Hydro Ottawa Time of Use Explained: Choosing the Right Price Plan for Your Home
Ottawa winters are long, and weekday evenings are when many homes use the most power. With Hydro Ottawa, when you use electricity can matter as much as how much you use. Customers can pick from three price plans set by the Ontario Energy Board. Each plan charges by time of day, season or monthly use. This guide covers current Hydro Ottawa time of use prices and peak hours for summer and winter. It also explains how switching works and which plan suits different households.
How Hydro Ottawa's Three Price Plans Work
Hydro Ottawa does not set the price of electricity itself. The Ontario Energy Board (OEB) sets the commodity prices, and Hydro Ottawa bills them. Knowing how each plan is built makes the price tables easier to read.
Most Ottawa homes buy power under the Regulated Price Plan, or RPP. The RPP includes three options, and each one rewards a different habit. Comparing the different types of electricity rates helps explain why Ontario offers a choice at all.
Time-of-Use (TOU): Off-peak, mid-peak and on-peak prices with periods that shift between summer and winter. TOU is the default for most homes.
Ultra-Low Overnight (ULO): Four price periods that stay the same all year. It has the cheapest overnight rate and the most expensive weekday evening rate.
Tiered: One price at any hour, up to a monthly limit. Use above that limit costs more.
Who Can Use Each Plan
Most individually metered homes can choose any of the three plans. Ontario's electricity price plans page lists a few exceptions. Customers on a contract with an electricity retailer cannot switch. Neither can bulk-metered condo or rental units, or homes outside the smart meter network the plans rely on.
Once you know how the plans differ, the next step is the actual prices and hours.
Hydro Ottawa Time of Use Rates and Peak Hours Right Now
Ottawa hydro rates for time of use are the same OEB prices paid by regulated customers across Ontario. The hours matter just as much as the prices.
The OEB resets RPP prices every year on November 1. If you want the reasoning behind the periods, it helps to understand how TOU billing works in Ontario before comparing plans.
RPP Electricity Prices Effective November 1, 2026
The OEB has announced new electricity prices that take effect on November 1, 2026. Until October 31, 2026, the previous RPP prices remain in effect. The following tables show the rates and thresholds that will apply from November 1, 2026:
Plan | Period | Price (Cents per kWh) |
TOU | Off-peak | 9.1 |
TOU | Mid-peak | 14.6 |
TOU | On-peak | 18.9 |
ULO | Ultra-low overnight | 3.7 |
ULO | Weekend off-peak | 9.1 |
ULO | Mid-peak | 14.6 |
ULO | On-peak | 37.7 |
Tiered | Tier 1 | 11.2 |
Tiered | Tier 2 | 13.2 |
TOU Peak Hours in Summer and Winter
Weekday off-peak runs from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. all year. Weekends and holidays are off-peak all day. Only the middle of the weekday flips between seasons.
TOU Period (Weekdays) | Summer (May 1 to Oct 31) | Winter (Nov 1 to Apr 30) |
On-peak | 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. | 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. |
Mid-peak | 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. | 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
Off-peak | 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. | 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. |
ULO Hours Stay the Same All Year
Ultra-low overnight: Every day, 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.
Weekend off-peak: Weekends and holidays, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Mid-peak: Weekdays, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. to 11 p.m.
On-peak: Weekdays, 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The ULO on-peak price is about 10 times the overnight price. A 3 kWh load costs about $1.13 at on-peak and about 11 cents overnight. Those figures cover the commodity price only.
Tiered Thresholds
Residential Tier 1 covers the first 600 kWh per month in summer and the first 1,000 kWh in winter. Anything above that is billed at the Tier 2 price.
Weekend and Holiday Rules
TOU customers pay off-peak prices all day on weekends and OEB holidays. ULO customers get weekend off-peak and ultra-low overnight prices on those days. When a holiday lands on a weekend, the next weekday gets holiday pricing. The OEB holiday schedule lists the last 2026 holiday pricing days as Christmas Day on Friday, December 25, and Boxing Day on Monday, December 28.
Prices and hours only help if your routine can follow them. That is where load shifting comes in.
Practical Ways to Shift Usage Into Ottawa's Cheaper Hours
Saving on time of use pricing is mostly about timing, not sacrifice. Moving flexible loads out of peak windows lowers the electricity portion of your bill. Some habits cost nothing, while stored power takes the idea further.
Low-Cost Habits That Work in Ottawa Homes
Shifting appliance use to off-peak hours is the simplest place to start. These steps suit both TOU and ULO plans:
Run the dishwasher and laundry after 7 p.m. on TOU, or after 11 p.m. on ULO.
Use delay-start settings so appliances run while you sleep.
Charge an electric vehicle overnight, which is the kind of use ULO was designed around.
Pre-heat or pre-cool the house before peak periods begin.
Using a Home Battery to Move Peak Use
Some loads cannot wait, like cooking dinner at 6 p.m. A home battery can charge when prices are lower and supply power during pricier hours. That approach suits ULO best because the price gap is so wide.
