Residential and small business customers can choose to switch between Time-of-Use (TOU)  and Tiered electricity prices at anytime. The Ultra-Low Overnight (ULO) price plan is not currently an option but will be available in the coming months.

Considering a Switch?

Here are some things you should consider before you switch between electricity price plans.

 Your current price plan.
What electricity price plan are you on? If you are unsure, take a look at the Electricity line of your bill. Most residential and small business customers in Ontario pay TOU prices.
Your current usage. 
How much electricity do you use in a month? If you’re unsure, take a look at the Electricity line on your bill. You might also want to look at the historical usage graph on your bill, which shows your average daily usage over the past 12-month period. 
 Your consumption pattern.
When you use electricity can be another factor in your choice. Historically, the typical residential customer who paid TOU prices has used nearly two thirds of their power at off-peak times – the time when the lowest TOU price applies. The other third of their power used was typically split equally between on- and mid-peak times. Look at the Electricity line of your bill to see how much power you use in each of the three TOU price periods. 
 Seasonal changes and time of year.
The TOU price periods and Tier thresholds change with the season and are different during the winter (November 1 – April 30) and summer (May 1 – October 31) periods. If you are thinking about switching plans, you should pay close attention to how much electricity you use in a month, because on Tiered pricing the price is higher for every For instance, if you heat your home electrically, your monthly use in the winter may be higher. And the same goes for the summer if you need to run your air conditioner.  With TOU prices, the price depends on when you use electricity. Although the TOU price periods also change with the season, the electricity you use after 7 p.m. every day, and all the time on weekends and holidays, is charged at the lowest price under TOU all year round.
 Your lifestyle and daily habits.

Is someone home during the day on weekdays, so that shifting your usage is more challenging? Do you have large appliances that you need to run during the day on weekdays? Can you shift more of that usage to nighttime or weekend hours? Do you own an electric vehicle that you charge at home and what times of day/night do you charge it? 
 Small business.
Look at the nature of your business operations - not all small businesses are the same. How much electricity do you use each month, and when do you use it? The Tier threshold for small business customers is 750 kWh all year round. A large restaurant with several ovens running in the evening may have a very different electricity usage pattern than a small salon that’s only open during the day. So may a dry cleaner compared to a convenience store, or a clothing store compared to a bakery.

OEB Bill Calculator 

The Ontario Energy Board offers a Bill Calculator for customers to see which plan is best. For more information on Time-of-Use and Tiered Pricing and tools to help you decide which price structure is right for you, please visit www.oeb.ca/choice.

Change Your Electricity Rate Plan

You can change the electricity price plan at anytime 24/7 through My Account.

  1. Register or login to My Account. 
  2. From My Account dashboard, select Smart Meter from the left navigation menu.
  3. Select $Price Comparison button to compare TOU and Tiered pricing based on your actual and historical usage.
  4. Select Change My Rate Plan button.
  5. Select Submit Change Request button. 

    Note: The change in the Electricity Rate Plan will not take effect until your next meter read date. Your read dates can be found on your bill under the ‘billing period.’ You should receive written confirmation of this change request within 10 business days.

Frequently-Asked Questions

Do I have to switch my price plan?
If you don't want to switch your price plan, you don't need to do anything. You will stay on your current price plan. If you want to switch to a different price plan, there are rules that apply. These rules also apply later if you want to switch to another price plan. More information on choosing an electricity price plan is available from the Ontario Energy Board website.
Who is Eligible to Switch Their Electricity Price Plan?
Customers who are on TOU or Tiered prices are eligible to make the switch. Customers who have a contract with a retailer or who are paying the spot market price are NOT eligible to switch pricing plans at this time.
How Do I Know If I Should Switch My Price Plan?
To help you make an informed decision, you can use the OEB Bill Calculator that will provide you an estimate on whether you may benefit financially from making a switch. Note: The consumption values are for information purposes only, and unlike billed values, are not loss factor adjusted.
 About Time-of-Use (TOU) Prices

The Ontario Energy Board releases details on the Time-of-Use and Tiered rates in November each year.

With TOU prices, the price depends on when you use electricity as well as on the season (winter or summer). You can help manage your electricity costs by shifting your usage to lower price periods when possible.  

Summer Time of Use Hours Now in Effect May 1 to October 31, 2023
 About Tiered Prices

The Ontario Energy Board introduced details on the Tiered electricity rate plan. 

With Tiered prices, you can use a certain amount of electricity each month at a lower price. Once that limit (called a threshold) is exceeded, a higher price applies. For residential customers, the threshold normally changes with the season to reflect changing usage patterns – for example, there are fewer hours of daylight in the winter and some customers use electric heating. 

  • In the winter period (November 1 – April 30), the Tier threshold for residential customers is 1,000 kWh/month so that households can use more power at the lower price. 
  • In the summer period (May 1 – October 31), the Tier threshold for residential customers is 600 kWh. 
  • For small business customers, the Tier threshold is 750 kWh all year round. 

Tiered prices give you the flexibility to use electricity at any time of day at the same price, although that price will change if you exceed the threshold during the month. 

The Tiered pricing threshold of 1,000 kWh in the winter and 600 kWh in the summer (residential) and 750 kWh year round (small commercial) is based on a 30-day billing period. When your billing period is less than 30 days, your threshold is prorated accordingly.

 Summer Tiered Thresholds Now in Effect May 1 to October 31, 2023

  
 After I Switch, When Will the New Price Plan Rates Show Up On My Bill?

Your request to switch rate plan will be processed by GrandBridge Energy (formerly Energy+) in the next 10 business days of receiving the request to change through My Account. A switch from TOU to Tiered prices can only take effect at the start of a billing period.

We do not bill residential and small commercial customers on a calendar month of usage. For example, a customer's meter reading dates could be October 15 - November 14.  This customer would be billed TOU rates for the bill covering electricity used from October 15 - November 14.  The customers next reading date would be November 15 - December 14.  The customer would then be billed Tiered rates for the bill covering the electricity used from November 15 - December 14.  The switch can only be performed once all of the electricity is used on or after November 1st.
How Many Times Can I Switch Price Plans?
You can switch back and forth as many times as you like between TOU and Tiered pricing.
When will I be able to switch to the Ultra-Low Overnight (ULO) Price plan?

GrandBridge Energy plans to offer customers the Ultra-Love Overnight (ULO) price plan in the coming months.

The ULO option is not currently available to GrandBridge Energy customers. 

New Ultra-Low Overnight Hours - not currently available