FAQs

Third party net metering allows a customer to participate in net metering while not owning or operating the renewable generation facility that is generating the electricity.

Regulatory amendments that came into effect July 1, 2022, clarify that customers can access third party ownership arrangements like leasing, renting, financing and power purchase agreements for the provision of renewable generation equipment or to purchase renewable electricity for the purposes of net metering.

These changes also introduce consumer protection measures for electricity retailing and other third party net metering ownership arrangements. To assist customers in making an informed decision, the Ontario Energy Board released Consumer-Facing Materials and Retailer Forms related to third party net metering.

If you are interested in participating in Hydro Ottawa’s net metering program, we encourage you to contact us at your earliest opportunity to ensure that your premise is eligible for net metering.

Yes, there may be circumstances that could limit you from connecting your RET and generating electricity.

These include:

• The size of your service entrance;
• The level of available transformer capacity in your area;
• The capacity or performance constraints on the feeder branch between your RET and the distribution station and transmission system that serves your home or business;
• Lack of evidence that the electricity produced is from a RET;
• Non-compliance with the Net Metering Regulation; and
• Siting restrictions, which came into force July 1, 2018.

We will continue to read your meter as we do now. 

Net metering customers receive a detailed electricity bill, listing the generation credit earned that is based on the generation you supplied to the electricity grid, and the generation credit applied towards your electricity costs in the current billing period.

Other bill line items related to your generation account will also be reflected on your bill.

For a detailed example, please view Hydro Ottawa’s net metering sample bill.

The accounting for electricity on your bill will depend on your subscribed DER program.

However, net metering warrants more detail: the electricity you produce is first used to meet the needs of your home or business. You will receive a non-cash credit for any kilowatt hours you generate and do not use that are transmitted back to the electricity grid. This credit will appear on your electricity bill as a line item noted as ‘Generation Credit Balance’. This credit cannot be redeemed for cash or as payment for other services.

Net metering customers on a Regulated Price Plan (RPP), have their choice of RPP Pricing Plan (Time-of-use, Tiered, or Ultra-low overnight) for consumption and generation. , Generation first reduces your need for electricity from the grid and any excess is registered  and credited at the applicable RPP per kWh rates.

For net metering customers on tiered rates, generation first reduces your need for electricity from the grid, and any excess is registered per the tiered rates and credited at the tiered rate kWh rates. For net metering customers on the Ontario Price, the dollar value of the kilowatt hours (kWh) you generate in a billing period is based on variable hourly kWh rates applicable at the same hour of generation. Regardless, any billing variable in the applicable rate class or structure that is based on a kWh value is credited for every kWh generated and used immediately by your loads (because you don’t pay for it) or exported to the grid (because you will see a dollar value credit for use on a future bill within 12 months).

This dollar value becomes a credit that is applied towards variable kWh and kW charges calculated on your bill. This credit cannot be applied to fixed charges, taxes, or other charges that are not kWh or kW based. As a net metered customer, you will continue to be billed for any electricity you use from the electricity grid, as well as for all fixed charges and taxes.

Refer to Ontario Regulation 541 (O.Reg. 541) section 8 for more information.

Alternatively, a separate classification of customer based generation is Load Displacement. In this scenario, a generation facility connected on the customer's side of a connection point is used, or intended to be used, exclusively for the customer’s own consumption. This means the electricity produced directly offsets the customer's demand from the grid, reducing their overall consumption from the utility.

Typically, customers falling under load displacement are participants in other programs or incentives that limit their generation facilities to their exclusive self-use. This might be in exchange for a grant or rebate designed to offset the cost of their installation. Crucially, load displacement customers are not eligible for generation credits and their facilities generally should not be feeding back to the grid. Any electricity generated directly reduces the amount the customer needs to pull from the grid, but any excess is not credited.

The accumulated credit must be used within 12 months. All credits are written off once credits have accumulated for 12 contiguous months. Any unused credits from a previous month will show on your bill as a line item labelled ‘Generation Credits Carried Forward’. Please refer to section 8 of the legislation for more information.

If you have a contract with a licensed electricity retailer, please contact your retailer before making any arrangements with Hydro Ottawa to ensure that your agreement allows for net metering. Confirmation from your retailer is required before any net metering installations.

