Cheaper Times to Use Electricity in Ontario (2025 Guide)

If you rent a home or apartment in Ontario and pay your own electricity, the time of day you run your dishwasher, do laundry, or charge your devices has a direct impact on your monthly bill. This is not a minor detail. Depending on your household habits, shifting a few routines to off-peak hours can save you $20 to $60 or more every month, which adds up to hundreds of dollars a year.

At Blue Anchor, we manage long-term residential rentals across Central Ontario, including properties in Belleville, Trenton, Cobourg, Oshawa, Quinte West, and Picton. Electricity costs come up constantly in conversations with both tenants and landlords. Tenants want to know how to keep bills manageable. Landlords want to attract and retain good tenants in properties that are practical and affordable to live in. Understanding Ontario's Time-of-Use electricity pricing is one of the most straightforward ways to help both groups.

This guide breaks down the current rates, explains the logic behind the system, and gives you specific, actionable steps to use electricity more strategically without changing your lifestyle in any meaningful way.

What Changed in 2025 and Why It Matters

Ontario's electricity pricing has been governed by Time-of-Use (TOU) rates for years, but the Ontario Energy Board (OEB) updated the rates effective May 1, 2025. The changes reflect shifting grid demand patterns, including the growth of remote work, increased EV adoption, and updated infrastructure costs. The practical effect is that daytime electricity is now more expensive than it was under the previous rate structure, making off-peak usage even more valuable for budget-conscious households.

TOU pricing means you are charged based on when you use electricity, not just how much you use. The grid is under the most strain during predictable windows of the day, and the OEB uses pricing to encourage people to shift consumption away from those windows. It is a demand management tool that also happens to reward tenants who pay attention.

It is worth noting that TOU pricing applies to households on smart meters, which is the vast majority of Ontario homes. If your unit still has an older meter, you may be on a tiered pricing structure instead. We will cover the difference between TOU and tiered pricing later in this article.

Ontario TOU Rates: The Full Breakdown

The OEB sets TOU rates in two seasonal periods: summer and winter. The periods reflect when demand peaks differ across the year. Here is the current structure as of May 2025:

Summer TOU Hours (May 1 to October 31, Weekdays)

Off-Peak: 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. at 7.6 cents per kWh
Mid-Peak: 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at 12.2 cents per kWh
On-Peak: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 18.2 cents per kWh

Winter TOU Hours (November 1 to April 30, Weekdays)

Off-Peak: 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. at 7.6 cents per kWh
Mid-Peak: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 12.2 cents per kWh
On-Peak: 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at 18.2 cents per kWh

Weekends and statutory holidays are entirely off-peak, all day, at 7.6 cents per kWh. This is one of the most underused savings opportunities in Ontario. Running your washing machine on a Saturday morning costs less than half what it would on a Tuesday afternoon in summer.

To put the rate difference in perspective: if you run a standard electric dryer for one hour, it uses roughly 5 kWh. At on-peak rates, that costs about 91 cents. At off-peak rates, it costs about 38 cents. That is a 58% difference for the exact same load of laundry. Multiply that across a full month of household appliance use and the savings become significant.

You can verify current rates directly through the Ontario Energy Board website, which publishes updated TOU schedules whenever changes take effect.

Why Ontario Charges More at Certain Times

Ontario's electricity grid is a live system. At any given moment, the power being generated has to match the power being consumed. When demand spikes, grid operators have to bring additional, often more expensive, generating capacity online quickly. That capacity typically comes from natural gas plants, which are less efficient and more costly to run than the province's baseload sources like nuclear and hydroelectric.

In summer, the midday and early afternoon hours are when air conditioners across the province are working hardest. Office buildings, factories, and homes are all drawing power simultaneously. In winter, the morning rush and early evening are the pressure points, when people wake up, heat their homes, and return from work all at the same time.

By charging more during these windows, the OEB gives households a financial incentive to shift discretionary electricity use to times when the grid is less stressed. The overnight hours, when most people are asleep and industrial demand drops, are when Ontario often has surplus power. That is why off-peak rates are so much lower. The grid wants you to use electricity at night.

This system also has environmental benefits. Reducing peak demand means less reliance on gas peaker plants, which lowers emissions. For tenants who care about their environmental footprint as well as their budget, shifting to off-peak usage is a straightforward win on both fronts.

Practical Ways to Cut Your Electricity Bill

You do not need to overhaul your life to benefit from TOU pricing. Most of the high-impact changes involve appliances that run on a schedule, which means you can set them and forget them.

Laundry and Dishwashers

These are the easiest wins. Most modern washing machines, dryers, and dishwashers have delay-start features. Set your dishwasher to run at 9 p.m. instead of right after dinner. Set your washing machine to start at 7 p.m. or later on weeknights, or run it any time on weekends. In our experience managing properties across Belleville and Trenton, tenants who make this one change alone report noticeable reductions in their monthly hydro bills within the first billing cycle.

Electric Vehicle Charging

If you drive an EV, overnight charging is the single biggest electricity cost you can control. Charging between midnight and 6 a.m. puts you squarely in off-peak territory every night of the week. Most EV home chargers and vehicle apps allow you to schedule charging windows. This is not optional if you want to manage your electricity costs responsibly as an EV owner in Ontario.

Cooking and Meal Prep

This one requires a bit more planning, but using your oven or slow cooker in the evening rather than at noon on a weekday moves you from on-peak to off-peak or mid-peak territory. Batch cooking on weekends is another approach that naturally aligns with the all-day off-peak weekend schedule.

