Frequently Asked Questions

Questions Applicable to Both Residential and Commercial Customers
  1.   Does Canada Energy Wholesalers Ltd. have a retail license from the Ontario Energy Board?
  2.   What parts of my bill does your service apply to?
  3.   Will I receive a separate bill from Canada Energy?
  4.   What happens if the government issues rebates to hydro users?
  5.   What is the difference between an interval meter and a cumulative meter?
  6.   I am currently under contract with another electricity retailer. Do I have to wait until this contract expires before signing up with Canada Energy?
  7.   After I sign up, how long does it usually take before Canada Energy starts supplying my electricity?
  8.   What happens if Canada Energy is sold, goes out of business or cannot acquire energy on my behalf?

Questions Related to Residential and Small Business Contracts
  9.   What is the difference between your Price Cap Hydro Plan and the normal time-of-use rates?
  10.   Where can I see the wholesale rates?
  11.   What is the duration of the contract?
  12.   What happens if I don't realize a savings after swithing to Canada Energy?
  13.   I have an interval electricity meter (or "Smart Meter"), do I pay more for power I use during on-peak hours?
  14.   What happens if my cumulative meter is switched to an interval meter during my contract?
  15.   What are the terms and conditions associated with Canada Energy’s energy contracts?
  16.   Are there any costs involved when I sign up with Canada Energy?
  17.   What other charges will I pay when I switch to Canada Energy?

Questions Related to Large Businesses Using More than 150,000 kWh/Year
  18.   How can Canada Energy help my business manage electricity cost risk?
  19.   The Electricity Price Cap plan sounds interesting but what happens if the HOEP rate goes down.
  20.   I have an interval electricity meter (or "Smart Meter"), can I still get a fixed rate?
  21.   What happens if my cumulative meter is switched to an interval meter during my contract?
  22.   What are the terms and conditions associated with Canada Energy’s large business energy contracts?
Answers
  1.   Does Canada Energy Wholesalers Ltd. have a retail license from the Ontario Energy Board?
  A.   Yes, our OEB Electricity Retailer license number is ER-2011-0253. You can verify our licensed status at the OEB Website. You can also validate our licensed status by calling the OEB at 1-888-632-6273.
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  2.   What parts of my bill does your service apply to?
  A.   Our Price Protection Plans apply only to the electricity commodity portion of your bill. You will continue to pay your local hydro utility for components such as delivery, transportation, storage, etc. Please see understanding your hydro bill.
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  3.   Will I receive a separate bill from Canada Energy?
  A.   No, we have an arrangement with your local utilities whereby they collect and forward the commodity portion of your bill to Canada Energy. You will continue to receive the same bill you get now.
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  4.   What happens if the government issues rebates to hydro users?
  A.   All government rebates will continue to be paid directly to you and will appear as a credit on your hydro bill.
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  5.   What is the difference between an interval meter and a cumulative meter?
  A.   Interval meters (often referred to as Smart Meters) are able to measure electricity consumption at "Time of Use". Generally, electricity is more expensive during daylight hours and during weekdays than it is during the night and on weekends.
     Cumulative meters cannot determine when the electricity is consumed, they just provide a total consumption since the last reading. Interval meters allow utilities to charge more for electricity consumed during high-demand periods.
     Most commercial customers have been using interval meters for some time and are billed based on what is known as the Hourly Ontario Energy Price (this changes every hour).
     Most residential users and small businesses in Ontario have recently been converted to interval meters. These customers are normally charged what is known as the RPP rate, this is set by the government every six months. Most utilities have started billing residential consumers based on time-of-use RPP rates while some are still billing using flat RPP rates.
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  6.   I am currently under contract with another electricity retailer. Do I have to wait until this contract expires before signing up with Canada Energy?
  A.   No. The Canada Energy online electricity signup allows you to request a flow date up to one year in the future.
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  7.   After I sign up, how long does it usually take before Canada Energy starts supplying my electricity?
  A.   This depends on your local utility and your billing cycle. The switch-over must be processed by your local utility and will not occur until your hydro meter is read. This process generally takes 2 to 4 months.
     Don't worry if it takes a little longer, your price with Canada Energy is guaranteed from the moment you sign up.
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  8.   What happens if Canada Energy is sold, goes out of business or cannot acquire energy on my behalf?
  A.   Your local utility is obliged to deliver electricity to you no matter what circumstances may arise with Canada Energy. In the unlikely event that Canada Energy cannot obtain electricity supply for your location, the local utility rates would apply.
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  9.   What is the difference between your Price Cap Hydro Plan and the normal time-of-use rates?
  A.   With our Price Cap Hydro Plan you can take advantage of wholesale prices which are at historical lows right now but still get protection if prices go up. If, over your 3 year contract, they rise above 4.7 cents / kWh we will send you a rebate to bring your average price back down to 4.7 cents / kWh. You win whether prices stay low or go up.
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  10.   Where can I see the wholesale rates?
  A.   Our wholesale rate is based on the government's HOEP rate. HOEP stands for Hourly Ontario Energy Price. Although the HOEP is calculated hourly, our wholesale price is derived based on an a weighted average of all of the HOEP prices for the month. You can find out what the HOEP rates were for previous months on the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) website.
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  11.   What is the duration of the contract?
  A.   For residential customers and small businesses, our contracts are always for 3 year terms starting from the original flow date.
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  12.   What happens if I don't realize a savings after swithing to Canada Energy?
  A.   When you sign a contract with us, you are able to cancel without any penalty until 30 days after your first bill arrives. Therefore, if you don't feel that you saved by switching to our plan you can cancel right away after you review your electricity bill. In such a case, you will only need to pay your initial hydro bill with us.
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  13.   I have an interval electricity meter (or "Smart Meter"), do I pay more for power I use during on-peak hours?
  A.   No, with Canada Energy the rate that we charge you does not depend on when your consumption occurs or how much electricity you consume. This is different from the government's RPP rates. Most utilities are now charging consumers using a three rate structure so power used during work days (from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM) costs more than power used at other times.
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  14.   What happens if my cumulative meter is switched to an interval meter during my contract?
  A.   If you are a residential customer or small business (using less than 150,000 kWh per year) switching to an interval meter will not affect your fixed price.
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  15.   What are the terms and conditions associated with Canada Energy’s energy contracts?
  A.   The Electricity Price Protection terms for residential users and small business using less than 150,000 kWh of electricity per year are available by clicking on the following link:
     I use less than 150,000 kWh/Year
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  16.   Are there any costs involved when I sign up with Canada Energy?
  A.   For electricity contracts there is a one-time charge or credit applicable to any electricity customer who leaves the Regulated Price Plan (RPP) to join Canada Energy or any other electricity retailer.
     This amount will be added to or deducted from your hydro bill and is known as the "Final RPP Variance Settlement Factor".
     According to the OEB Website, an RPP consumer using an average of 1,000 kWh per month would receive $56.97 if they left the RPP in April 2013.
     This payment covers your share of shortfalls due to the fact that the OEB has set the RPP price too low in the past, which may require higher RPP prices in the future to make up for underpayments.
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  17.   What other charges will I pay when I switch to Canada Energy?
  A.   The cost of the power is calculated by adding 1 cents/kWh to our wholesale rate. The government of Ontario may also apply what is known as a Global Adjustment. This can be a credit or a charge. Lately this has been a charge of between 4 and 6 cents/kWh.
     All of the other charges on your bill, such as the debt retirement charge, distribution charges, etc. remain the same whether or not you switch to Canada Energy or stick with the RPP.
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  18.   How can Canada Energy help my business manage electricity cost risk?
  A.   Most large businesses are charged the HOEP (Hourly Ontario Energy Price) rate. This rate can be quite volatile based on the season, time of day and even the pace of the economy.
     Canada Energy offers two different strategies for electricity price risk mitigation:
    
