Ontario households moved to winter electricity pricing on Sunday, November 1, 2026, as new Regulated Price Plan rates set by the Ontario Energy Board took effect alongside winter time-of-use hours and a smaller Ontario Electricity Rebate, according to the board and utility notices.
According to the Northern Current, the new time-of-use prices are 9.1 cents per kilowatt-hour off-peak, 14.6 cents mid-peak and 18.9 cents on-peak. Winter weekday on-peak hours are 7 to 11 a.m. and 5 to 7 p.m., while mid-peak runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. On weekends and holidays, the off-peak price applies all day.
For customers on tiered pricing, the winter threshold also rises. According to the Ontario Energy Board and Oshawa Power, residential customers pay 11.2 cents per kilowatt-hour for the first 1,000 kilowatt-hours each month, then 13.2 cents above that threshold. The summer threshold was 600 kilowatt-hours, so winter allows more use at the lower tier price.
Ultra-low overnight pricing continues with its own pattern. According to Oshawa Power, the overnight price from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. is 3.7 cents per kilowatt-hour, with a weekday on-peak price of 37.7 cents from 4 to 9 p.m. under that plan.
The change that most affects the total bill is the rebate. According to the Ontario Energy Board notices reported by the Northern Current and Oshawa Power, the Ontario Electricity Rebate falls from 23.5 per cent to 15.7 per cent from November 1. That means a lower electricity commodity price does not automatically mean a lower total bill, because the rebate credit shrinks at the same time.
Analysts cited in November guides illustrate the point: on a typical 700 kilowatt-hour month, the smaller rebate is worth roughly 23 dollars, compared with about 36 dollars under last winter's rebate. Households are advised to check which plan they are on, note the winter peak hours, and review the delivery and regulatory lines on their bill, which are not changed by this electricity-price announcement.
The Ontario Energy Board sets regulated electricity prices once a year on November 1, according to the board's own electricity-rates information. That annual cycle is why the winter schedule, the tier threshold and the rebate level all change on the same date, rather than at different times of the year. The winter time-of-use schedule then runs from November 1 to April 30, before the summer schedule returns on May 1.
Another winter protection also starts later in November. According to November guides, Ontario utilities cannot disconnect a home for non-payment from November 15 to April 30. That rule does not remove the amount owed, but it changes how arrears are handled through the coldest months. Households worried about bills are advised to contact their local utility early to discuss payment options, rather than waiting for a disconnection notice.