Ontario Clean Energy Benefit

The Ontario Clean Energy Benefit is helping Ontario families, farms and small businesses through the transition to a cleaner, modern electricity system by providing a 10 per cent rebate on applicable electricity charges and taxes.

• What is changing?
• Who is eligible?
• How much am I saving?
• Do I need to do anything to ensure that I receive the correct cap for the Ontario Clean Energy Benefit?
• How do I qualify for the medical exemption?

What is changing?

Beginning September 1, 2012, the 10 per cent rebate will be applied to the first 3,000 kilowatt hours of electricity consumed per month. With the 3,000 kilowatt hour per month cap in place the Ontario Clean Energy Benefit will continue to provide a full 10 per cent rebate to almost all residential consumers, while allowing small businesses and farms to continue to receive the benefit on the first 3,000 kilowatt hours they use.

A typical family of four people uses, on average, 800 kilowatt hours per month and will continue to receive the full rebate of 10 per cent off their electricity bill.

Who is eligible?

Families, farms, and small businesses who receive an electricity bill from a utility or suite-metering provider are eligible, including those who have a contract with an energy retailer.

The Ontario Clean Energy Benefit is helping over four million residential consumers and over 400,000 small businesses and farms.

How much am I saving?

The Ontario Clean Energy Benefit provides a 10 per cent rebate off your total electricity bill, for the first 3,000 kilowatt hours per month of electricity consumed, including:

• electricity charges
• delivery charges
• regulatory charges
• debt retirement charge
• related HST charges.

Consumers can estimate their monthly electricity bill by using the calculator provided by the Ontario Energy Board.

Do I need to do anything to ensure that I receive the correct cap for the Ontario Clean Energy Benefit?

Most consumers won’t need to do anything. Multi-unit complexes that do not have individually metered units, such as some apartment buildings and condominiums, should confirm with their utility that it has a record of the number of units contained in the building. This will help ensure that the utility can properly calculate the Ontario Clean Energy Benefit and cap.

Who is exempt from the cap?

A medical exemption from the 3,000 kilowatt hour per month cap is available for accounts in which a person living at the premises uses medical equipment that requires electricity and has been prescribed by a health practitioner.

A separate Ontario Clean Energy Benefit program has been developed for First Nations communities served by Independent Power Authorities that are not a part of Ontario’s regulated electricity system. First Nations customers participating in the program are exempt from the 3,000 kilowatt hour per month cap.

How do I qualify for the medical exemption?

The medical exemption for the 3,000 kilowatt hour per month cap is available for accounts in which a person living at the premises uses medical equipment that requires electricity and has been prescribed by a health practitioner. In order to qualify for the medical exemption, written notice must be submitted to the electricity distributor.

Section 3.2 of Ontario Regulation 495/10 provides details about the medical exemption eligibility criteria:

A number of requirements must be met to qualify for the medical exemption:

• Written notice must be submitted to the electricity distributor in order for the exemption to apply. Section 3.2(4) of Ontario Regulation 495/10 details the specific information and statements required in this written notice.
• The exemption relates to medical equipment that requires electricity for its operation, for example, electric wheelchairs and oxygen concentrators.
• This medical equipment must be prescribed by a health practitioner.
• Consumers eligible for the medical exemption must reside at the premises to which the eligible account relates, although it is not necessary for the electricity bill and related account to be held in their name.
• The exemption only applies on and after September 1, 2012, and only for the dates during which the prescribed medical equipment is used at the premises associated with the eligible account by a person living at the premises.
• Consumers are responsible for notifying their electricity distributors if the person residing at the premises and using the medical equipment ceases to use the equipment at the premises and/or no longer resides at the premises.

Note: The medical exemption is not available in the case of multi-unit complexes that do not have individually metered units.