing you don't have to let us know, it's our default pricing option.
When do I have to tell Alectra I want to switch rate plans? Is there a deadline?

You can let us know any time. After you submit a request, we will make every effort to apply your selection to your next electricity statement. If the current month's bill is already in process it will be applied on the following bill.

More than one Rate Option Selection cannot be processed in one monthly billing cycle.
What if I change my mind? Am I locked into a price plan?

No, you're not locked into a price plan. You can switch between Time-of-Use, Tiered and Ultra-Low Overnight Pricing at any time. However, more than one Rate Option Selection cannot be processed in one monthly billing cycle.
I have a Retail Energy Contract. Can I switch my rate option?
No, if you have signed a contract with an energy retailer for your electricity supply, you have agreed to purchase electricity at a fixed price for a set period of time. When your contract ends and if you return to the Regulated Price Plan you will have the option to switch your rate.
I'm a new customer. How do I choose a rate option?
If you are a new customer, your default rate plan will be Time-of-Use unless you select Tiered or Ultra-Low Overnight Pricing when you tell us you're moving. Use our online form to let us know you're moving and your Rate Option selection.

What is the Ultra-Low Overnight price plan?

In April 2023, the Ontario Energy Board (OEB) announced a new electricity price plan, Ultra-Low Overnight (ULO), which offers more choice to residential and small business customers. The OEB provided a phased-in approach to offering the ULO price plan from May 1, 2023 to November 1, 2023 to allow electricity utilities time to implement the new plan. All Ontario utilities must offer ULO to their customers by November 1, 2023. Alectra Utilities is meeting our regulatory obligations by offering ULO to our customers in Fall 2023. 

The ULO price plan, offered in addition to the Time-of-Use (TOU) and Tiered price plans, has four price periods: On-peak, Mid-peak, Weekend Off-peak, and Ultra-Low Overnight. 

The ultra-low overnight period is between 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. every day, when demand for electricity is lowest on average, and there is a higher on-peak price for consumption between 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on weekdays, when demand is usually higher.

The ULO price periods are the same all year round. With ULO pricing, you can help manage your electricity costs by shifting high usage activities, like electric vehicle charging, to lower price periods when possible.