Your Ontario Hydro Bill on 1 November: the Expensive Hours Move to Breakfast and Dinner
One peak becomes two, and they land exactly when you are home.
In short
Two things happen on 1 November. The Ontario Energy Board resets Regulated Price Plan prices, which it does once a year on that date. And the time-of-use clock switches to its winter shape.
In summer there is one on-peak window, in the afternoon. In winter there are two: weekdays 7–11 a.m. and 5–7 p.m. Breakfast and dinner. The hours you are most reliably at home, using the most.
So your bill can rise even before the heating does, because the same habits now sit inside the costliest hours. The fix is free and takes one phone call — and almost nobody makes it.
What the winter clock looks like
Weekdays only. Weekends and statutory holidays are off-peak all day, all year.
| Period | Winter hours (1 Nov – 30 Apr) | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| On-peak | 7–11 a.m. and 5–7 p.m. | The expensive window, twice a day |
| Mid-peak | 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. | The middle price, through the working day |
| Off-peak | 7 p.m. – 7 a.m., plus weekends and holidays | The cheap window |
| Summer, for contrast | A single afternoon on-peak window | One peak, not two |
The practical consequence: in summer you could run the dishwasher after dinner and be fine. In winter, dinner itself is inside on-peak — but 7 p.m. onward is off-peak, so a delay timer of an hour or two does real work.
Three plans, and you choose
Most households never look at this once, which is the single biggest avoidable line on an Ontario hydro bill.
| Plan | How it prices | Suits |
|---|---|---|
| Time-of-use | By hour — on-peak, mid-peak, off-peak | Households that can shift laundry, dishwasher and charging out of peak |
| Tiered | One price up to a monthly threshold, a higher price above it | Households home all day, where shifting hours is not realistic |
| Ultra-low overnight | A very cheap overnight rate, a much higher weekday on-peak rate | Households that genuinely run load overnight — EV charging above all |
Ultra-low overnight deserves a warning. The overnight rate is dramatically lower than anything else available, and the weekday on-peak rate is far higher than standard time-of-use. It rewards a household that charges a car and runs appliances at 2 a.m., and punishes one that is home and active on a weekday evening. It is not a cheaper plan; it is a differently shaped one.
How to switch, and when to decide
You elect your plan through your local utility — Toronto Hydro, Alectra, Hydro One, Elexicon and the rest each have a form. The switch is free.
Two cautions. Utilities generally limit how often you may change, so this is a decision to make once with evidence rather than twice on a hunch. And the evidence is already on your account: most utilities show your own consumption by hour, which tells you what share of your use actually falls in peak. Look at that before choosing, not at a general article — including this one.
If you are considering ultra-low overnight because of an electric vehicle, our electrician guide covers the panel capacity question that decides whether home charging is straightforward or expensive.
What actually moves the bill
In rough order of how much difference each makes, for an average household.
Red flags
What to do next
Before 1 November, do one thing: log into your utility account and look at your own usage by hour. That single screen tells you whether time-of-use, tiered or ultra-low fits your household — and whether the plan you are on was ever the right one.
Then set a delay timer on the dishwasher for after 7 p.m. and leave it there until May.
Getting the house ready for winter? Compare home services in Ontario on Ontario24 and contact businesses directly. Ontario24 is a classified directory — we help you find and compare, and we do not vet anyone. The booking calendar covers what fills up in which month, and the snow removal guide covers the contracts that sell out in autumn.
Before you call anyone, it helps to know what this job should cost and what the next one will. What things cost in Ontario in 2026 puts 75 service prices in one table.
Frequently asked questions
Two things at once. The Ontario Energy Board resets Regulated Price Plan prices, which it does annually on 1 November. And the time-of-use clock switches to its winter shape, where on-peak runs weekdays 7 to 11 in the morning and 5 to 7 in the evening — two peaks a day instead of the single summer afternoon peak.
On-peak on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. and again from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. The hours between are mid-peak, and evenings, nights and all weekend are off-peak. Statutory holidays are treated as off-peak all day.
Because the expensive hours move onto the hours you use most. Breakfast and dinner land inside the winter on-peak windows, so the same habits draw more of your consumption into the costliest period — before counting heating.
Time-of-use, which prices by hour; tiered, which charges one price up to a monthly threshold and a higher price above it; and ultra-low overnight, which offers a very cheap overnight rate in exchange for a much higher weekday on-peak rate. You choose, and you can switch.
Households that genuinely shift load to the middle of the night — charging an electric vehicle, running laundry and dishwasher overnight. The overnight rate is dramatically lower, but the weekday on-peak rate is far higher than standard time-of-use, so it punishes a household that is home and active on weekday evenings.
Contact your local utility — Toronto Hydro, Alectra, Hydro One and the rest each have an election form. The switch is free, and utilities generally limit how often you can change, so decide with a few months of your own usage in front of you rather than on a hunch.
Not as of 17 September 2026. The Ontario Energy Board publishes the Regulated Price Plan report shortly before the change takes effect, usually in mid to late October. What is already certain is the schedule change, because the winter time-of-use periods are fixed by season rather than announced each year.
Sources and how current this is
Last checked 18 September 2026. This page is maintained rather than archived. Regulated Price Plan prices are set by the Ontario Energy Board, which has reset them annually on 1 November since 2022 and publishes the price report shortly beforehand, usually in mid to late October. The prices taking effect on 1 November 2026 had not been published as of the date above, and this page deliberately does not guess them — it will be updated when the OEB report appears. The winter time-of-use periods, on-peak weekdays 7–11 a.m. and 5–7 p.m. from 1 November to 30 April, are fixed by season rather than announced each year. Plan election, hourly usage data and switching rules are handled by your local distribution utility. Nothing here is financial advice. Ontario24 is a classified directory and does not sell, supply or bill electricity.