Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

The steps for connecting a new house are on our website, with PDF versions available to download in English, Ojibway, and Oji-Cree:

Hydro One Remote Communities Inc. - New Connections and Upgrades

A request for service upgrade follows the same process as requesting a new connection: Hydro One Remote Communities Inc. - New Connections and Upgrades.

You can submit your request online using the Request for Service Upgrade Form, or you can print the form and email to RemotesCustomerService@HydroOne.com (or fax to 1.807.475.3127) to start the process.  Any questions, please reach out to Customer Service at ph.1.888.825.8707 or email RemotesCustomerService@HydroOne.com.

For any emergency or concern, call 1-888-825-8707, anytime of day or night. 

Any questions or concerns, please reach out to Customer Service at ph.1.888.825.8707 or email RemotesCustomerService@HydroOne.com.

No, the Ontario Energy Board (OEB), an independent regulator on Ontario's electricity and natural gas sectors, establishes the rates for Hydro One Remotes and other utilities in the province. The OEB also establishes standards and rules that utilities must follow and offers financial programs to help customers.

Visit OEB.ca for more information on the OEB.

Visit Hydro One Remote Communities Inc. - Electricity Rates for current electricity rates and credits.

To find the rates that you are paying, look to the “What is my Usage breakdown?” section on the right-hand side of page 2 of your bill.

Rates change every May 1^st based on the Ontario Energy Board (OEB) approved inflation factor.

Hydro One Remotes has some of the lowest electricity rates in all of Ontario! 

Below is a comparison of the price of 1000kWh of residential electricity in Thunder Bay, Sioux Lookout, in a rural area (Hydro One Networks), and in a Hydro One Remotes community (on right, outlined in yellow):

Most of Hydro One Remotes' customers pay rates that are subsidized by the Rural or Remote Electricity Rate Protection (RRRP) and are set well below the cost to serve with electricity generated by diesel fuel. Under Remotes' funding model, rates are subsidized by government funded (Standard A) customers, capital contributions from Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) and through the RRRP.  If this subsidy was not in place, it is estimated Remotes' customers would have bills 3x as high!

For residential customers (classed as Remotes Non Standard A Year Round Residential Service) 2024 average bills were:

1. July - $130
2. January - $256
3. Annual -$2116

Note: The values above do not include reductions from the Ontario Electricity Rebate, First Nations Delivery Credit, or the Ontario Electricity Support Program (if applicable). Also, the values shown are residential averages, with some residential accounts using significantly more based on building construction, heating type, occupants, lighting, electrical and appliance load.

No.  Hydro One Remotes does not have “Time of Use” pricing, so it does not matter what time of day you use electricity. Instead, we have “Tiered” pricing, so the first 1000 kWhs of electricity you use per billing cycle (28 days) has a set price, the following 1500 kWhs has a slightly higher price, and any additional kWh's used after that are a little bit higher.

Our current rates are found online at the bottom of this webpage: Hydro One Remote Communities Inc. - Electricity Rates

Your bill is determined based on several factors including any previous balance owing, electricity usage, regulatory charges, service charges, any rebates (if applicable), adjustments (if applicable), and HST (or tax exemption).

The electricity usage is calculated based on the number of kilowatts hours (kWh) used multiplied by the rate, as applicable.

On-reserve First Nation Customers are not charged Regulatory Charges. There is also a Service Charge shown, which is offset by the First Nations Delivery Credit.  

The Ontario Electricity Rebate is a provincially funded automatic rebate that provides eligible customers with a 13.1% rebate on the amount of their bill before HST.

The Ontario Electricity Support Program (OESP) is an application-based program that assists lower-income customers, whose household size and income meet certain levels, by providing a monthly credit directly to their electricity bills.  Visit Ontario Energy Board | Ontario Electricity Support Program to apply.

Adjustments include account set-up fees, security deposits, and late payment fees.

First Nation Residential Customers can fill out a Hydro One Remote Communities Inc. - HST Exemption Form to be exempted from HST on the bill.

For year-round customers, Bills are sent out once a month, with a due date three weeks from the billing date.

For seasonal customers, Bills are sent out every 3 months, with a due date three weeks from the billing date.

Yes, you can choose to have your bill emailed to you or mailed to you (not both).  To switch options, please call our Billing Department at 1-800-465-5085. 

Hydro One also offers “myAccount”,  an online platform where you can view your bills and electricity usage. To register, visit Register for myAccount | Hydro One.

There are a number of Billing Options available to customers: 

1. Budget Billing

With Budget Billing you pay an AVERAGE of your annual bill each month, instead of higher bills in the winter and lower bills in the summer.

• Budget billing gives you a steady payment amount to budget for.
• Phone our Billing Department at 1-800-465-5085 to find out what your monthly payment could be.

2. AutoPay (Pre-authorized Payment)

• If you have a bank account, you can sign up for free to have your exact payment automatically withdrawn every month! A fast, simple and easy way to pay your electricity bill.
• We withdraw the exact amount of your bill from your account 21 days after the bill is issued so you always pay on time, and you avoid late payment charges.
• Phone our Billing Department at 1-800-465-5085 to set up AutoPay, or apply through this online form:   Autopay Sign Up

If you don't pay your bill by the due date each month, late payment charges will be applied to the following bill.

Hydro One Remotes schedules two collections trips each year, one in the spring and one in the fall.  All overdue accounts are subject to disconnection during this period.

Approximately one month prior to the trip, a letter is sent to Chief and Council with notification of the date of the disconnection trip, plus the initial list of customer accounts that are subject to disconnection.

All customers on the list are sent a customer reminder letter and disconnection notice.

Disconnection can be avoided by paying all account arrears by the Friday before the scheduled disconnection trip.

