Customer Choice Small Business

You are able to select your rate choice by completing this form:

CUSTOMER CHOICE FORM

Residential and Small Business electricity customers are able to choose a rate plan that best suits their lifestyle and household energy needs by giving them the option of choosing between Time-of-Use, Tiered or Ultra-Low Overnight rates.

Time-of-Use rates (TOU)

With TOU prices, the price depends on when you use electricity.  

There are three TOU price periods:

• Off-peak, when demand for electricity is lowest. This price applies in the evenings on weekdays and all day on weekends.
  Every household and small business is different, but on average, Ontario households use nearly two thirds of their electricity during off-peak hours.
• Mid-peak, when demand for electricity is moderate. These periods are during the daytime, but not the busiest times of day.
• On-peak, when demand for electricity is generally higher. These are the busier times of day - generally when people are cooking, starting up their computers and running heaters or air conditioners.

With TOU pricing, you can help manage your electricity costs by shifting your usage to lower price periods when possible.

People use electricity differently depending on the season, so the TOU price periods are different in the summer (May 1 to October 31) than they are in the winter (November 1 to April 30). 

Tiered Rates

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

The threshold normally changes with the season to reflect changing usage patterns - for example, there are fewer hours of daylight in the winter and some customers use electric heating. During 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 the lower price. In the summer period (May 1 - October 31), the Tier threshold for residential customers is 600 kWh. The Tier threshold for small business customers is 750 kWh all year round.

Ultra-Low Overnight Rates (ULO)

Customers who choose this plan will be billed according to the day of the week and time of day they use electricity, but with an ultra-low overnight rate that encourages high electricity usage activities overnight when province-wide electricity demand is lower.

There are four ULO price periods:

• ULO 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 rates you can help manage your electricity costs by shifting your usage to lower price periods when possible, such as charging electric vehicles, doing laundry or running the dishwasher.

The pricing schedule fur ULO rates stays the same all year and does not change during different seasons like TOU and Tiered rates do.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR CUSTOMER CHOICE?

All residential and small business customers who pay RPP (Regulated Price Plan) rates are eligible. Customers who are not billed RPP rates, such as retailer enrolled customers, are not eligible.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TIME-OF-USE, TIERED AND ULTRA-LOW OVERNIGHT RATES?

The Ontario Energy Board (OEB) sets Time-of-Use, Tiered and Ultra-Low Overnight rates as part of the Regulated Price Plan (RPP) in November of every year.

HOW DO I SELECT MY RATE CHOICE?

You are able to select your rate choice by completing this form:

CUSTOMER CHOICE FORM

Or if you prefer, you may use the PDF version of the form. Please open the election form, fill in your information, save the form, and then email it to billing@npei.ca. Please contact us at billing@npei.ca, or at 1-877-270-3938 if you require further assistance.

The election form can also be found in the NPEI MyAccount Portal.

There is no deadline to submit the form, and you may select and change your rate plan at any time.

If you wish to remain on Time-of use (TOU) pricing, there will be no action required.

WHERE CAN I FIND MORE INFORMATION TO HELP ME MAKE AN INFORMED DECISION ON WHICH RATE OPTION IS BEST FOR ME?

You will be able to choose a plan that best fits your lifestyle and household energy needs, which may result in some cost savings depending on your electricity consumption behaviours. There is no guarantee you will save money if you switch from TOU to Tiered or Ultra-Low Overnight prices. The total bill impact of switching will vary depending on how much electricity you consume in a month and when it is consumed during the day.

To find out how much energy you use, and when you use it please visit NPEI's MyAccount customer portal, or if you don't yet have an online account please register today.

You can compare Time-of-Use, Tiered and Ultra-Low Overnight pricing by using the Ontario Energy Board's bill calculator available at https://www.oeb.ca/rates-and-your-bill/bill-calculator.  

The Ontario Energy Board has more information available at www.oeb.ca/choice.