Electricity Rates

Not every customer’s lifestyle is the same. With that in mind, we want to let you choose the electricity pricing plan that works for you. Kitchener and Wilmot residents can also switch pricing plans through this site. You may be able to save money by switching to Tiered pricing, Time-of-Use, or the Ultra-Low Overnight Rate might be best for your family.

Customers who work different shifts or are out of the house during on-peak periods may be able to use more of their electricity at times when lower off-peak prices apply. Others may favour Tiered prices because they want the flexibility to do their household chores at any time of the day, or their total usage rarely exceeds 600 kWh in a month in summer or 1,000 kWh in a month in winter. Customers who charge electric vehicles, or businesses who consume most of their electricity overnight may benefit from the Ultra Low-Overnight Pricing Plan.

What Are My Options?

Time-of-Use

Time-of-Use pricing has three periods

• On-peak, when energy demand and cost is high,
• Mid-peak, when energy demand and cost is moderate
• Off-peak, when energy demand and cost is low.

Time-of-Use allows you control over your electricity bill. If you can adjust your usage habits to reflect the pricing periods you can save money during hours when electricity is more expensive.

Time-of-Use pricing and periods are set by the Ontario Energy Board and are updated twice annually on May 1 and November 1.

Winter 2024-2025 Time-of-Use Rates and Schedule (Effective November 1, 2024 – April 30, 2025)

Summer 2024 Time-of-Use Rates and Schedule (Effective November 1, 2023 – April 30, 2024)

Tiered Pricing

With Tiered Pricing, you can use a certain amount of electricity at one (lower) price. Once you reach that limit, called a threshold, you will be charged a higher rate for the rest of the electricity you consume during that billing period.

As a Tiered Pricing customer, you can be free to use electricity at the time of day that best suits your lifestyle.

Tiered Pricing and Thresholds are set twice annually by the Ontario Energy Board. Pricing and Thresholds change on May 1 and November 1 each year.

Winter 2024 – 2025 Tiered Pricing and Thresholds (Effective November 1, 2024 until April 30, 2025)

Summer 2024 Tiered Pricing and Thresholds (Effective May 1, 2024 until October 31, 2024)

Ultra-Low Overnight Rate

Enova customers that use more electricity at night, including shift workers and those that electrically heat their home or charge their electric vehicle, could save up to $90 per year by shifting demand to the ultra-low overnight rate period when province-wide electricity demand is lower.

The new ultra-low overnight rate, set by the Ontario Energy Board, will be 2.8 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh).

Ultra-Low Overnight Rate Pricing

What tools are available to help me decide what price plan is best for me?

Before making the switch, it is important to understand how switching pricing plans may impact your monthly bill. We want to provide you with as much information as possible and make it easy for you to compare the two pricing plans.

There are two easy-to-use online options available for you:

• Use the Rate Comparison Tool in My Account. This tool is quick and simple to use. All you need to do is log into My Account and make a few quick mouse clicks. The system does all the work for you – there’s no need to manually enter any consumption data from your previous bills.The tool is easy to use, simply follow these steps:
  – Log into My Account
  – Go to the Smart Meter section of your dashboard
  – Select the Price Comparison button

If you’re a Kitchener or Wilmot resident, access the Rate Comparison Tool through this My Account portal.

If you’re a resident of Waterloo, Wellesley, or Woolwich, access the tool through the My Account portal.

• Use the Ontario Energy Board’s online bill calculator. Unlike the My Account tool, the OEB’s calculator requires you to manually enter your consumption to receive your comparison. Be sure to have copies of your previous bills available to assist you in entering accurate consumption information.

What do I need to think about when making my choice?

There are many things to consider when choosing an electricity pricing plan. Here are some things to consider when deciding what option is best for you:

Don’t worry, if you change your mind, you can change back any time you’d like.

• Your electricity usage
  How much electricity do you use in a month? If you’re unsure, take a look at the Electricity line on your bill. You might also want to look at the historical usage graph on your bill, which shows your average daily usage over the past 12-month period.