Learn more about Collections Trips, and see the latest schedule, visit:  Hydro One Remote Communities Inc. - Collections

If you are moving to a new house, a Move In/Move out Form needs to be completed.

This can be done on our Hydro One Remotes website, HydroOneRemotes.ca, in the Forms section (Hydro One Remote Communities Inc. - Customer Moving In / Moving Out Form) or a paper copy of the form can be completed, often found at the housing department in the band office, and faxed to 1-807-475-8123 or emailed to RemotesBilling@HydroOne.com.

The OEB has 2 financial programs to help customers in Ontario.  For Hydro One Remotes customers, these 2 programs are administered by the Ontario Native Welfare Administrators Association (ONWAA):

1. Ontario Electricity Support Program (OESP)

If you are eligible, this program puts a credit on your monthly bill anywhere from $35 up to $113 depending on your income, heating source of your home, at-home medical devices, and how many people are living in your house.

APPLY ONLINE AT www.ontarioelectricitysupport.ca, email oesp@onwaa.ca or call Ontario Native Welfare Administrators Association (ONWAA) at 1-844-885-3157

2. Low-income Electricity Assistance Program (LEAP)

If a customer has fallen behind, they may be eligible for a grant of up to $780 each year to help avoid service disconnection. 

To apply, contact the Ontario Native Welfare Administrators Association (ONWAA) at 1-844-885-3157, email oesp@onwaa.ca, or reach out to your Ontario Works Administrator (note: you do not need to be on OW to apply).

Please visit  Hydro One Remote Communities Inc. - REINDEER Renewable Energy Program

To receive our monthly E-bulletin, fill in the short form at the bottom of our homepage: Hydro One Remote Communities Inc. - Hydro One Remotes

Hydro One Remotes has a Customer Advisory Board (CAB) made up of 8 regular customers.  If you would like to learn more, and/or apply, visit: Hydro One Remote Communities Inc. - Customer Advisory Board

You are also welcome to reach out to Gail Murray, our Community Relations & Customer Program Coordinator at Gail.Murray@HydroOne.com or ph. 807-627-9736.

Yes, we do.  Hydro One Remotes has a Customer Advisory Board (CAB) made up of 8 regular customers.  If you would like to learn more, and/or apply, visit: Hydro One Remote Communities Inc. - Customer Advisory Board

Hydro One Remotes promotes safety on our website, posters in communities and through our monthly E-bulletin.  We also love to present to schools – please reach out to Gail Murray, our Community Relations & Customer Program Coordinator at Gail.Murray@HydroOne.com or ph. 807-627-9736 if your community would like a safety and careers presentation.

If there is ever a power outage, please call our emergency line at 1.888.825-8707 anytime, day or night.  We will work to find out the cause of the outage. 

There are many reasons for power outages:

1. Planned Power Outage
   These planned events are posted a week in advance on the front page of our website, and notice signs are emailed and faxed to the community.  Reasons for planned outages include connecting new houses to the powerline, upgrading the system, transmission line maintenance, and forestry work near the powerline.
   
   
   
2. Unplanned Power Outage
   This is an event that is not planned and may be due to some damage to the powerline, a tree falling on the line, equipment failure such as a blown transformer, ice storms and forest fires.
   
   
   Visit Hydro One Remote Communities Inc. - Prepare for an Outage to learn about power outage preparation.

Hydro One Remotes does not compensate customers for food spoilage.

During a power outage, we recommend restricting the amount of times a fridge or freezer is opened. 

To protect electronics, we recommend using a surge protection power bar.  Hydro One Remotes does not compensate customers for damaged electronics.

Many communities Hydro One Remotes serves have Critical Asset Backup power. This is emergency power for specific community buildings or infrastructure.

For grid-connected communities, there may also be community wide back-up power from a Diesel Generating Station. Visit Hydro One Remote Communities Inc. - Communities Served to learn about your community's power system.

The easiest method is with a GenerLink (GenerLink - Connecting a portable generator made easy and safe. - Genersafe - Canada (generatorsolutions.ca).  It is a device that goes between the meter and the meter base on your home, allowing a generator to be plugged in. 

The GenerLink must be installed by a qualified electrician, with Hydro One Remotes providing a disconnect/reconnect onsite with your electrician.  We remove the meter, your electrician installs the GenerLink, then we reinstall the meter.

To book an appointment, please call our Customer Service team at 1.888.825.8707.

Yes – there a few programs customers and communities can apply for – many are listed here: Hydro One Remote Communities Inc. - Energy Saving Tips. 

A great resource to First Nation Customers is Ishkotay's Boodawewin app.  Visit Ishkoday to learn more

The more electricity that is used in your home, the higher your electricity bill will be. Here are some helpful tips to reduce your household electricity use:

https://www.hydrooneremotes.ca/upload/documents/tips_getting_started_guide_2018.pdf

Electric heat will significantly increase your electricity bill.  In diesel powered communities, an electric heated home has about five times the impact on the available power as a home heated by other means.

The key to an energy efficient home is insulation, and sealing up any leaks around window frames and doors, in efforts to keep in as much heat as possible.  Visit https://www.hydrooneremotes.ca/energy-saving-tips for a list of home energy saving programs and tips.

• For questions about your electrical service, new connections, upgrades, layouts, disconnections or questions on power outages, please reach out to Customer Service at ph.1.888.825.8707 or email RemotesCustomerService@HydroOne.com.

• For questions about your bill, payment plans, collections trips, moving, or rates please contact our Billing Department at ph. 1.800.465.5085 or email RemotesBilling@HydroOne.com

• For all other questions, please reach out to Gail Murray, our Community Relations & Customer Program Coordinator at Murray@HydroOne.com or ph. 807-627-9736.