Heating and Cooling

If you have a programmable or smart thermostat, pre-cooling or pre-heating your home before on-peak hours begin can reduce how hard your system works during the expensive window. Cool your apartment to 22 degrees before 11 a.m. in summer, then let the thermostat ease up slightly until 5 p.m. You will not notice much difference in comfort, but you will notice it on your bill.

Phantom Loads and Standby Power

Electronics that are plugged in but not actively in use still draw power. TVs, gaming consoles, chargers, and small appliances all contribute to your baseline consumption. Power bars with switches let you cut power to clusters of devices easily. This is a smaller factor than appliance scheduling, but it adds up over a month.

TOU vs. Tiered Pricing: Which One Saves You More

Not every Ontario household is on TOU pricing. If your home does not have a smart meter, or if you have opted out of TOU, you may be on a tiered pricing structure instead. Under the tiered system, you pay a lower rate for the first 1,000 kWh you use per month in winter (or 600 kWh in summer), and a higher rate for everything above that threshold. The rates are set by the OEB and updated periodically.

For households with flexible schedules and the ability to shift usage to evenings and weekends, TOU pricing generally offers more savings potential. For households where someone is home all day and usage is spread evenly throughout the day, tiered pricing may be more predictable and sometimes cheaper.

You can switch between TOU and tiered pricing by contacting your local distribution company, such as Hydro One or your municipal utility. Ontario regulations allow customers to make this switch, and it is worth running the numbers based on your actual usage patterns before deciding. Your electricity bill should show your usage broken down by time period if you are on TOU, which makes it easier to evaluate.

What This Means for Ontario Landlords

At Blue Anchor, we think about electricity costs from both sides of the lease. For landlords, understanding TOU pricing matters in a few specific ways.

First, if you own a property where you pay utilities and include them in the rent, your operating costs are directly affected by how tenants use electricity. This is one reason many landlords in Ontario prefer to set up utilities in the tenant's name where possible. When tenants pay their own hydro, they have a natural incentive to manage consumption. When the landlord pays, that incentive disappears.

Second, if you are preparing a unit for new tenants, ensuring the property has a smart meter and that the account is set up correctly with the local utility is part of responsible property preparation. We cover this in more detail in our guide on how to prepare your rental property in Central Ontario for new tenants.

Third, landlords who include utilities in older multi-unit buildings sometimes look at utility sharing arrangements. Ontario has specific rules about how utilities can be allocated in multi-unit properties, and the rules under the Residential Tenancies Act are not always intuitive. Our post on utility sharing in Ontario multifamily properties covers the legal guidelines in detail.

At Blue Anchor, we also encourage tenants to protect themselves financially with renters insurance, which covers personal property and liability. Our renters insurance program through Walnut Insurance starts at $30 to $42 per month and includes $1 million in liability coverage, which is meaningful protection for a very manageable cost.

For landlords thinking about the broader picture of what tenants want and how to retain good ones, electricity costs are part of the overall affordability equation. Tenants who feel informed and supported are more likely to stay. If you are a landlord evaluating how professional property management can help you retain quality tenants and reduce turnover, our survey of 500 landlords on property management is worth reading.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the cheapest hours to use electricity in Ontario?

Off-peak hours are the cheapest, currently priced at 7.6 cents per kWh. On weekdays, off-peak runs from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. year-round. On weekends and statutory holidays, all hours are off-peak regardless of the time. Running major appliances during these windows is the most direct way to reduce your hydro bill.

Do TOU rates apply to everyone in Ontario?

TOU rates apply to households with smart meters, which covers the majority of Ontario homes. If your home has an older meter, you are likely on tiered pricing instead. You can contact your local utility to confirm which pricing structure applies to your account and to ask about switching options.

Can my landlord require me to pay electricity in a certain way?

Under the Residential Tenancies Act, landlords cannot require tenants to pay utilities through a specific method as a condition of tenancy. If utilities are included in your rent, they stay included unless a lease amendment is agreed to in writing. If utilities are in your name, you manage the account directly with the utility provider.

Does the time of year affect when on-peak hours occur?

Yes. Ontario uses two seasonal TOU schedules. In summer (May 1 to October 31), on-peak hours fall in the middle of the day from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays. In winter (November 1 to April 30), on-peak hours shift to the morning rush (7 a.m. to 11 a.m.) and early evening (5 p.m. to 7 p.m.) on weekdays. The off-peak rate is the same in both seasons.

How much can I realistically save by shifting to off-peak usage?

This depends on your household size and usage patterns, but shifting laundry, dishwashing, and EV charging to off-peak hours can reduce the electricity portion of your bill by 20% to 40% for an average household. For a tenant paying $120 to $150 per month in hydro, that is a real and meaningful saving over the course of a year.

Bottom Line: Small Habit Changes, Real Dollar Savings

Ontario's TOU electricity pricing rewards households that pay attention. The rate difference between on-peak and off-peak hours is substantial, and the changes required to take advantage of it are genuinely minor. Setting your dishwasher to run at 9 p.m., doing laundry on Saturday morning, and charging your EV overnight are not hardships. They are small scheduling adjustments that compound into meaningful savings over a year.

At Blue Anchor, we believe that good property management means helping tenants live well in their homes, not just processing rent and handling repairs. Sharing practical information like this is part of how we support the people who live in the properties we manage across Belleville, Trenton, Cobourg, Oshawa, Quinte West, and Picton. If you are a landlord looking for a management team that takes this kind of care seriously, we would be glad to talk. And if you are a tenant in one of our properties with questions about utilities or your lease, reach out to us directly.

Disclaimer: Electricity rates are set by the Ontario Energy Board and are subject to change. This article reflects rates in effect as of May 2025. Always verify current rates with the OEB or your local utility provider. This article does not constitute legal or financial advice.