Rate DP generally applies to domestic use, that is, use in a home, when the maximum power demand has reached 50 kW or more at least once during the last 12 monthly periods. The electricity is metered separately in most cases. Bulk metering applies in the case of apartment buildings built after April 1, 2008. This rate also applies to farms.
See our eligibility criteria regarding domestic rates for farms [PDF 693 kB]
Provided the maximum power demand reached 50 kilowatts (kW) or more at least once over the past 12 monthly periods, Rate DP also applies in the following cases:
Up to April 1, 2017, Rate D applied to the vast majority of residential and farm customers, regardless of their electricity use.
April 1, 2017, saw the introduction of a new rate—Rate DP—for residential and farm customers with larger loads. Rate DP is similar to Rate D, which, before April 1, 2017, provided for billing of power demand in excess of 50 kW. The structure of Rate DP will continue to evolve in coming years to better reflect the needs of these customers.
Your service contract is eligible for Rate DP if your maximum power demand reached 50 kilowatts (kW) or more at least once over the past 12 monthly periods.
If your maximum power demand was 65 kW or more, your contract will automatically be switched to Rate DP, since Rate D is now solely for customers with a maximum power demand of less than 65 kW.
If over the past 12 months your maximum power demand was 50 kW or more, but less than 65 kW, your contract is eligible for either Rate D or Rate DP.
Maximum power demand | Domestic rate your contract is eligible for |
---|---|
Less than 50 kW | Rate D only |
At least 50 kW but less than 65 kW | Rate D or DP |
65 kW or more | Rate DP only |
If little or no electricity is used, a minimum charge is billed. It is $12.338 per month (30 days) when single-phase electricity is delivered or $18.508 per month when three-phase electricity is delivered.
Rates in effect April 1, 2021. Under no circumstances shall this table replace the Electricity Rates.
Rates have three main components that reflect the actual costs incurred by Hydro‑Québec to provide electrical service.
Rate DP does not have a system access charge, but the bill is never lower than the applicable minimum charge.
As the amount of energy consumed varies, the amount billed varies as well.
Hydro‑Québec must be able to meet its customers’ maximum power demand at all times. Even if power demand is variable and consumption is sometimes minimal, Hydro‑Québec’s rates still have to cover the cost of operating and maintaining the power system. For this reason, it’s important that rates for large electricity consumers include billing for maximum power demand. This reflects the costs associated with meeting power demands of varying size and duration.
If you are a Rate DP customer and your maximum power demand was below 65 kW during the last 12 monthly periods, it might be advantageous for you to switch to Rate D.
The demand charge is applied to the greater of these two billing demand values.
or
For Rate DP, the minimum billing demand is set at 65% of the maximum power demand during a consumption period that falls wholly within the winter period included in the 12 consecutive monthly periods ending with the consumption period in question.
Rate DP contracts also include a minimum charge. Customers pay the minimum charge when they consume little or no electricity during a billing period. This charge is set so that you pay your share of the costs Hydro‑Québec incurs to meet your power needs.
For Rate DP, the minimum charge (for 30 days) is $12.338 when single-phase electricity is delivered or $18.508 when three-phase electricity is delivered.
For Rate DP contracts, the minimum charge applies only when it is greater than the cost of electricity used during a given consumption period.
Hydro‑Québec’s rates assume that electricity will be supplied at low voltage. If you have equipment to step down the voltage of the electricity delivered to you or if you use electricity at medium or high voltage, Hydro‑Québec’s costs are reduced. In return, you receive a monthly credit on your demand charge. The credit is determined according to the supply voltage.
Rates in effect April 1, 2021. Under no circumstances shall this table replace the Electricity Rates.
Hydro‑Québec bills you only for the electricity you use, regardless of where it is metered in relation to the transformer substation. If metering occurs before transformation, the electricity billed will include transformation losses. So that you do not pay for losses, Hydro‑Québec grants an adjustment of 17.902¢ per kilowatt (kW) on the billing demand. Conversely, if metering occurs after transformation, the company will absorb the losses.
To find out more about Rate DP, consult Section 3 of Chapter 2 of the Electricity Rates [PDF 4.83 MB].
Method of measuring energy consumed with a separate meter for each residential or commercial unit in a building.
Method of measuring energy consumed with a single meter instead of separate meters for an entire multiunit commercial or residential building. The building owner is responsible for dividing the costs between the occupants.
A set amount, expressed in dollars per month or cents per day depending on the applicable rate, that the customer must pay for the electricity service.
Beginning April 1, 2019, the term fixed charge was replaced with system access charge.
Power used by electrical equipment over a given period of time. Expressed in kilowatthours (kWh), energy is calculated as power, expressed in kilowatts (kW), multiplied by the time during which the power is used, expressed in hours (h).
The formula for energy is as follows: energy (in kilowatthours) is equal to power (in kilowatts) multiplied by duration of use (in hours).
Energy (kWh) = power (kW) x time used (h).
Period from December 1 through March 31 of the next year, inclusive.
Period from April 1 through November 30, inclusive.
Difference in electrical level between two points, expressed in volts (V).
Total amount of electricity supplied at a given time. Expressed in kilowatts (kW), power is the combined effect of voltage, expressed in kilovolts (kV), and current, expressed in amperes (A).
Maximum power measured during a given period. It is the higher of the following two values:
These power demands are determined for integration periods of 15 minutes.
Amount of electricity consumed in a useful manner to operate equipment, such as a motor or a heating or lighting system. Real power is expressed in kilowatts (kW).
Amount of electricity that Hydro-Québec supplies to a customer, expressed in kilovoltamperes (kVA). When it is used, apparent power breaks down into real power (kW), which runs devices, and reactive power (kVAR), which produces magnetic fields and which is not useful power for the customer.
The minimum amount of power that the customer must pay for each consumption period, regardless of electricity use. The threshold is set so that you pay your share of the costs Hydro-Québec incurs to meet your power needs at all times. The minimum billing demand is determined by the conditions of each rate, as indicated in the Electricity Rates.
Low voltage: Voltage of 750 V or less.
Medium voltage: Voltage of more than 750 V, but less than 44 kV.
High voltage: Voltage of 44 kV or more.
Electricity rate as at April 1, 2021.