ULO Rates in Ontario: Prices, Hours, and Savings
- What Are the Current ULO Rates in Ontario?
- How Does ULO Work, and Who Is It Best For?
- How Does ULO Compare With TOU and Tiered Pricing?
- How Can You Estimate Whether ULO Will Save Money?
- Can a Home Battery Shift ULO Electricity to Peak Hours?
- How Do You Switch to ULO Pricing in Ontario?
- Check Your Usage Before Choosing the Lowest Rate
- FAQs
Current ULO rates in Ontario offer a very low overnight price and a much higher evening price. The ULO plan charges 3.9¢/kWh from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. every day. On weekdays, it charges 39.1¢/kWh from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.
This plan may suit you if you charge an EV or run flexible loads overnight. It may cost more if your home uses lots of power during weekday evenings.
Before switching, compare your hourly use across several months. Also check every bill charge, not only the price per kilowatt-hour.
What Are the Current ULO Rates in Ontario?
Ontario's current ULO rates are 3.9¢/kWh overnight and 9.8¢/kWh during weekend off-peak hours. The plan charges 15.7¢/kWh during mid-peak hours and 39.1¢/kWh during weekday on-peak hours. The Ontario Energy Board lists these prices from 1 November 2025 through 31 October 2026.
ULO period | Current hours | Current price |
Ultra-low overnight | Every day, 11 p.m.–7 a.m. | 3.9¢/kWh |
Weekend off-peak | Weekends and holidays, 7 a.m.–11 p.m. | 9.8¢/kWh |
Mid-peak | Weekdays, 7 a.m.–4 p.m. and 9 p.m.–11 p.m. | 15.7¢/kWh |
On-peak | Weekdays, 4 p.m.–9 p.m. | 39.1¢/kWh |
The ULO schedule stays the same in summer and winter. On weekends and holidays, you pay 9.8¢/kWh from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. The 3.9¢/kWh overnight price then applies until 7 a.m.
These prices apply to the Electricity line on an eligible Regulated Price Plan bill. They include an estimate of the Global Adjustment. Delivery, regulatory charges, tax, and rebates also affect your final bill.
The OEB sets the electricity prices, so eligible customers use the same schedule across Ontario. Local utilities may have different delivery charges and rate classes. Toronto Hydro's rate page also lists these prices through 31 October 2026.
The phrase ULO Canada doesn't describe one national plan. Electricity pricing differs across provinces and utilities, so Ontario's schedule doesn't apply across Canada.
How Does ULO Work, and Who Is It Best For?
ULO works best when you can move meaningful electricity use to 11 p.m.–7 a.m. You also need low weekday use during the costly 4 p.m.–9 p.m. period.
The OEB's price-plan guidance explains the three choices. Each one suits a different usage pattern. ULO doesn't make power cheaper for every home. It changes when low and high prices apply.
You may be a strong fit if you charge an EV overnight. Shift work, timed water heating, and other planned loads can also help. Solar may reduce how much grid power you need during costly hours.
The plan may be a poor fit if your evening demand stays high. Cooking, electric heat, air conditioning, childcare, and home businesses can raise 4 p.m.–9 p.m. use. Review your own data before choosing a plan.
EcoFlow TITAN Plus may fit a home that already supports planned overnight charging and selected-circuit use. A battery alone doesn't make ULO cheaper, so compare your load pattern first.
Your next step is to compare ULO with the two other Ontario price plans.
How Does ULO Compare With TOU and Tiered Pricing?
ULO has the lowest overnight price and the highest weekday peak price. TOU has a smaller spread, while Tiered pricing doesn't depend on the time of day.
Plan | Current price structure | Stronger fit | Main trade-off |
ULO | 3.9¢ overnight, 9.8¢ weekend off-peak, 15.7¢ mid-peak, 39.1¢ weekday on-peak | High overnight use and low weekday evening use | The evening peak can erase overnight gains |
TOU | 9.8¢ off-peak, 15.7¢ mid-peak, 20.3¢ on-peak | Loads that can move to nights, weekends, or holidays | Mid-peak and on-peak hours change by season |
Tiered | 12.0¢ for Tier 1 and 14.2¢ for Tier 2 | Steady use or loads that are hard to move | The lower-price threshold changes by season |
ULO hours stay fixed all year. TOU mid-peak and on-peak windows change on 1 May and 1 November. Under Tiered pricing, the residential lower-price threshold is 600 kWh in summer and 1,000 kWh in winter.
No plan is always cheapest. Compare the same household use across all three plans. Otherwise, a difference in usage may look like a price-plan saving.
How Can You Estimate Whether ULO Will Save Money?
Estimate savings from the kilowatt-hours you can move, then compare the full bill. Several recent bills or hourly utility data give you a better starting point.
Collect bills and any hourly or interval data from your utility portal.
Find weekday use between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m.
List loads you can safely move to 11 p.m.–7 a.m.
Repeat the check for summer and winter.
Compare all three plans with the OEB bill calculator.
