Everything you need to know ahead of Ontario’s electricity rates dropping, rebate reduction

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The province is reducing its electricity rebate to consumers, while winter pricing for electricity is simultaneously reduced.  

Starting Nov. 1, the Ontario Electricity Rebate (OER) will be lowered by nearly 8%, plummeting from covering 23.5% of electricity bills for all residential, farms and small businesses to 15.7%. 

“Electricity prices under the OEB’s (Regulated Price Plan) are decreasing year-over-year, which allows for a reduction in the OER,” the Ontario Energy Board said. “The overall rate of increase for customer bills will remain consistent with previous years. For a typical residential customer who uses 700 (kilowatt hours) of electricity per month, the OER will decrease bills by about $23 each month.”

The OEB is part of the provincial public sector and operates as an independent Crown agency and regulatory body of the Ontario government. 

Winter-time pricing, which begins on Nov. 1 and ends on April 30, is also going down the same day.  

This year, the off-peak hour rate will be 9.1 cents per kilowatt hour. Last year, the rate was 9.8 cents per kilowatt hour. Off-peak hours are termed as weekdays between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m., and all day weekends and holidays.  

The price for mid-peak service will be 14.6 cents per kilowatt hour, between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays.  Last year, the mid-peak charge was 15.7 cents per kilowatt-hour.

On-peak periods, which run between 7 a.m. and 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. on weekdays, will cost 18.9 cents per kilowatt hour. In 2025, that rate was 20.3 cents per kilowatt hour.  

Other plans

Consumers using the Ultra Low Overnight (ULO) plan will pay 3.7 cents per kilowatt hour during the hours of 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. daily. Last year, the cost was 3.9 cents per kilowatt hour.  

The tiered plan is where residential customers spend 11.2 cents per kilowatt hour for the first 1,000 kilowatt hours consumed, which is down from 12 cents last year. Residents will pay 13.2 cents per kilowatt hour for every additional hour used, down a full cent over last year.  

ganderson@postmedia.com

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