Average Hydro Bill in Ontario (2026): What a Typical Home Pays

The average hydro bill in Ontario for a typical home using about 700 kWh a month is roughly $100–$130 a month in late 2026, after HST and the Ontario Electricity Rebate (OER). That estimate assumes an urban or suburban home on Time-of-Use (TOU) pricing with an all-in cost of about 15–19¢/kWh before the rebate; rural homes, larger homes and electrically heated homes pay more.

The Ontario Energy Board (OEB) uses 700 kWh a month as its "typical residential consumer" for bill comparisons, so that is the number we use here. Below is the math line by line, then estimates for different home types.

What is the average hydro bill in Ontario, line by line?

Here is a sample winter month for a 700 kWh home on TOU, using the prices in effect from 1 November 2026. We have assumed 64% of use falls in off-peak hours, 18% in mid-peak and 18% in on-peak, which is a common pattern for a household that does not try hard to shift its use.

Line item	Calculation	Amount
Electricity, off-peak	448 kWh × 9.1¢	$40.77
Electricity, mid-peak	126 kWh × 14.6¢	$18.40
Electricity, on-peak	126 kWh × 18.9¢	$23.81
Electricity subtotal	700 kWh, about 11.9¢/kWh average	$82.98
Delivery and regulatory charges	Varies by LDC (estimate)	$36.02
Subtotal before tax	About 17¢/kWh all-in	$119.00
HST	13% of subtotal	$15.47
Ontario Electricity Rebate	15.7% of subtotal	−$18.68
Estimated total		$115.79

Delivery covers the cost of the poles, wires and transformers run by your local distribution company (LDC), such as Toronto Hydro, Alectra, Hydro Ottawa or Hydro One. It includes a fixed monthly charge plus a variable part, and it varies more than any other line between utilities. The delivery figure above is an illustrative estimate chosen to land at a 17¢/kWh all-in cost. Your own bill will differ.

Note: The OER dropped from 23.5% to 15.7% on 1 November 2026. On the sample bill above, the old rebate would have been worth about $27.97, so the same usage now costs roughly $9 more a month. See what the November 2026 price changes mean.

Average hydro bill by home type

Usage drives the bill more than anything else. The table below applies the same 15–19¢/kWh all-in range, plus HST, minus the 15.7% OER.

Home type	Typical monthly use (estimate)	Estimated monthly bill
Condo or small apartment	350–450 kWh	$50–$85
Typical house, gas heat (OEB typical)	700 kWh	$102–$129
Larger house with central AC (summer)	1,000 kWh	$146–$185
Heat pump or electric heat (winter month)	1,500 kWh	$219–$277
Large all-electric home (cold month)	2,000 kWh	$292–$370

Two caveats. First, small users pay a higher average cost per kWh because the fixed part of the delivery charge is spread over fewer kWh, which is why the condo range is wider. Second, rural and low-density customers, many of them served by Hydro One, can pay noticeably more for the same usage because delivery rates are higher outside dense urban areas.

To estimate your own bill with your LDC and usage, use our hydro bill estimator.

Why your bill might be higher than average

• Electric heat or a heat pump. Space heating is the largest home energy use in Canada, at roughly 62% of the total according to Natural Resources Canada. Moving it to electricity can double or triple winter kWh.
• Electric water heater. Water heating is roughly 19% of home energy use. An electric tank can add several hundred kWh a month.
• Central air conditioning. Summer bills climb, and on the Tiered plan the summer threshold is only 600 kWh a month.
• A second fridge or freezer. An old basement fridge from before 2000 can use 1,000 kWh a year or more on its own.
• Your price plan and timing. Heavy use during weekday on-peak hours costs more on TOU, and a lot more on Ultra-Low Overnight (37.7¢/kWh from 4 to 9 p.m.).
• Where you live. Delivery charges vary by LDC, and rural rates are higher.

Our guide to how much electricity a house uses in Ontario breaks down which appliances account for the most kWh.

How to bring your hydro bill down

1. Check your actual usage. Your LDC's online account shows monthly and often hourly kWh. Compare against the 700 kWh benchmark.
2. Confirm you are on the right price plan. Most households are fine on TOU. Run your numbers in the electricity price plan calculator before switching.
3. Shift flexible loads to off-peak. Dishwashers, washers and EV charging are the easiest to move to after 7 p.m. on weekdays or to weekends.
4. Deal with the big, quiet loads. Old fridges and freezers, dehumidifiers that run constantly, and standby loads (typically 5–10% of household electricity) add up.
5. Get help if bills are hard to manage. The Ontario Electricity Support Program (OESP) provides a monthly on-bill credit for lower-income households, and LEAP provides emergency help. Contact your LDC or the OEB to apply.

For a full step-by-step list, see our checklist to reduce your hydro bill, and for a line-by-line explanation of every charge, read understanding your hydro bill.

Tip: Compare the same month year over year rather than month to month. Winter and summer bills differ for reasons that have nothing to do with your habits, including weather, daylight and the seasonal TOU schedule.

All figures here are estimates for illustration. Prices are set by the OEB and delivery charges by each LDC; confirm current rates at oeb.ca (opens in a new tab) and on your utility's website.