• Your consumption patterns
  When you use electricity can be another factor in your choice. Historically, the typical residential customer who paid TOU prices has used nearly two-thirds of their power at off-peak times – the time when the lowest TOU price applies. The other third of their power used was typically split equally between on- and mid-peak times. Look at the Electricity line of your bill to see how much power you use in each of the three TOU price periods.

• Seasonal changes and time of year
  TOU price periods and Tier thresholds change with the seasons and are different during the winter (November 1 – April 30) and summer (May 1 – October 31) periods. Does the amount of electricity you use and when you use it change based on the season?

• Lifestyle and daily habits
  Are you often home during the day on weekdays, so shifting your usage is more challenging? Do you have large appliances that you need to run during the day on weekdays? Can you shift more of that usage to nighttime or weekend hours?

How do I make the switch?

If you’re currently a Time-of-Use customer, or you don’t want to make a switch, you don’t need to do anything.

However, if a change in pricing plan will be beneficial to you, it is quick and easy to make the change. Please select one of these options to make the switch:

• Switch through My Account:
  If you’re a Kitchener or Wilmot resident, visit My Account to make the switch.If you’re a Waterloo, Wellesley, or Woolwich resident, make the switch through this online portal.Please follow these instructions to switch your pricing plan:- Login to My Account
  – Click the “Price Comparison” option
  – Select  “Change My Rate Plan”
  – On the next screen you will be shown your new plan, click “Submit Change Request” and you’re all finished

• If you’re a resident of Waterloo, Wellesley, or Woolwich, complete our online Customer Choice Pricing Plan. Or fill out the PDF version of the form.
• Customers who wish to switch to the ULO pricing plan can also complete the online Customer Choice Pricing Plan to make their selection.

When you switch your price plan, the new rates will be applied on your next bill cycle. Your bill cycle date can be found on your Enova bill. 

2. Hourly Ontario Energy Price

   The Hourly Ontario Energy Price is the market hourly rate that is determined by the IESO. Your bill reflects a weighted average of all the hourly prices for the month.

   Global Adjustment

   Global adjustment (GA) covers the cost of building new electricity infrastructure in the province, maintaining existing resources, as well as providing conservation and demand management programs. Learn more about the GA and how it is calculated.

   Transmission Charges

   Transmission Network Charge

   The transmission network charge covers the cost of delivering the electricity from the generating stations to the region through Hydro One’s transmission system. This charge is collected on behalf of Hydro One. This charge is applied against your monthly peak demand in kilowatts (kW) or by kWh.

   Transmission Connection

   The transmission connection charge covers the cost of connecting Enova’s distribution system to Hydro One’s transmission lines, as well as the cost of transforming electricity from high transmission voltages to lower voltages for distribution. This charge is applied against your monthly peak demand in kilowatts (kW) or kWh.

   Distribution Charges

   Distribution is the cost of bringing electricity from the transmission system to your business. Distribution charges are the portion of your bill that goes directly to Enova.

   Distribution Charge

   The distribution charge is applied against your monthly peak demand in kilowatts (kW) and collected by Enova to cover the cost of building and maintaining our distribution system, including overhead and underground distribution lines, poles, and transformer stations.

   Disposition of Global Adjustment

   The disposition of global adjustment applies to all non-RPP and retailed customers, except for those that are Class A.

   Monthly Customer Charge

   This is a fixed monthly charge that covers the costs associated with meter reading, billing, customer service, account maintenance, and general utility operations.

   Customer-Owned Transformation Credit

   This credit is based on the kilowatts of billing demand per month for customer-owned transformers. Enova provides this credit to those customers that own their transformation facilities. It reflects the costs a distributor incurs when providing step-down transformation facilities to the customer’s required voltage level. For the majority of customers, the cost of this transformation is captured and recovered through Enova’s distribution rate. When a customer provides its own transformer, the customer receives a credit for these costs already included in the distribution rates.

