Ontario Energy Board Sets New Electricity Rate Plan Prices and Support Program Thresholds
TORONTO -
Residential, small business and farm customers can choose their price plan, either Time-Of-Use (TOU), Tiered or Ultra-Low-Overnight (ULO) prices. The OEB has an online bill calculator to help customers who are considering a switch in price plans.
The Government of Ontario announced on Friday, October 19, 2023, that it is raising the income eligibility thresholds that enable Ontarians to qualify for the Ontario Electricity Support Program (OESP) by up to 35 percent. OESP is part of Ontario’s energy affordability framework meant to reduce the cost of electricity for low-income households by applying a monthly credit directly on to electricity bills.. The higher income eligibility thresholds will begin on March 1, 2024.
The amount of OESP bill credit is determined by the number of people living in a home and the household’s combined income. The current income thresholds cap income eligibility at $28,000 for one-person households and $52,000 for five-person households.
The new income eligibility thresholds, which will be in effect beginning March 1, 2024, will allow many more families to access the program.
In addition, under the OEB’s winter disconnection ban electricity distributors cannot disconnect residential customers for non-payment from November 15, 2023, to April 30, 2024.
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COVID-19 pandemic zaps electricity usage in Ontario as people stay home
TORONTO - Demand for electricity in Ontario last year fell to levels rarely seen in decades amid shifts in usage patterns caused by pandemic measures, new data show.
The decline came despite a hot summer that had people rushing to crank up the air conditioning at home, the province’s power management agency said.
“We do have this very interesting shift in who’s using the energy,” said Chuck Farmer, senior director of power system planning with the Independent Electricity System Operator.
“Residential users are using more electricity than we thought they would and the commercial consumers are using less.”
The onset of the pandemic last…
