Save up to 20% on your winter electricity bill
From December 1 to March 31, Rate Flex D offers savings on your electricity bill. To take full advantage of it, simply take steps to use electricity more wisely during winter peak periods!
On this page:
Rate Flex D at a glance
How does Rate Flex D save me money? What do I need to do? This short video will answer all your questions.
Running time: 1 min 39 s
Description : A blue screen with the Hydro-Québec logo and the words "Rate Flex D" are shown.
Narration : Rate Flex D
Description : Twelve calendar pages are displayed starting with December, ending with November.
Narration : Rate Flex D is an offering that lets you save all winter long.
Description : The months December to March stay on screen, with the text "Reduced price for over 95% of the winter.
Narration : You'll enjoy a lower energy price, except at certain times when it is higher than the base rate.
Description : A light blue background with a town is displayed, there are cars, trees, houses and electric cables with snow falling in the foreground.
Narration : On cold days the grid is under heavy load. This creates peaks in demand.
Description : A thermometer in the upper right-hand corner shows decreasing temperatures, while the houses and buildings turn orange.
Narration : To spread it out more evenly we schedule what we call peak demand events.
Description : Two clocks appear on the screen, a.m. on the left and p.m. on the right, 6 to 9 a.m. and 4 to 8 p.m. are highlighted, the text "Peak demand events" and "Monday to Friday" is shown at the top of the screen.
Narration : These events may occur mornings and evenings from Monday to Friday.
Description : An orange circle labelled "1: Receive a notification" is shown, followed by a tablet with an envelope and the Hydro-Québec logo.
Narration : It's easy! You'll get a notification before the event.
Description : An orange circle labelled "2: Reduce your electricity use" is shown, followed by a thermostat being turned down and a living room with the radiator putting out less heat.
Narration : Reduce your electricity use during the peak
Description : A clock shows the time as 8:00 p.m., someone is starting the dryer cycle.
Narration : or put it off until later,
Description : An orange circle labelled "3: Save" is shown, followed by a tablet with the total amount $100.67, which decreases to $85.18.
Narration : And you'll see savings on your bill.
Description : A house and garage are shown with a shovel in the snow out front.
Narration : During peak demand events, the price of electricity is higher.
Description : Then we see the household appliances (lamps, heaters, washer and dryer, electric car, etc.) inside in orange.
Narration : That's why it's important to reduce your electricity use by taking simple steps like these:
Description : A blue circle with a thermostat appears above the house.
Narration : Turn the thermostat down a few degrees.
Description : A blue circle with a clock and shower appears above the house.
Narration : Take your shower after an event.
Description : A blue circle with a clock and dryer appears.
Narration : Put off using non-essential appliances.
Description : A blue circle with an electric car and plug appears.
Narration : Delay charging your electric vehicle.
Description : A laptop with the Hydro-Québec Rate Flex D webpage is shown with savings highlighted in green.
Narration : By tracking the results in your Customer Space you can see the impact you're having on your electricity bill.
Description : A thermostat is shown being turned down, followed by a living room with the radiator putting out less heat.
Narration : If you're in a position to reduce your energy use Rate Flex D might be the right choice for you.
Description : The thermostat is shown with the words "Optional offering" above it.
Narration : This offering is optional.
Description : A tablet with the Hydro-Québec webpage is shown.
Narration : You can opt out whenever you want.
Description : On the webpage three different rate options are shown, with the potential savings.
Narration : Compare the offerings in your Customer Space and see how much you could save.
Description : On a blue background the words "Rate Flex D is a smart choice!" are displayed, followed by the Hydro-Québec logo.
Narration : Rate Flex D is a smart choice!
How does Rate Flex D work?
With Rate Flex D, you can save quite a bit of money, since most of the time in winter, you’ll be charged less than the base rate, except during occasional peak demand events, when you’ll be charged more than the base rate.
Rate Flex D is different from the base rate (Rate D). This is how it works:
- In winter,
- Outside peak demand events, i.e., during more than 95% of the season, the price of electricity is below the base rate.
- During peak demand events, i.e., during 5% of the season at most, the price of electricity is higher than the base rate.
- The rest of the year, Rate D (base rate) prices apply.
Peak demand events
- Peak demand events can take place Monday to Friday from December 1 to March 31, from 6 to 9 a.m. and from 4 to 8 p.m.