  1. Our Electricity Price Cap plan allows you to take advantage of low HOEP rates while protecting yourself from significant increases in the HOEP rates.
  2. Our Fixed Price Plan allows you to lock in at a fixed price for 3 full years.
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  19.   The Electricity Price Cap plan sounds interesting but what happens if the HOEP rate goes down.
  A.   One of the benefits of this plan is that when HOEP rates are low, you continue to take advantage of the low rates.
     Another advantage of this plan is that you can cancel within 30 days of receiving your first bill that contains the price cap. Therefore, there is no risk in trying the plan to confirm that it is right for your business.
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  20.   I have an interval electricity meter (or "Smart Meter"), can I still get a fixed rate?
  A.   If you are a large user, we can still provide a fixed rate however the rate may be higher or lower than our normal rate, depending on your load profile. Please use our Large Business Fixed Price Quote form and we will contact you with the details about submitting a load profile.
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  21.   What happens if my cumulative meter is switched to an interval meter during my contract?
  A.   Large businesses who sign up while on a cumulative meter, and later switch to an interval meter, may require amendments to their contract at the time of the switch. Prior to such amendments, customers will have a 15-day period during which they can cancel the agreement.
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  22.   What are the terms and conditions associated with Canada Energy’s large business energy contracts?
  A.   The Electricity Price Protection terms differ depending on which plan you choose.
     Click on one of the following links to review our terms and conditions:
Electricity Price Cap Terms     Fixed Price Electricity Contract Terms
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