Expansion of Ontario Electricity Support Program launches today

The Ontario government says it is keeping electricity costs down for about 100,000 additional families by expanding the eligibility for the Ontario Electricity Support Program (OESP). New income eligibility thresholds, which have increased by up to 35 per cent, take effect today.

“Our government is increasing our investment in the Ontario Electricity Support Program by $50 million to provide targeted support to those who need it most,” said Todd Smith, Minister of Energy. “While previous governments implemented schemes that led to skyrocketing energy prices, we’re using every tool in our toolbox to keep costs down for families.”

The government’s increased investment in the OESP will support a significant expansion of the program. For example, a four-person household can now have a combined maximum income of $65,000 after tax deductions, to qualify for a monthly rebate of $40. That’s an increase of $17,000 from the previous maximum of $48,000.

“This investment in the Ontario Electricity Support Program demonstrates how serious our government is about making life more affordable for Ontarians,” said Michael Parsa, Minister of Children, Community and Social Services. “Our government will continue to find even more ways to bring down costs to ensure that nobody in our province gets left behind.”

Households eligible for the OESP can receive credits of $35 to $75 through the program depending on household size. Higher monthly credits of between $52 to $113 are available to customers who are Indigenous, living with Indigenous family members, using electric heating, or using certain electricity-intensive medical devices.

In addition to the OESP, the Ontario Electricity Rebate (OER) keeps electricity bills for families and small business affordable. Last fall, the on-bill OER was increased from 11.7 per cent to 19.3 per cent – reducing a typical household’s electricity bill by a total of $26 each month – or $312 a year.

Quick Facts

• In 2022, the OESP provided energy relief to approximately 212,000 households across the province.
• Families can apply for the OESP at any time. There is no application deadline, but the sooner they apply and are accepted into the OESP, the sooner they will begin to receive the on-bill credits.
• Customers who are eligible for Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (LEAP) are likely also eligible for OESP. LEAP provides emergency financial assistance for electricity or natural gas customers who are at risk of having their service disconnected for non-payment.

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Ontario Making it Easier to Build Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

Province streamlining process to connect public EV charging stations to the grid

The Ontario government says it is making it easier to build and connect new public electric vehicle (EV) charging stations to the province’s world-class clean electricity grid. Starting May 27, 2024, all local utilities will follow a streamlined process for EV charging connections that will make it easier to set up new charging stations and support the adoption of electric vehicles in Ontario.

“As the number of EV owners in Ontario continues to grow, our government is making it easier to put shovels in the ground to build the critical infrastructure needed for drivers to charge their vehicles where and when they need to,” said Todd Smith, Minister of Energy. “This is just another step we are taking to reduce red tape, increase EV adoption, and use our clean electricity supply to support the electrification of Ontario’s transportation sector.”

Today, each of Ontario’s 58 local electricity utilities have different procedures for connecting new public EV charging stations, with different timelines, information requirements and responsibilities for customers.

In response to Minister Smith’s Letter of Direction, which called on the Ontario Energy Board (OEB) to take steps to facilitate the efficient integration of EV’s into the provincial electricity system, the OEB issued provincewide, streamlined procedures that all local utilities must follow for installing and connecting new EV charging infrastructure. This new procedure includes the implementation of standardized forms, timelines, and information requirements which will make it easier for EV charging providers to deploy chargers in all regions of the province.

“Our government is paving the way to an electric future by building the EV charging infrastructure drivers need, where they need it,” said Prabmeet Sarkaria, Minister of Transportation. “By increasing the accessibility of public EV charging stations across the province, including for rural and northern communities, we are providing more sustainable and convenient travel options for drivers.”

“Having attracted over $28 billion in automotive investments in the last three years, our province is a leading jurisdiction in the global production and development of EVs,” said Vic Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade. “By making it easier to build public charging infrastructure, our government is supporting Ontario’s growing end-to-end EV supply chain and ensuring EV drivers can confidently and conveniently power their journeys.”

This initiative is part of the government’s larger plan to support the adoption of electric vehicles and make EV charging infrastructure more accessible, which includes:

• The EV ChargeON program – a $91 million investment to support the installation of public EV chargers outside of Ontario’s large urban centres, including at community hubs, Ontario’s highway rest areas, carpool parking lots, and Ontario Parks.
• The new Ultra-Low Overnight price plan which allows customers who use more electricity at night, including those charging their EV, to save up to $90 per year by shifting demand to the ultra-low overnight rate period when provincewide electricity demand is lower.
• Making it more convenient for electric vehicle (EV) owners to travel the province with EV fast chargers now installed at all 20 renovated ONroute stations along the province’s busiest highways, the 400 and 401.

