By the BillMaple Team · June 18, 2026 · 5 min read
If you're on a Time-of-Use (TOU) electricity plan in Ontario, the price you pay per kilowatt-hour changes depending on the time of day. The good news: with a little timing, you can run your biggest appliances when power is cheapest — without changing how much you actually use.
The three price periods
TOU plans split the day into three windows:
- On-Peak — the most expensive hours, when demand across the province is highest.
- Mid-Peak — a middle price.
- Off-Peak — the cheapest power, typically overnight and on weekends.
When each period applies
The schedule flips between a summer and a winter pattern. As a general guide for weekdays:
- Summer (May 1 – Oct 31): On-Peak is the afternoon (roughly 11 a.m.–5 p.m.), with Mid-Peak in the morning and early evening.
- Winter (Nov 1 – Apr 30): On-Peak is morning and evening (roughly 7–11 a.m. and 5–7 p.m.), with Mid-Peak in the midday.
- Off-Peak covers overnight hours (about 7 p.m.–7 a.m.) plus all day on weekends and statutory holidays.
Exact times and prices are set by the Ontario Energy Board and can change twice a year. Always confirm the current schedule and rates with the
Ontario Energy Board or your local utility.
5 easy ways to shift to Off-Peak
- Run the dishwasher after 7 p.m. — or use its delay-start button.
- Do laundry on weekends, when the whole day is Off-Peak.
- Charge your EV overnight. If you drive a lot, ask your utility about the Ultra-Low Overnight (ULO) plan, which offers an even cheaper overnight window.
- Pre-cool or pre-heat your home just before On-Peak starts, then ease off during the expensive hours.
- Batch the big stuff — oven, dryer, pool pump — into Off-Peak blocks instead of peak afternoons.
How BillMaple helps
BillMaple's live Off-Peak Timer shows you the current rate period at a glance, so you never have to memorize the schedule. One look tells you whether it's a good time to start the dishwasher or wait an hour. Combined with automatic bill tracking, it helps Ontario households trim their Hydro costs month after month.
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