Change to Rate DM
Pursuant to Régie de l'énergie decision D-2008-024, since April 1, 2008, Hydro-Québec has no longer offered Rate DM to customers wishing to obtain a new service contract.
Customers who already have a service contract at Rate DM will continue to pay that rate.
- What type of service contract does Rate DM apply to?
- What exactly is the amendment to Rate DM?
- Will this decision affect customers already paying Rate DM?
- Why has Hydro-Québec stopped offering Rate DM?
- What rate will my service contract be at if Rate DM is no longer available?
- My apartment building or community residence construction project began before April 1, 2008, but will be completed after that date. Which rate am I eligible for?
- My apartment building or community residence construction project began after April 1, 2008. Which rate am I eligible for?
1. What type of service contract does Rate DM apply to?
Rate DM applies to contracts under which electricity is delivered to an apartment building or a community residence having multiple dwellings and bulk metering (e.g., a single meter for several units). Rate D applies to contracts for domestic use in dwellings with their own electricity meters-in other words, individual residences.
2. What exactly is the amendment to Rate DM?
Since April 1, 2008, Hydro-Québec has no longer offered Rate DM to new customers. In other words, that rate no longer applies to new apartment buildings or community residences with bulk metering.
3. Will this decision affect customers already paying Rate DM?
No. Customers who had a service contract at Rate DM before April 1, 2008, will continue to pay the same rate. A customer who buys a building that has a service contract at Rate DM before April 1, 2008, will maintain that rate. But customers who want a service contract for a new building will no longer be able to sign up for Rate DM.
4. Why has Hydro-Québec stopped offering Rate DM?
This rate change is part of a general reform of HQ's electricity rates intended to send a better price signal to all customers that will encourage the optimal use of energy.
Unlike customers who have opted for individual metering and who change their energy-use habits when their bill goes up, residents of multiunit residential buildings with bulk metering have no direct financial incentive to use less electricity. In a context in which an improved price signal is especially important, it is necessary to prevent owners of new residential buildings from choosing bulk metering after April 1, 2008. If a customer opts for bulk metering for an apartment building or community residence construction project, Rate D will apply, and so more electricity will be billed at the second tier ($0.0751).
5. What rate will my service contract be at if Rate DM is no longer available?
Customers involved in apartment building or community residence construction projects will henceforth be eligible for Rate D (or another applicable general rate, depending on their consumption profiles)
6. My apartment building or community residence construction project began before April 1, 2008, but will be completed after that date. Which rate am I eligible for?
The applicable rate depends on the type of metering selected. Customers involved in apartment building or community residence construction projects who opted for bulk metering prior to April 1, 2008, are eligible for Rate DM. Those who have opted for individual metering are still eligible for Rate D.
7. My apartment building or community residence construction project began after April 1, 2008. Which rate am I eligible for?
If construction began after April 1, 2008, the applicable rate does not depend on the type of metering. Rate D will apply, no matter whether metering is bulk or individual.