Business - Ultra-Low Overnight (ULO) rates bill sample (small business)

Previous Balance: Balance carried forward from previous bill.

Payment: Payment applied to your account since your previous bill.

Electricity Charge: This is the cost of the electricity supplied to you during a billing period. 

You have the option of buying your electricity through the Regulated Price Plan (RPP) at a regulated price per kilowatt hour (kWh). The Ontario Energy Board (OEB) sets the RPP prices based on its forecast of the cost to supply households and small businesses over the 12 months that follow.

You are automatically part of the RPP unless you choose to purchase your electricity from an electricity retailer. If you buy your electricity under contract with an electricity retailer, the price you pay for the electricity that you use is set out in the electricity contract.

Hydro Ottawa collects this money and pays this amount directly to our suppliers.

Residential and small business customers billed under the RPP can choose the electricity rate that best meets their energy needs and lifestyle: Time-of-use, Tiered or Ultra-low overnight prices.

Similar to TOU rates, with ULO, the price depends on when you use electricity. ULO has an additional price period, a different set of rates and offers an ultra-low overnight rate in exchange for a higher on-peak rate.

With ULO pricing you are charged according to the day of the week and time of day that you use electricity. There are four price periods: on-peak, mid-peak, weekend off-peak, and ultra-low-overnight. The ULO plan sets a very low price for the overnight period, however, the on-peak price is significantly higher. 

This plan could be beneficial to those who consume a major portion of their electricity overnight, or to those who charge an electric vehicle overnight.

There are four ULO periods: 

Ultra-Low Overnight, when demand for electricity is lowest on average. Every day 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.

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.

The ULO periods (hours) are the same in the summer as they are in the winter.

The delivery charge covers the costs of delivering electricity from generating stations across the province to your home or business through high voltage (transmission) and low voltage (distribution) power lines. It includes the costs to build and maintain transmission and distribution lines, towers and poles and to operate provincial and local electricity systems.

A portion of these charges are fixed and do not change from month to month. The rest are variable and increase or decrease depending on the amount of electricity that you use.

The delivery charge also includes the costs of the electricity lost when it is distributed. It is normal for a small amount of power to be lost as it travels over power lines. The majority of residential and small business customers can expect a delivery line loss of approximately 3.38%. Hydro Ottawa collects and pays this amount directly to our suppliers.

Regulatory Charges are the costs of administering the wholesale electricity system and maintaining the reliability of the provincial grid.

HST: Charges on the bill are subject to the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST).

The Ontario Electricity Rebate (OER) applies to customers’ bills and reduces the pre-HST amount of the bill. 

Meter Reading (Current): To calculate total consumption, Hydro Ottawa subtracts the previous meter reading from the current reading.

Meter Reading (Previous): This is the previous meter reading to calculate the electricity used (the end reading of the previous service period)

kWh Consumption: This is the amount of electricity you used in kilowatt-hours (kWh).

Your account history information includes a breakdown of your average electricity consumption.

Bill Date: The date when your bill was generated.

Due Date: To avoid interest charges, Hydro Ottawa must receive your payment on or before the due date on your bill. It is important to allow sufficient time for your payment to be received and processed, by taking into account the time required for payment to be transferred from your financial institution or to be delivered by mail.

Amount Due: This box will tell you what amount needs to be paid. If you are enrolled in an automated payment plan “Bank Debit” will appear instead of “Amount Due”. If you have a credit balance, it will read “Credit Balance.”

For your information: It is very important to read the messaging that appears in this box. For example, it may include information about rate changes or your electricity retailer’s name and phone number if you have signed a contract.