To support people as they stay home during the provincewide lockdown, the Ontario Energy Board has announced that electricity prices will be held to a fixed rate of 8.5¢/kWh for all time-of-use and tiered customers on a temporary basis. As a result, starting on January 1, 2021, residential and small business customers on time-of-use (TOU) pricing will pay 8.5 ¢/kWh (no matter what time of day the electricity is consumed) and tiered rate customers will pay 8.5 ¢/kWh (regardless of how much electricity is consumed). The Government indicated that it intended to keep the pricing in place for 28 days, which was then later extended to Febuary 9, 2021.

We're pleased to once again support this provincial decision that will help our customers during this difficult time. We have taken the necessary steps to implement this rate change on electricity bills for Jan. 1. The 8.5 ¢/kWh pricing applies automatically – no customer action is required. Some customers may receive a bill before their utility or unit sub-meter provider is able to implement the price change, in which case they will receive a credit on the following bill.

For more information please visit the Ontario Energy Board (OEB) website at oeb.ca.

Helping customers and providing assistance

We at Utilities Kingston recognize that this is a difficult time for our community and are letting our customers know: we’re here to support you. If you are concerned about paying your bill, please contact us to extend payment arrangements. Contact our credit department using our online payment assistance form.  A member of our team will review your request and respond by email or phone call, as quickly as possible. Alternatively, you can call us at 613-546-1181, ext. 2278, Monday to Friday from 8 AM to 4:30 PM. 

Frequently asked questions

When will this change be implemented?

Our billing and information systems teams are implementing the changes through December 2020 and expect to be completed to begin on January 1, 2021. 

Why isn’t the discount fully showing on my bill?

• The billing period is listed on your bill, by the number of days. Your billing period may include rates before and after Jan. 1, 2021.
• For many customers, the first bill after January 1, 2021 will have more than the usual number of line items on the Electricity portion of their bill. These line items are necessary to reflect the different prices that are in effect at different times:
  1) the current prices that are in effect until December 31, 2020
  2) the fixed 8.5 ¢/kWh price that will be in effect from January 1, 2021 until the end of the day on February 9, 2021
  3) the prices that will be in effect starting on February 10, 2021, as set by the OEB on December 15, 2020.
• The statement dates reflect when the bill is processed and mailed. It is not an indication of when your last meter reading was taken. Your bill lists the date up to which transactions are reflected.
• There are several components/charges to your electricity bill, as regulated by the Ontario Energy Board. The discount applies to the Electivity lines of your bill.

What are the delivery charges?

There are several components/charges to your electricity bill, as regulated by the Ontario Energy Board. Kingston Hydro receives the delivery charge. This is a variable per kilowatt-hour (kWh) charge intended to allow the utility to recover the cost of building and maintaining its low-voltage distribution system, including overhead and underground distribution lines, poles, and transformer stations.

Where can I learn more about my electricity bill?

• Learn more about your electricity bill, including TOU and tiered pricing, with information from Utilities Kingston.
• The OEB is taking a number of measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and pending lockdown.
• Find more frequently asked questions.