Small commercial Time-of-Use (TOU) sample bill

Small commercial TOU sample bill glossary

1: Premises number

Your Premises Number is a unique 10-digit number that identifies your property for billing and meter reading purposes.

2: Account number

Your Account Number is a 10-digit number that identifies your unique customer information profile with Toronto Hydro. This number is located in large bold numbers in the top left corner of your bill. You will need to reference this number when making payments, enrolling in conservation programs, signing up for online tools or contacting our Customer Care team.

3: Meter number

Your Meter Number is a unique number that identifies your meter with Toronto Hydro and allows us to collect accurate data for billing purposes.

4: Statement date, amount due and due date

The statement date identifies when the bill is prepared. Amount due refers to the amount that you owe to Toronto Hydro. The due date indicates the last day that payment will be accepted before late fees are applied.

5: Page count

Your bill has more than one page. This includes the back of the bill, which has information on eBills, safety tips and more. You can access the back of the bill on the bills and payment history page in your self-serve portal.

6: Rate class

Business customers are automatically assigned a rate class based on electricity demand. Your rate class defines your Delivery Charge rates as well as which rebate and electricity price plan options apply to you.

7: Compare your daily usage

This graph shows your electricity usage to help you track and manage seasonal trends. The 'Read Dates' along the left side of the graph indicates the dates when your meter reading was captured. Your consumption in kilowatt hours (kWh) is noted along the bottom of the graph. Each horizontal bar in the graph represents the average daily amount of electricity you consumed in kWhs for each billing period. The number indicated along the right side of the graph tells you the total amount of electricity consumption in kWhs you used in that billing period.

8: Electricity

Electricity charges reflect the cost of the electricity that is purchased by Toronto Hydro on your behalf for usage in your home or business. Toronto Hydro does not charge a markup on this cost; it is paid directly to our suppliers. The pricing rates for electricity typically change once a year in November. Your electricity consumption (kWh) is separated into three rates: on-peak (highest price), mid-peak (mid price) and off-peak (lowest price). Note: If you've signed a contract with an electricity retailer, the company's name and phone number will also appear in this location.

9: Billing period

The billing period reflects electricity consumption, which is separated into on-peak, mid-peak and off-peak. For more information, please visit our rates page.

10: Delivery

The Delivery Charge covers the cost of delivering electricity from the generator to Toronto Hydro, and then to your home or business. This includes the costs to build and maintain the transmission and distribution lines, towers and poles and to operate provincial and local electricity systems.

11: Regulatory

The Regulatory charge reflects the cost of administering the wholesale electricity system and maintaining the reliability of the provincial grid. Toronto Hydro does not charge a markup on this cost. It is paid directly to the Independent Electricity System Operator.

12: Ontario Electricity Rebate

The Government of Ontario introduced the Ontario Electricity Rebate (OER) under the Ontario Rebate for Electricity Consumers Act, 2016. The OER provides eligible customers with a rebate on their electricity bill. For more information, please visit our website: torontohydro.com/oer

13: Time-of-Use (TOU) comparison

This graph displays a comparison of the electricity use from your current billing period to your previous billing period, broken down by TOU periods. This graph allows you to compare your usage behaviour.

14: Important message

Remember to check this message box each month for important information that might affect your bill.

15: Meter Reading Period

Your Meter Reading Period indicates the start and end date of when your electricity usage data (kWh) was captured for billing. A billing cycle ranges from approximately 27 to 33 calendar days. This means that your bill could reflect a period of electricity use that is longer than one month. You can tell the length of your billing cycle by reviewing the 'Number of Days' column on your past bill.

16: Read type

The read type indicates how your usage data (kWh) was gathered during your meter reading period. For the majority of customers, this will appear as '"ACT," which indicates the reading is based on the actual kWh used. In some cases "EST" will appear, indicating the reading is based on the estimated number of kWh used.

17: kWh used

This value represents your total consumption (kWh) during your meter reading period, and is used in calculating portions of the delivery charges on your bill.

18: Loss Factor Adjustment

The loss factor adjustment represents Toronto Hydro's powerlines to your home or business for consumption. This factor is applied to your kWh used to calculate the adjusted kWh Used value on your bill.

19: Adjusted kWh used

The adjusted kWh Used value represents your total consumption (kWh) after the loss factor adjustment is applied. This value is used to calculate portions of delivery and regulatory charges on your bill. This value is necessary in calculating these charges to recoup the costs associated with the generation and transmission of the electricity that is lost as it travels along Toronto Hydro's powerlines to your home for consumption.