The initiative also builds on the government’s Driving Prosperity: The Future of Ontario’s Automotive Sector plan which aims to create a domestic EV battery ecosystem in the province and position Ontario as a North American automotive innovation hub by working to support the continued transition to electric, low carbon, connected and autonomous vehicles.

Quick Facts

• As of December 2023, there are more than 150,000 EVs registered in Ontario, including both battery-electric vehicles (BEV) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV). By 2030, there are expected to be more than one million EVs on the road in Ontario.
• The Ontario Energy Board’s new Electric Vehicle Charging Connections Procedures (EVCCP) applies to public charging connections including those found along highways and at service centres, workplace charging, multi-residential buildings and charging stations used for EV fleets.
• On February 16, 2024, the OEB issued the final EVCCP that establishes requirements which LDCs must follow under the Distribution System Code (DSC). The amendments will come into force on May 27, 2024.

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Hydro One launches Ultra-Low Overnight Electricity Price Plan providing customers with choice between three electricity pricing options

TORONTO, Sept. 20, 2023 /CNW/ – Today, Hydro One announced the launch of the Ontario Energy Board’s new Ultra-Low Overnight Electricity Price Plan. A new survey, conducted by Innovative Research Group, shows that 74 per cent of Ontarians find having choice between electricity pricing plans useful.

The same survey revealed that fewer than half of Ontarians are familiar with either tiered or the new ultra-low overnight price plans. To better support its customers Hydro One is providing an online calculator to help them choose which pricing plan best suits their lifestyle. The company also offers additional flexibility and assistance in managing household budgets by providing customers with the ability to choose their billing due date and flatten usage spikes from temperature fluctuations through balanced billing.

“By offering families and small businesses more choice, we are putting them back in control of their energy bills,” said Todd Smith, Minister of Energy. “Starting today Hydro One customers have a new option – the Ultra-Low Electricity Price Plan – which could help them save money each year, while making our province’s grid more efficient.”

Electricity price plan options

• New Ultra-Low Overnight price plan (ULO): Designed for customers who use more electricity at night, such as those who charge their electric vehicle, this new price plan can help customers keep costs down and take control of their electricity bill by shifting usage to the ultra-low overnight price period when province-wide electricity demand is lower.
  • This plan has four price periods that are the same in the summer as they are in the winter and includes an ultra-low overnight rate.
• Time-of-Use price plan (TOU): TOU provides customers with more control over their electricity bill by adjusting their usage habits. This plan has three periods: on-peak, when energy demand and cost is high, mid-peak, when energy demand and cost is moderate, and off-peak, when energy demand and cost is low.
  • In this plan, electricity prices change throughout each weekday, when demand is on-peak.
• Tiered price plan (RPP): Tiered pricing provides customers with the flexibility to use electricity at any time of day at the same low price up until the threshold is exceeded during the month, after that usage is charged at a higher price.
  • For residential customers, the winter period (November 1 – April 30) threshold is 1,000 kWh per month and the summer period (May 1 – October 31) threshold is 600 kWh per month. For small business customers, the threshold is 750 kWh throughout the year.

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Ontario Launches Peak Perks and Expanded Energy-Efficiency Programs

The Ontario government is launching the new Peak Perks program to help families save money by conserving energy, as part of the government’s $342 million expansion of Ontario’s energy-efficiency programs that will reduce demands on the provincial grid. The government is also launching three new and enhanced programs for businesses, municipalities, and other institutions, including targeted support for greenhouse growers in Southwest Ontario.

“Our government is giving families more ways to lower their energy bills with new energy-efficiency programs like Peak Perks, which will provide families a $75 financial incentive this year in exchange for lowering their energy use at peak times during the summer,” said Todd Smith, Minister of Energy. “The new programs launched today will also help meet the province’s emerging electricity system needs by providing annual electricity savings equivalent to powering approximately 130,000 homes every year and reduce costs for consumers by over $650 million by 2025.”

The new Peak Perks program provides a financial incentive for residential customers who are willing to conserve energy and reduce their air conditioning at peak times and have an eligible smart thermostat connected to a central air conditioning system or heat pump unit. Participants will receive $75 for enrolling this year, as well as $20 for each year they stay enrolled in the program starting in 2024.

Residential customers can participate in Peak Perks by enrolling and giving their thermostat manufacturer secure access to their thermostat. Participants will be notified when one of the maximum 10 annual temperature change events occurs directly by their thermostat manufacturer on their mobile app and on their thermostat. Peak Perks has been designed to ensure participants are always in control and customers can opt-out of any temperature change event without impacting their incentive.

