Ontario Construction News staff writer
Ontario’s off-peak electricity rate of 8.2 cents per kilowatt hour will be around the clock for 21 days. That means the 24-hour rate is less than half the on-peak charge.
“Families and small businesses will benefit from 21 days of electricity rate relief as our government implements the off-peak rate,” said Todd Smith, minister of energy.
“The off-peak rate, which is less than half the on-peak rate, will provide immediate savings as Ontarians spend more time at home and work together to slow the spread of the Omicron variant.”
Electricity customers won’t have to do anything to benefit from the rate cut, it will be applied automatically on the bills of residential customers, small businesses and farms who pay regulated rates set by the Ontario Energy Board (OEB).
Implementation of the off-peak rate builds on existing programs introduced by government to reduce electricity prices including the Ontario Electricity Rebate (OER), which provides a 17 per cent rebate on the subtotal of the electricity bill of eligible customers including households, small businesses and farms. Eligible customers will continue to benefit from the OER while off-peak pricing is in place.
“We extend our thanks to Local Distribution Companies, as well as the Ontario Energy Board who have worked quickly to ensure the off-peak rate is applied automatically to bills, providing a seamless experience for both Time-of-Use and Tiered customers, ” said Smith.
The government has also ensured that gas and electricity utilities disconnection bans reman in place until April 30.