The EcoFlow TITAN 5000 and TITAN 5000 Plus are home batteries designed for this kind of shifting, and both work with the grid. Plug-in devices can run from the battery directly. Powering home circuits or hard-wired appliances needs the compatible 120V/240V SHP10, installed by a qualified electrician. The SHP10 covers up to 10 selected circuits, not every appliance at once.
With a supported setup, the EcoFlow App lets you set a daily charging and discharging strategy. EcoFlow's savings figures are modelled Toronto estimates on Ontario ULO rates. Ottawa pays the same OEB prices, but usage, setup and delivery charges differ, so results vary.
A battery also helps during storms, while you watch the Hydro Ottawa outage map for restoration updates. Runtime depends on your load and installed capacity.
The TITAN 5000 Plus suits Ottawa homes that want to pair ULO load shifting with rooftop solar.
The TITAN 5000 fits households that mainly want to move grid use from on-peak to overnight hours.
Shifting habits is one lever. Picking the plan that matches those habits is the other.
Which Plan Fits Your Household and How to Switch With Hydro Ottawa
No plan is cheapest for everyone. The right choice depends on when your household uses power, not just how much. Hydro Ottawa makes switching straightforward once you know your pattern.
Matching Plans to Ottawa Households
Comparing TOU, tiered and ULO plans side by side shows how much your habits drive the result.
Household Pattern | Plan That Often Fits | Watch Out For |
Out during weekdays, busy evenings and weekends | TOU | Weekday morning use in winter |
EV owners, shift workers, night owls | ULO | Cooking and heating between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. on weekdays |
Home all day, smaller home, lower monthly use | Tiered | Going over 600 kWh in summer or 1,000 kWh in winter |
Steady use with little flexibility | Tiered or TOU | Compare both with real usage data |
Compare Before You Switch
Hydro Ottawa's MyAccount tool compares TOU and tiered using your actual usage. For ULO, use the OEB Bill Calculator. Look at a full year if you can.
How to Switch Your Plan
Hydro Ottawa's rate plan FAQs say you can switch at any time. Have your account number and service address ready, then pick one of these options:
Online: Log in to MyAccount and choose "Manage Rate Plan."
Email: Send the signed fillable PDF form.
Phone: Call Hydro Ottawa at 613-738-6400.
Mail: Send the signed form to PO Box 8700, Ottawa, ON K1G 3S4.
You can also switch back later if the plan does not suit you. Timing depends on your billing cycle, so confirm when the change will show on your bill.
The plan you choose only affects one part of the bill, though. Delivery charges follow different rules.
Why Delivery Charges Matter as Much as Commodity Prices
Many customers focus on peak prices and overlook the rest of the bill. Delivery and regulatory charges stay the same whichever plan you pick.
Understanding delivery and regulatory charges on bills explains why switching plans rarely changes the total as much as people expect.
Electricity: The commodity price under your TOU, ULO or tiered plan. This is the only line your plan choice changes.
Delivery: The cost of moving power to your home, including distribution and transmission. Part is billed per kWh, and part is a fixed charge.
Regulatory: Charges that support running Ontario's power system. They are billed per kWh, plus a small daily fee for customers who don't buy from a retailer.
Ontario Electricity Rebate and HST: The Ontario Electricity Rebate is applied before HST for eligible customers. The rebate rate is scheduled to decrease to 15.7% on November 1, 2026, from the previous 23.5%.
Hydro Ottawa's Move to a Daily Fixed Charge
Since June 1, 2026, Hydro Ottawa bills its fixed delivery charge as a daily rate instead of a monthly one. Your bill now reflects the actual number of days in each billing period.
What This Means for Load Shifting
Per-kWh delivery charges do not change by time of day. Moving use to off-peak hours lowers only the electricity line. Cutting total kWh lowers both the electricity and delivery lines.
Conclusion
Hydro Ottawa time of use pricing rewards homes that can move heavy loads into cheaper hours. TOU suits flexible evening and weekend users. ULO suits overnight EV charging and late routines. Tiered suits steady, lower use. Check the latest OEB prices each November before choosing a plan. Want stored power to handle the shifting? An EcoFlow TITAN 5000 or TITAN 5000 Plus can charge in lower-cost hours and cover selected loads later.
FAQs
What Are Hydro Ottawa's Peak Hours Right Now?
From November 1 to April 30, winter TOU on-peak runs weekdays from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. ULO on-peak is weekdays from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. all year.
Are Weekends Off-Peak With Hydro Ottawa?
Yes. TOU is off-peak all day on weekends and holidays. On ULO, weekends and holidays use the weekend off-peak price by day and the ultra-low price overnight.
How Often Can I Switch Hydro Ottawa Price Plans?
Hydro Ottawa and the Ontario government both say you can switch at any time. That includes switching back to your old plan.
Did Hydro Ottawa Rates Change on November 1, 2026?
Yes. The OEB lowered RPP prices slightly, with TOU on-peak now 18.9 cents per kWh. Hydro Ottawa applies whatever the OEB sets.
Is ULO Worth It if I Don't Own an EV?
It can be, if most of your use happens overnight or on weekends. It is risky if you use a lot of power on weekday evenings, though a battery charged overnight can help.