Service connection requests

Having skilled professionals provide technical guidance can greatly benefit project timelines and help make sure you gather the necessary details before submitting your request. For this reason, we recommend consulting a Licensed Electrical Contractor before starting any electrical work.

The service connections process can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months, or even years to complete, depending on the complexity of the project. It’s best to submit your service request as soon as possible to avoid any unexpected delays.

Generally speaking, for low-voltage projects (less than 600 volts), we recommend submitting anywhere from three months to three years in advance. For high-voltage projects (600 volts or more), we recommend submitting your service request at least six months ahead of time, and up to five years in advance.

We do our best to ensure projects are completed in a timely manner. We prioritize projects based on requested completion dates, in the order that requests are received. If service request timelines can’t be met based on unique project circumstances, we’ll work together with you to explore options on how to proceed.

To help avoid project delays, it’s important to provide Toronto Hydro with all the necessary information and documentation regarding your project as soon as possible.

Note: In emergency circumstances where safety hazards are present, requests may be expedited.

Project delays happen and our customers can trust that Toronto Hydro won’t close your project unless advance permission is granted. If a project is delayed, a Toronto Hydro representative may follow up with you from time to time to check on your project status and advise of expected energization dates to help manage expectations.

You can pay for your service connection request by cheque, cash, electronic fund transfer (EFT) or online upon issuance of a job quotation or Offer-to-Connect.

Once received, we’ll provide proof of payment to the paying customer as an acknowledgement of the funds collected.

Note: Payment types accepted by Toronto Hydro may vary depending on the type of work completed, as per the Ontario Energy Board’s Distribution System Code.

We collect a design pre-payment deposit via job quotation for projects that have technical elements. For example, the design of electrical or civil infrastructure, or technical assessments.

Pre-design payments can be refunded at the request of the customer at any time. If a refund is requested, Toronto Hydro will subtract any incurred costs up to that point in time.

When filling out Toronto Hydro’s service request web form, we collect the necessary billing details, including billing contact information. All job quotations and invoices will then be addressed to the designated billing contact.

Due to the unique requirements of each project, Toronto Hydro is unable to provide high-level estimates without performing all required technical investigations and/or design work for the project. Once a design plan is completed and all key details have been reviewed, a Toronto Hydro representative can provide a high-level estimate prior to submitting the design for final review and approval.

Toronto Hydro is required to recover costs associated with new and existing service connection requests made by a customer in accordance with section 3.1 of the Distribution System Code. For residential customers, any expenses above and beyond the basic connection defined in section 3.1.4 of the Distribution System Code must not be shared with other ratepayers, and are the sole responsibility of the customer requesting the connection.