Ontario Regulated Price Plan (RPP)

As a residential customer, you are on the Regulated Price Plan (RPP) unless you have signed a contract. This applies to single family homes and multi-residential buildings. You will be charged the following, as of May 1, 2015:

If you do not have a Smart Meter:

If you do have an activated Smart Meter:

As of 1:58 AM EDT:

These are not fixed prices. If it costs the utility more for the electricity than you are paying, the deficit will be built into the next price change. Over the long term, the RPP rate group pays the open market spot price plus various regulated adjustments. The RPP includes the Global Adjustment.

When you exit the RPP, there are two changes to your bill.

• You will either receive a credit or be asked to pay into a variance account
• The Global Adjustment line (formerly called Provincial Benefit) will be added to your bill. This may be a rebate or a surcharge, depending on the spot market price.

“Regulated Price Plan” applies to residential dwellings (single family and multi-residential) and any commercial account under 250,000 kWh per year.

Rebates and Surcharges - Where do you fit?

Global Adjustment (Formerly Provincial Benefit)

This is a monthly bill adjustment, either a surcharge or a rebate. To guarantee an adequate electricity supply in Ontario, the Provincial agencies felt it necessary to sign supply contracts with some generators. These are for nuclear, water power, or renewable energy such as windmills. It guarantees that Ontario consumers will pay a set price for that electricity.

If the market price is over that, the difference is returned as a rebate. If the market price is less than that, there is a surcharge. The price against which the spot market price is compared increases gradually as expensive renewable generation and other projects are added to the mix.

The Global Adjustment was initially envisioned as a rebate, as indicated by its title, but it has only occasionally been a rebate in its history. The Global Adjustment is incorporated into the calculation of the RPP.

Consumers not eligible for the price cap received a rebate, now called the ONPA (Ontario Non Prescribed Assets) rebate. This was payable to all consumers of electricity, except those who have specifically assigned it to a marketer.

It was part of the Regulated Price Plan. After many renewals, it ended April 30, 2009.

The Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) has details about rebates.