Ontario: a cheaper overnight rate needs a whole-day comparison.
TOU, Ultra-Low Overnight and Tiered plans reward different patterns. The useful question is which pattern matches your home.
Count the electricity you can move, and the electricity that must stay where it is.
Three ways to price the energy
Eligible Ontario customers under the Regulated Price Plan can choose among Time-of-Use, Ultra-Low Overnight and Tiered pricing. TOU and ULO depend on timing; Tiered depends on the amount used. Eligibility and switching details should be checked with your electricity utility.
Build your own day
Start with a usage download or the period totals on your bill. Mark EV charging, laundry and other flexible loads. Then mark cooking, occupied-home heating or cooling, and equipment that must operate when needed. A plan comparison needs both groups.
Make the tradeoff explicit
Here is a hypothetical example: shifting 200 kWh to a period that costs 0.08 less saves 16. If another 150 kWh now falls in a period costing 0.12 more, that adds 18. The net change is an increase of 2. A striking overnight price alone does not establish a saving.
Check the schedule again
The OEB publishes the current periods, prices and holiday rules. TOU schedules and residential tier thresholds change seasonally; ULO has its own schedule. Customers on retail contracts or supplied through building sub-meter arrangements should check which options actually apply.
Your next four steps.
- Identify whether the plan choice is available to you.
- Collect peak, mid-peak and off-peak use.
- Model a realistic shift, not every appliance.
- Recheck current OEB schedules.
Put the idea into numbers.
Open the calculatorHAUSE Energy · Reviewed September 8, 2026. For current program rules or prices, use your utility’s published documents and the regional source guide.