If you are an existing net metering customer and would like to enroll with an electricity retailer, confirmation from a licensed retailer is required to remain a net metering customer with Hydro Ottawa.

Information about delivery charges is available on our Residential Rates and Conditions page and our Business Rates and Conditions page.

Hydro Ottawa’s distribution rate, included in the delivery charge, represents only a small portion of your bill. Some of these charges are fixed and do not change from month to month. The rest are variable and increase or decrease depending on the electricity you use.

Residential distribution rates are transitioning to a fully fixed charge by January 1, 2020. This is in accordance with the Ontario Energy Board’s (OEB) Residential Rate Change policy.

Net metering credits can only be applied to the portion of the bill subject to a per-kilowatt-hour charge or demand charges (kW) and not the fixed charges. Therefore, the net metering credit can be used against the variable charges within the delivery line but not any fixed charge. Please refer to the provincial legislation under section 8 for more information.

Yes. Additional charges include an account setup charge (where there is no existing account), a monthly* service charge, and in some circumstances, an administration charge.

*Starting November 1, 2021, the net metering monthly service charge will no longer be applied to net metered bills until further notice. Future adjustments may be required subject to provincial regulations and legislations, program intake, plus administrative and operational needs.

Other charges that may apply include those listed here.

Simply submit a request for a DER connection by filling out a Preliminary Consultation Information Request (PCIR). If you have any general questions, reach out to [email protected].

See “Tips and tools” for conservation ideas, DIY measures and helpful calculators.

The EVC rate is an electricity transmission rate (included in the delivery charge) designed specifically for eligible electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in Ontario to better align the transmission costs of serving EV chargers with low load factors. It reduces the Retail Transmission Service Rates paid by participating EV charging station owners or operators.

The EVC rate reduces the Retail Transmission Service Rates that participating EV charging stations would otherwise pay. Retail Transmission Services Rates are part of the delivery line on your electricity bill.

Participating customers will pay 17 per cent of the Retail Transmission Service Rate that other customers in a distributor’s General Service 50 kW to 4,999 kW class will pay. In other words, if a customer’s base Retail Transmission Service Rate is $1.00/kW, it would instead pay $0.17/kW under the EVC rate.

Hydro Ottawa will make the EVC rate available to eligible customers who have completed the opt-in form in early 2026. The implementation date of the EVC rate is dependent on the conclusion of Hydro Ottawa’s current rate application proceeding before the Ontario Energy Board. The EVC rate will be implemented, on a go-forward basis, once Hydro Ottawa receives the OEB’s approval and an effective date for its 2026 distribution rates.

A "customer" refers to the owner or operator of an EV charging station whose facilities are connected to or are intended to be connected to an electricity distributor’s distribution system. A customer is not the end-user of the EV charging service, such as the driver of a vehicle that uses the EV charging station.

EV charging stations must meet all the following criteria to participate in the EVC rate:

• Have at least one Direct Current Fast Charger, also referred to as a Level 3 charger.
• Ensure that at least 90 per cent of total monthly peak demand is attributable to EV charging. Auxiliary loads must not exceed the remaining 10 per cent (i.e., vending machines, tire inflation, lighting).
• Have a monthly peak demand between 50 kW and 4,999 kW.
• Have a 12-month average load factor of 20 per cent or less.
• Must not primarily serve commercial/public sector EV fleets, and;
• Any distributed energy resource behind the account’s meter must not exceed the account’s annual peak demand.

No. Charging stations that may participate in the EVC rate include those that are located:

• On or near highways
• On the site of a retail establishment, plaza, shopping centre
• On the site of a municipal, university, school or hospital building
• On a site associated with a multi-unit residential building, such as a condominium
• On employee parking lots.

The EVC rate aims to fill gaps in public charging infrastructure in underserved areas. The rate was designed to reduce the cost of electricity for public EV chargers in areas where demand for the service is only beginning to emerge, making it more economical to build charging infrastructure in more communities.

Customers are encouraged to apply their best judgment to measure or estimate the peak demands associated with their auxiliary loads compared to the peak demands of their EV chargers. Where a comparison of peak demands is not possible, customers may compare the overall capacity ratings of their auxiliary equipment with the peak demands of their EV chargers.

You should rely on your available historical data and forecasts to calculate a reasonable forward-looking 12-month average load factor. If no historical data is available, you should base your eligibility attestation on a reasonable load factor forecast.