Hydro > Managing the Electricity Bill

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Electricity prices will increase in the future Components of the Electricity Bill*

Distribution Charge to pay to pay for new or refurbished electricity Local Distribution Company (paid to Hydro Ottawa) 20.4% generating stations, transmission lines, and Electricity Generation Charge (paid to generators of hydroelectric, nuclear, fossil-fueled, wind, biomass, distribution facilities to ensure that ’s biogas and solar electricity) 52.0% Debt Retirement Charge to pay the electricity supply remains highly reliable. debt of the former Ontario Hydro (paid to Provincial Government) 4.4% According to a study performed by Aegent Energy Advisors Regulatory Charges for administering system and funding programs (paid for the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters (Ontario to Independent Electricity System Electricity Price Increase Forecast, December 2011 to Operator, Ministry of Energy) 4.1% December 2016), Ontario’s electricity price for residential Transmission Charge (paid to ) 7.6% consumers could increase by between 46 percent and Harmonized Sales Tax (paid to federal 58 percent between 2012 and 2016, assuming the Ontario and provincial governments) 11.5% Clean Energy Benefit, which currently reduces electricity bills, ends by 2016. *For the average residential customer using 800 kWh per month. Source: Hydro Ottawa, January 2013 Hydro Ottawa has an excellent record for managing costs and minimizing distribution rate increases. The company About 80 percent of a typical Hydro Ottawa residential ranks well within the top quartile of distributors in the customer bill, however, goes to pay for electricity generation, province in terms of operating with the lowest costs electricity transmission, various regulatory and system per customer; according to the Ontario Energy Board’s operation functions, provincial electricity system debt Yearbook of Electricity Distributors 2011 (September 2012), reduction, and harmonized sales tax. Only about 20 percent Hydro Ottawa ranked eleventh out of 76 Ontario electricity of the bill is fully within Hydro Ottawa’s control. distribution companies. While it is inevitable that electricity prices will rise, there are many actions that electricity customers can take to reduce their electricity costs. Hydro Ottawa > Backgrounder

Residential Customers Reducing Electricity Use, and Increasing Efficiency Residential customers can better manage their electricity bills by: There are a large number of actions that residential customers can take to either reduce their need for electricity or to use >> shifting their electricity usage to lower-cost times, electricity more efficiently. For example:

>> taking steps to reduce their need for electricity, and >> Install a programmable thermostat to manage the amount of energy used to heat and cool your home, >> using electricity more efficiently. especially when you are not home and at night while you are sleeping. Shifting When Electricity is Used >> Caulk, seal and weather-strip windows and install a Residential customers can shift some of their electricity seal sweep on doors to keep the heat in during the usage to low-peak periods when electricity costs are winter and the cool in during the summer. lowest. For example, washing/drying clothes and washing dishes can be done either after 7 p.m. on weekdays, or on >> Close curtains/blinds during the day in summer, and weekends, to take advantage of the lowest rates. open them during the day in winter.

Time of Use Rate Periods >> Use fans instead of air conditioners.

MIDNIGHT MIDNIGHT >> Use ENERGY STAR qualified compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs — they use up to 75 percent less electricity than regular incandescent bulbs.

>> Use a clothesline or clothes rack for indoor and P.M. A.M. P.M. A.M. outdoor drying.

>> Operate the dryer with full loads.

In addition to these tips, Hydro Ottawa also has a

NOON NOON number of energy conservation programs featuring incentives for residential customers on its website — the Summer Winter (May 1 – October 31) (November 1 – April 30) heating and cooling incentive, fridge and freezer pickup, weekdays weekdays peaksaver PLUS™ program, and saveONenergy coupons. Full details of the energy efficiency programs are available at www.hydroottawa.com/conservation. MIDNIGHT For more information for residential customers on energy efficiency programs, see the Hydro Ottawa backgrounder ¢ Off-peak on Energy Efficiency Programs for Residential Customers.

P.M. A.M. ¢¢ Mid-peak

¢¢¢ On-peak

NOON

Weekends and Statutory Holidays

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Business Customers Average Electricity Consumption Residential Customer (kWh) Hydro Ottawa offers energy-efficiency programs to assist organizations from the smallest of retail stores to the largest 710 industrial complexes. Programs and incentives are available 700 to all businesses in the commercial, industrial, government, 700 698 agriculture, small business, institutional, social housing and 692 new home construction sectors. 690 Programs include incentives for:

680 >> Demand response (voluntary and contractual); kWh/month 675

>> Small business lighting; 670

>> Energy audits; 660 2008 2009 2010 2011 >> Retrofits;

>> High-performance new construction; >> Existing building commissioning; Contact Us >> Process and systems energy-efficiency upgrades; and Hydro Ottawa >> Process and systems energy management and 3025 Albion Road North monitoring. P.O. Box 8700 Ottawa, Ontario K1G 3S4 Full details of the energy efficiency programs are available at www.hydroottawa.com/commercial, or see the Hydro Customer Service Ottawa backgrounder on Energy Efficiency Programs for Business Customers. >> www.hydroottawa.com >> 613-738-6400 Customer Energy Conservation Savings Power Outage Reporting Between 2005 and the end of 2011, Hydro Ottawa residential and Information and business customers have saved 500 million kilowatt- >> www.hydroottawa.com/outages hours, enough to power 52,000 homes for a year. >> 613-738-0188 The average use of electricity by Ottawa households has declined by more than 100 kilowatt hours per month since Follow us on Twitter 2001, mainly due to conservation and energy efficiency. @hydroottawa

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