Use this formula for a simple first estimate:
Gross Electricity-line difference = shifted kWh × (higher rate − lower rate)
Suppose you move 5 kWh from the 39.1¢ on-peak period to the 3.9¢ overnight period. The difference is 35.2¢/kWh. Across 20 weekdays, the theoretical Electricity-line difference is $35.20.
That $35.20 isn't your actual net gain. It assumes the full 5 kWh moves each day with no added energy use. If a battery performs the shift, charging and discharging losses reduce the energy returned. Battery wear, equipment cost, and installation cost are also absent from the calculation.
Your final bill includes delivery, regulatory charges, tax, and the Ontario Electricity Rebate. Seasonal heating and cooling may also change your results. The OEB calculator includes utility-specific charges, which makes it more useful than the simple rate spread.
Your price plan can't fix high total use. In that case, practical steps to save electricity at home may help more.
For laundry, the cheapest time depends on your plan. ULO is lowest from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. TOU is off-peak from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. on weekdays and all day on weekends. Use delay-start only when the appliance manual and your fire-safety plan allow it.
Can a Home Battery Shift ULO Electricity to Peak Hours?
A compatible battery can charge during lower-price hours and support planned loads later. However, energy losses, battery cycling, output, controls, and installation cost affect the result.
Direct load shifting is simpler. You move the appliance cycle itself, so you avoid battery conversion losses. Battery shifting stores energy first and delivers part of it later.
Capacity in kilowatt-hours shows how much energy the battery stores. Output in kilowatts shows how much power it can supply at once. The connection method decides whether it serves plug-in loads or household circuits.
TITAN Plus starts with 5 kWh and expands from 5–30 kWh. It supplies 7.2 kW from its battery. Total output can reach 10 kW only when compatible solar and battery power work together. Its dual MPPT inputs accept up to 8 kW of solar.
The EcoFlow App supports TOU schedules for charging during low-rate periods and discharging during peak periods. X-Fusion 2.0 also supports AC coupling with compatible third-party rooftop solar. With Smart Home Panel 10 and current transformers, the system can keep surplus energy inside the home. This no-export setup works with the grid but isn't a standard sell-back system.
EcoFlow TITAN provides 7.2 kW output and 120 V/240 V selected-circuit support. It may suit you if those limits fit your load plan. It also accepts up to 4 kW of solar.
Both models need a clear circuit and energy plan. Smart Home Panel 10 and other hardwired connections require a qualified electrician. The work must meet local electrical rules.
EcoFlow's Canadian estimate of up to about $1,100 per year applies only to one TITAN Plus setup. It uses 15 kWh of storage, 8 kW of solar, about 9,000 kWh of annual home use, and Toronto ULO prices.
That estimate combines gains from solar generation with planned use of lower-price electricity. It isn't a pure peak-to-off-peak arbitrage estimate. Results change with solar output, loads, losses, system controls, and installation. Fixed charges, taxes, financing, incentives, and bill credits are excluded.
How Do You Switch to ULO Pricing in Ontario?
Eligible customers switch by sending an election form to their electricity utility. You don't submit the form to the OEB.
You can choose ULO if your eligible home or small business has a smart meter and uses the Regulated Price Plan. If you have an energy retailer contract, check its terms first. Unit sub-metered residents may not control the building's price plan.
The OEB's price-plan guidance says the utility must contact you within 10 business days if it can't process your form. A switch begins at the start of a billing period.
If your utility receives the complete form at least 10 business days before that period, the change normally starts then. You can switch again later, so ULO doesn't lock you in.
Confirm the form and local steps with Toronto Hydro, Hydro One, Hydro Ottawa, or your own utility. Local instructions may differ, but the current OEB rules control the general process.
Check Your Usage Before Choosing the Lowest Rate
Recheck the OEB rate table, then compare several months of evening and overnight use. Use the OEB calculator before changing plans or buying storage for your home. Your load timing, full bill, and system losses matter more than the lowest advertised rate.
If your data supports planned energy shifting, compare EcoFlow whole-home backup power solutions after an electrician confirms your circuit and connection needs.
FAQs
What are the current TOU rates in Ontario?
Current OEB TOU prices are 9.8¢/kWh off-peak, 15.7¢/kWh mid-peak, and 20.3¢/kWh on-peak. Summer and winter time windows differ, so check the current OEB schedule before comparing plans.
What is the cheapest time to do laundry in Ontario?
Under ULO, the lowest rate runs from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. daily. Under TOU, off-peak runs from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. on weekdays and all day on weekends and holidays.
What are the current ULO rates for Hydro Ottawa?
Eligible Hydro Ottawa RPP customers use the current OEB price schedule. It charges 3.9¢ overnight, 9.8¢ weekend off-peak, 15.7¢ mid-peak, and 39.1¢ weekday on-peak. Delivery and other charges remain separate.
What are the ULO rates for Toronto Hydro?
Toronto Hydro lists the same OEB electricity prices through 31 October 2026. Its delivery charges and other bill items still affect your final total.