   Electricity Usage Adjustment Factor

   This is an energy adjustment applied to the total amount of electricity used during the billing period to account for the line losses in the electricity system that are not measured by your meter. When electricity is delivered over a power line, it is normal for a small amount of power to be lost as heat. Line losses are an unavoidable part of delivering electricity. The adjustment factor is approved by the Ontario Energy Board and is reviewed regularly as part of the rate setting process.

   Regulatory Charges

   Regulatory charges include the cost of services required to operate the provincial electricity system and the wholesale electricity market. The Ontario Energy Board sets these charges.

   Standard Supply Administration Charge

   The standard supply administration charge covers a portion of a utility’s administrative costs to provide electricity bills to customers that receive an invoice directly from the utility (i.e. customers that are not billed by a retailer). This charge is set by the Ontario Energy Board and is the same for all utilities across the province.

   Wholesale Market Service

   The wholesale market service charge covers the cost of services provided by the IESO to operate the wholesale electricity market and maintain the reliability of the high voltage power grid and certain costs incurred by local utilities to connect renewable generation.

We collect security deposits from most new customers. We do this to minimize credit risk with new customers.

The added expense can be challenging for some of our customers, so let us explain how security deposits work to give you a better idea of why we make this request of you.

What Are the Security Deposit Amounts?

The amount you’re required to pay for your security deposit depends on the type of heating you have in your home.

Please see the below chart for a breakdown of our security deposit charges:

You can request to pay your deposit in equal installments over six months.

How can I have my security deposit waived?

We can waive the security deposit for new customers if you meet any of the following criteria:

1. If you can provide a satisfactory credit check (at your expense) to us. You can email your credit check to customercare@enovapower.com
2. You can provide a letter of reference from a gas or electricity distributor in Canada showing proof of good payment history for one year. The period that makes up the good payment history must be the most recent period of time and some of the time period must have occurred in the previous 24 months.
3. You can register for a Pre-Authorized Payment Plan or Equal Payment Plan

For existing customers where a Security Deposit has not been collected, or a customer who was previously granted a security deposit waiver, a Security Deposit will be required if the customer has not maintained a “Good Payment History” for the required time period.

How can I get my deposit returned?

We can return the deposit after one year of good payment history.

Good payment history means that within the last 12 months:

• You have not received more than one disconnection notice.
• You have not had more than one cheque returned for insufficient funds.
• You have not had more than one pre-authorized payment returned for insufficient funds.
• We have not made a disconnect or collection trip for your account.

We also return your deposit if you close your account with us. When an account is closed, we apply the deposit to your final bill. Any amount left over will be returned to you in the form of a cheque, or directly to your account if you are an AutoPay customer.

Will I receive interest on my deposit?

Yes, customers with a security deposit will receive a monthly interest credit applied to their account. The interest rate used is the Bank of Canada’s Prime Business Rate less 2%.

Our commitment is to deliver safe and reliable electricity to your home at the most reasonable price possible. We know that every dollar counts and we work to embrace new technologies and efficiencies that allow us to keep our rates low. Each month, you are billed for the electricity your home uses, in kilowatt hours (kWh). In addition to electricity charges, your bill also includes charges for the delivery of electricity and other charges that are passed on to the Ontario Energy Board. Only the delivery portion of your bill goes to Enova. The rest of the charges are collected on behalf of other provincial organizations. Here is how the breakdown works:

The bill breakdown for residents of Kitchener, or Wilmot:

The bill breakdown for residents of Waterloo, Wellesley, or Woolwich:

If you’re considering switching to an energy retailer or changing your electricity pricing plan, we want you to have all the information you need to make an informed decision.

The Ontario Energy Board has a helpful online bill calculator that can aid you in making clear choices from difficult decisions. This calculator allows you to compare your costs with various retailers and will show you the pricing difference between rate plan options.

You’ll need a few months of electricity bills handy to enter your previous consumption into the calculator and the tool will do the rest.

Check out the Bill Calculator today to help inform your electricity decisions.