Rate for residential and farm customers with a power demand of at least 50 kilowatts
Rate DP generally applies to domestic use, that is, use in a home, when the maximum power demand has reached 50 kilowatts (kW) or more at least once during the last 12 monthly periods. The electricity is metered separately in most cases. This rate also applies to farms.
See our eligibility criteria regarding domestic rates for farms [PDF 583 kB]
Other cases in which Rate DP applies
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:
- Farms: Land, buildings and equipment used to raise crops or livestock, excluding any dwelling or any facility used for commercial activity or industrial activity
See our eligibility criteria regarding domestic rates for farms [PDF 583 kB] - Apartment buildings for which the electricity is metered separately or in bulk if the apartment building was built after April 1, 2008
- Community residences consisting of individual units (separate metering)
- Community residences (9 rooms or less)
- Rooming houses (9 rooms or less)
- Bed and breakfasts (9 rooms or less)
- Tourist homes (separate metering)
- Foster families or foster homes (9 people or less)
- Residential outbuildings, i.e., buildings or installations belonging to premises used for habitation purposes:
- used exclusively by the persons occupying the dwelling or apartment building
- used exclusively for purposes related to those of the dwelling or apartment building
- Portion of electricity used for purposes other than habitation (installed capacity 10 kilowatts (kW) or less)
Why Rate DP?
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.
More information
To find out more about Rate DP, consult Section 3 of Chapter 2 of the Electricity Rates [PDF 4.75 MB].
Other useful information
How to request electricity service
Separate metering
Method of measuring energy consumed with a separate meter for each residential or commercial unit in a building.
Bulk metering
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.
System access charge
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.
Energy
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).
Winter period
Period from December 1 through March 31 of the next year, inclusive.
Summer period
Period from April 1 through November 30, inclusive.
Voltage
Difference in electrical level between two points, expressed in volts (V).
Power
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 demand
Maximum power measured during a consumption period. It is the higher of the following two values: real power in kilowatts (kW), or a percentage (90% for domestic rates and small- and medium-power rates, or 95% for large-power rates) of the apparent power in kilovoltamperes (kVA).
Real power
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).
Apparent power
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.
Minimum billing demand (minimum demand)
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.
- For all rates except Rate L, the minimum billing demand is automatically determined based on the previous winter’s maximum power demand.
- Rate L customers must set their own minimum billing demand, called “contract power,” based on the amount of electricity they expect to use.
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.
Rate
Electricity rate effective April 1, 2023.
Monthly periods
Period of 30 days, which may begin on any day of the month, established by Hydro‑Québec for billing purposes.
Power
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).