The Peak Perks program will be available starting in June. Interested customers can visit online today to sign-up for the program waitlist and receive an email notice with information on how to enroll.

In addition to the financial incentive provided by Peak Perks, reducing electricity use during peak demand hours in the summer months helps customers to lower their monthly electricity bills as these periods tend to be associated with the highest costs for power. Lowering demand during peak periods also allows the province to reduce electricity sector emissions, by reducing the need for electricity generation facilities that only run at times of peak demand such as natural gas.

Ontario has also launched three new and enhanced programs, including an expanded custom Retrofit program for business, municipalities and other institutions, targeted support for greenhouse growers in Southwest Ontario, as well enhancements to the existing Local Initiatives Program. The expanded Retrofit program alone will feature over $200 million in dedicated funding to support the new custom energy-efficiency retrofit project stream, that will cover up to 50 percent of the cost of approved projects.

These new and expanded energy-efficiency programs are expected to have a strong impact in Southwest Ontario, with regional peak demand savings of 225 megawatts (MW). This will provide additional capacity for the region and support growing economic development. The overall savings from this energy-efficiency programming will result in an estimated three million tonnes of greenhouse gas emission reductions over its lifetime – the equivalent to taking more than 600,000 vehicles off the road for one year.

“Thanks to energy efficiency efforts over the past 15 years, demand for electricity is today about 12 per cent lower than it otherwise would be,” said Lesley Gallinger, President and CEO, of the Independent Electricity System Operator, Ontario’s grid operator and provider of Save on Energy programs to home and business consumers. “Conservation is a valuable and cost-effective resource that supports system reliability and helps drive economic development as we strive towards a decarbonized electricity grid.”

Quick Facts

• There are an estimated 600,000 smart thermostats installed in Ontario.
• Participants in the Peak Perks program agree to brief adjustments of between two to four degrees Celsius to their smart thermostats up to 10 times during peak periods of electricity demand from June through September. These adjustments to their thermostat typically last no more than three hours and will not occur on weekends or holidays. Peak Perks has been designed to ensure participants are always in control and customers can opt-out of any temperature change event.
• Eligible customers that enroll in this voluntary program will receive a $75 promotional prepaid credit card for participating. Participants will also receive an additional $20 promotional prepaid credit card for each following year they stay enrolled in the program starting in 2024.
• Minister Smith asked the IESO to report back to him with options for expanded cost-effective energy-efficiency programming in April of 2022. In October 2022, the minister announced that the IESO’s recommendations had been accepted. A Minister’s Directive was issued in September 2022 to direct the IESO to implement the programs that were launched together today.
• For more information on the new and expanded energy-efficiency programs, visit the IESO’s Save on Energy website.

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Lakeshore Makes Multi-million Dollar Investment in Wastewater Treatment Capacity

The Municipality of Lakeshore is moving forward with a significant expansion to the Denis St. Pierre Water Pollution Control Plant which represents a critical investment in wastewater treatment capacity needed to accommodate growth in the Municipality’s northwestern urban areas.

At its Regular Meeting on Tuesday night, Council passed a resolution to award a tender in the amount of $43.9 million to North America Construction (1993) Ltd., with site preparation at the plant expected to begin in October. The expansion of the Plant will increase treatment capacity by 70 per cent.

“While this is certainly a big ticket item, increasing our wastewater treatment capacity is much needed to accommodate the growth of our communities,” said Mayor Tom Bain. “As a Council, we also recognize that the cost of the project should be spread out over time so we limit the burden on current taxpayers and ensure future new developments pay their fair share.”

Council was also presented with a number of financing options for the project. A discussion and final decision on how the project will be funded will occur at a Special Meeting in the evening of Thursday, September 16.

Background

• The Denis St. Pierre Water Pollution Control Plant, built in 1977, treats wastewater in the northwestern portion of the Municipality of Lakeshore and serves the urban areas in Belle River, Maidstone, Stoney Point, Comber, and South Woodslee.
• Lakeshore’s 2018 Water and Wastewater Master Plan update identified the Plant as nearing its treatment capacity, which spurred an optimization study that increased plant capacity.
• In 2019, Lakeshore initiated the Environmental Assessment (EA) process to expand the capacity of the plant. The EA was completed in 2020. That year, Council budgeted $2.2 million for the design and engineering of the Plant expansion.
• In 2020, the Plant reached its operational capacity due to higher than anticipated population growth and changes to residential water use patterns during the pandemic. As a result of its operational limits, new building and development applications in the service area were temporarily deferred.

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