- There may be 25 to 33 events per winter, at most, for a maximum of 100 hours in all. The number of hours of peak demand events may vary from one winter to the next, depending on the demand forecast, which fluctuates according to the weather and the state of the grid.
- How much you save will vary based on the number of peak event hours accumulated during the winter.
- The day before a peak demand event, you’ll be notified by email before 5 p.m. (as well as on the mobile app if requested).
Doing the right thing at the right time
To maximize your savings with Rate Flex D, the trick is to reduce your energy use during peak events by turning down your thermostats at the start of a peak event and delaying your use of hot water until the event is over.
A tool that lets you track your results
To see the results of your energy‑saving efforts, use the Energy Performance Indicator in your Customer Space, which lets you track:
- How much you’ve saved
- Your energy use during peak demand events and outside peak events, by the day and by the hour
- The total number of hours of peak demand events to date as well as the number of days of the winter period that have elapsed
- Upcoming events for which you have received a notification
- History of previous winters
Eligibility
Rate Flex D is for Rate D (base rate) customers who are able to use less electricity during peak demand events or shift their nonessential electricity consumption to outside of those periods.
- A Rate D service contract
- An electrical installation supplied by the main grid rather than by an off-grid system
- A communicating meter ;
- A Customer Space with a valid email address (for peak demand event notifications)
In addition, you must not:
- Be signed up for any other rate options
- Have canceled a Rate Flex D contract during the previous winter period
- Dwellings for which the electricity is metered separately in most cases
- Farms: Land, buildings and equipment used to raise crops or livestock, excluding any 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)
- Foster families or foster homes (9 people or less)
- Tourist homes (separate metering)
- Residential outbuildings, that is, any 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)
Save up to 20% on your winter electricity bill
FAQs
With Rate Flex D, you save all winter long because you benefit from a lower price than the base rate (Rate D) for 95% of the period. The cost of electricity only goes up during peak demand events, so those are the best times to reduce your consumption. When there are no peak demand events, your savings will increase every day until the end of the season, on March 31.
That's why the savings you see in your customer space vary every day during the period from December 1 to March 31.
No later than 5 p.m. the day before a peak demand event, Hydro‑Québec will email you at the address listed in your Customer Space to notify you of the event start and end times. You can also opt to receive peak demand event notifications through the Hydro‑Québec mobile app. All peak demand event notifications will also be posted in your Customer Space.
Hydro-Québec cannot be held responsible for nonreceipt of a notification due to the failure of equipment belonging to you or your telecommunications provider.
There is no pre-established threshold, but the temperature is an important factor.
Peak demand events are scheduled when we anticipate high demand for electricity in Québec in winter. That’s the main consideration. It’s true that on cold days everyone uses a lot of energy at the same time, so the temperature has an impact on demand forecasts. However, demand isn’t always the same for a given temperature. For example, if it is −10°C for several days in a row, demand for electricity will be greater on the last day than on the first.
Other factors that affect the forecasted demand have to do with operating constraints related to electricity supply as well as power transmission and distribution. To manage power demand, Hydro-Québec diligently applies all the means at its disposal, including dynamic pricing.
Peak demand events can take place weekdays from December 1 to March 31, from 6 to 9 a.m. and from 4 to 8 p.m., excluding December 24, 25, 26 and 31, and January 1 and 2, as well as Good Friday and Easter Monday when they fall within the winter period.
- Maximum number of events per day: 2 events
- Minimum interval between 2 events: 7 hours
- Duration of an event: 3 or 4 hours
- Maximum total duration of events in the winter period: 100 hours
You can sign up for Rate Flex D for next season once the billing period covering April 1 is over and up to December 31.
You can cancel a Rate Flex D service contract at any time by calling Hydro‑Québec’s customer services. Your contract will then become subject to Rate D (base rate), if it is still eligible, or to any other rate for which it is eligible.
Hydro‑Québec reserves the right to terminate your service contract at this rate if there are recurring problems in gathering hourly metering data.
Under no circumstances shall the information provided here replace the Electricity Rates.
More information
To find out more about Rate Flex D, see Section 9 of Chapter 2 of the Electricity Rates [PDF 1.44 MB].
Off‑grid system
An “off‑grid system” is a power system not connected to Hydro‑Québec’s main grid.
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.