In addition to Time-of-Use, Tiered or Ultra-Low Overnight pricing, some customers choose to buy their electricity from an electricity retailer.
To confirm if you're billed by an electricity retailer, look at page two of your bill. It will show the chart “What is my electricity breakdown?” that shows your usage along with your contracted rate. Next to the chart is the name of the retailer and their phone number.
If you have signed a contract with an electricity retailer, you pay the contracted price per kWh for the electricity you use. Your contract with the electricity retailer only affects the "Electricity" line of your bill. This price is determined by the electricity retailer and is not regulated by the Ontario Energy Board. Usually the price is fixed for a number of years, but it may change during the term of the contract.
If you choose to sign with an electricity retailer or pay the spot market pricing, Hydro One will continue to bill you for "Delivery", "Regulatory", "Global Adjustment" and other applicable taxes and charges.
An electricity retailer may offer to bill you for all of your electricity charges directly or they may contract Hydro One to continue to bill you on their behalf for the contract price and term you signed with that retailer.
If you choose to sign with an electricity retailer or you pay the spot market price for electricity, you will be billed for the Global Adjustment.
It can be a credit or a charge, and is your share of the difference between government regulated and contract prices for electricity paid to certain generators and the market prices they would have received had they not been subject to government regulation or contracts.
If you buy from an electricity retailer, the Global Adjustment is not included in the contract price offered by the retailer, so on your bill it is shown as a separate item. By law, the Global Adjustment applies to you and cannot be transferred to an electricity retailer or any other party.
The Delivery line on your bill is the part of the bill that we are responsible for. Although we bill you for the other line items on your bill, the money collected from your bill goes to several different corporations, regulators and independent generators that make up Ontario’s deregulated electricity market. Visit our Delivery Rates page for full details.
Metered usage in kilowatt-hours is the amount of electricity you used in kilowatt-hours (kWh). It is calculated by taking the difference in meter readings and multiplied, if applicable, by the multiplier indicated on your meter.
Adjusted usage in kilowatt-hours is the amount of electricity you used in kWh adjusted to cover the line losses in the electricity system that are not measured by your meter. When electricity is transmitted over long distances and passes through wires and transformers, it’s normal for a small amount of power to be used or lost as heat. For example, if we deliver 1,000 kWh to you, we must purchase a small amount more than what you use. To determine the amount of electricity we need to buy for you, we use a calculation called an “adjustment factor.” The adjustment factor is approved by the Ontario Energy Board and varies according to your service type.
