Commonly Asked Billing Questions
Billing Period
The number of days your bill covers can also have a bearing. Hydro meters are read on a two-month cycle which means that the period covered by the bill can vary from 55 to 65 days. A difference of 10 days can equal a difference of 18%.
Retailer Contracts
When you sign up with an electricity retailer, you may notice a change in the commodity price of electricity. Your regulatory and delivery charges will remain the same. Check you bill to see if you have inadvertently signed up with a retailer. Learn more about Electricity Retailers.
Changes in Consumption
There are many factors that can influence your hydro bill. The time of year, thermostat settings, outside temperatures, fewer or smaller size appliances, improved insulation, a new baby, teenagers, and houseguests can all play a part. Each family's lifestyle is different, and it is normal to expect that your bill won't be the same as your neighbour's. Homemaking habits, hobbies, the number of children and their ages all vary from household to household and all have an impact on your hydro bills. Learn about conserving power
Taxes
Taxes have been applied to your bill. Learn about the GST/HST
Why does my meter still record electrical consumption when no one is at home?
Many appliances that we have in our homes today still consume electric power while we are away. We may not notice them using electricity, because they are silent.
Here is a list of a few items your home may have that use power while you're away: aquariums, block heaters, dehumidifiers, cordless phones, answering machines, furnace fan motors, freezers, pumps, refrigerators, security systems, television sets, waterbeds, and water heaters. Learn more about 'phantom load'.
And don't forget the extra cleaning, washing, drying and ironing that we do when we're preparing for, or returning, from a vacation. That also uses energy and may very well offset the energy saved while we were away.
What is the information that is supplied on my Hydro Bill?
Account Number - Here you will find your 12 digit account number. Please ensure that this entire number (as it appears) is used for payment purposes.
Amount Due - this box will tells you what dollar amount needs to be paid.
Due Date - to avoid interest charges, payment must be received in our office by the due date. It is important to allow sufficient time for your payment to arrive at our office for processing in advance of the due date on your bill - for financial institutions to forward payment to us, or for the processing of a payment sent by mail.
Service For - the address receiving service(s).
Metering Information - your most recent account consumption history showing your meter number, meter reading period, the last and current meter readings (actual or estimated), total Kwh’s used, and the billing period number of days .
Consumption History – is your last 12 months consumption history and the average daily Kwh’s usage this billing period.
Meter Reading – your current meter reading is compared to the previous meter reading to calculate the electricity used (in Kwh’s).
Kwh Used - this is the amount of electricity you used in kilowatt-hours (Kwh’s).
Adjusted Consumption - when electricity is delivered over a power line, it is normal for a small amount of power to be consumed or lost as heat. Equipment, such as wires and transformers, consumes power before it gets to your home or business. The “loss factor adjustment” accounts for these losses. The electricity, transmission and regulatory charges are based on the adjusted consumption. The debt retirement charge is based on pre-adjusted consumption.
Balance Forward – is the balance carried forward from your previous hydro bill.
Total Payments – the total payment(s) applied to your account since your previous bill.
Late Payment Charge – an interest penalty is charged on the outstanding balance not received by the due date.
Electricity Charges - this is the cost of the electricity supplied to you during a billing period and is the part of the bill that is subject to competition. The electricity consumed is multiplied by the adjustment factor. Thunder Bay Hydro collects this money and pays this amount directly to our suppliers.
- Customers on the Regulated Price Plan (RPP) are charged a regulated price per Kwh for the electricity they use. These prices are set by the Ontario Energy Board. Customers who are an “Electricity Retailer” will pay the amount as determined by their contract.
- Customers who have transitioned to the Time of Use rate structure are charged based on both how much they use and when they use their electricity.
Delivery - these are the costs of delivering electricity from generating stations across the Province to Thunder Bay Hydro, then to your home or business. This includes the costs to build and maintain the transmission and distribution lines, towers and poles and operate provincial and local electricity systems. Thunder Bay Hydro passes the transmission charge through to you, without a mark-up, on behalf of Hydro One.
Regulatory Charges - regulatory charges are the costs of administering the wholesale electricity system and maintaining the reliability of the provincial grid.
Debt Retirement Charge - the Debt Retirement Charge pays down the debt of the former Ontario Hydro. Thunder Bay Hydro collects this charge, without mark-up, on behalf of the Ontario Electricity Financial Corporation.
Other Charges - if you have other charges on an on-going basis (i.e. water heater rental) they will appear.
H.S.T - charges on the bill are subject to the Harmonized Sales Tax which is the combined federal Goods and Services Tax and provincial retail sales tax.
Learn more about where these charges are allocated
What is the Regulated Price Plan (RPP)?
Electricity is a commodity. The actual price of it changes every hour of every day.
At the request of the Minister of Energy, the Ontario Energy Board developed an electricity price plan that provides stable and predictable electricity pricing, encourages conservation and ensures the price consumers pay for electricity reflects the price paid to generators. This rate structure is the default for when you get electriticity service.The RPP is reviewed every six months and prices or Time of Use buckets are set for May 1 and Nov 1 each year.
By December 10, 2011, all Thunder Bay Hydro customers who are eligible for provincially regulated prices will have the commodity of electricity charges based on when they use their power as well as how much they use.
Who is eligible for the Regulated Price Plan (RPP)?
Low-volume consumers, such as residential consumers and small business customers, and “designated consumers” such as municipalities, hospitals, schools, colleges and universities are eligible to receive the RPP pricing.
What is the RPP Settlement or RPP exit fee?
This is a one-time charge or credit that will appear on your electricity bill if you leave the Regulated Price Plan. It exists because you have to settle your outstanding Regulated Price Plan account with your local utility. You will need to settle the outstanding Regulated Price Plan account you have with your utility if you leave the Regulated Price Plan by:
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Signing a contract with an electricity retailer;
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Canceling your account and moving outside of Ontario;
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Buying electricity through spot market pricing, in which you pay the actual wholesale market prices which change every hour of each day (this option is only available for a limited number of consumers who have an interval meter);
This page last updated 2012-02-06.
