Quebec's energy board has approved a rate increase for Hydro-Quebec but not as much as the power utility wanted.
Hydro asked for a 1.2% increase for residential clients; the energy board authorized one for 0.9%.
Rates for industrial clients will go up 0.3% instead of 0.6% as Hydro had requested. The increases take effect April 1.
For the average home heated with electricity, using just over 18,000 kWh annually, that means a monthly increase of about $1.11 or $13 more a year.
Hydro says that on average, the increase means:
- 32 cents more per month for a 5 1/2
- 90 cents more per month for a small house
- $1.72 more per month for a medium-sized house
- $2.56 more per month for a large house
The energy board also approved variable rate options for next winter between December 1 and March 31, to enable consumers to lower their bills by reducing their power consumption during peak periods: 6 a.m and 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Clients can sign up on a voluntary basis.
The first option lets you keep paying the base rate and you'll get a 50-cents-per-kWh credit if you lower your electricity consumption during peak hours.
The second option, the "Flex rate", lets you pay a lower rate than the base price outside of peak periods. But the power utility underlines that during peak hours, you'll pay a rate even higher than the base rate of 50-cents-per-kWh so your bill could balloon if you use a lot of electricity at that time.
The variable pricing plan will be rolled out gradually - during the first year, 20,000 clients selected at random will take part. They will need to have a valid email address, a smart meter and an online billing account.