Offers to save this winter
Using less electricity during winter peaks is a winning solution

What is a winter peak period?

In Québec, they usually occur on cold days, when everyone uses a lot of electricity at the same time, which puts a lot of pressure on the grid. Fortunately, winter peaks only represent 5% of winter, or just a few days a year from 6 to 9 a.m. and from 4 to 8 p.m.

What’s the solution?

Hydro‑Québec has a range of offers that reward you when you reduce your electricity use during peak periods, which helps spread out power demand over time.

Sign up for Rate Flex D and save on your bill this winter or opt for the Hilo smart home service and earn cash rewards.

On this page:

Offers to help you save this winter

  • Last chance

    Sign up between April 1 and December 31, 2024
    Rate Flex D

    Save up to 20% on your bill while paying a lower electricity price than the base rate for most of the winter.

    • Potential savings

      Average savings of $118* per participating household last winter.

      *excluding taxes

    • How it works

      Reduce your consumption—especially heating—during peak demand events, when the price of electricity is higher.

    • Equipment

      Use your current thermostats. Want to save even more? Opt for smart thermostats that you can program to adjust your electricity use and improve your performance during peak demand events.

    • Purchase cost

      None, if you are keeping your current thermostats.

    • Peak demand event notifications

      The day before a peak demand event, you’ll receive a notification by email and on the mobile app (Monday to Friday only).

    Last chance to sign up this year!

    The registration period ends on December 31, 2024.

    See how much I could save Learn more about Rate Flex D

  • Sign up at any time
    Hilo smart home service

    Earn cash rewards when you use connected devices to reduce your consumption during Hilo challenges.

    • Potential savings

      An average of $135 in cash rewards per participating household for all challenges last winter and up to 15% savings on your annual electricity bill.

    • How it works

      Thanks to connected devices, reducing your electricity use is automated during Hilo challenges.

    • Equipment

      Install Hilo smart thermostats or use your compatible Honeywell Home, Mysa or Sinopé thermostats. You could receive a bonus of up to $150 for each one you connect to Hilo.*

      *Conditions apply.

    • Purchase cost

      For new Hilo customers: Starting at $39.99 for the installation of Hilo thermostats or $0 if you’re using compatible devices from our partners.

    • Peak demand event notifications

      The day before a challenge, you’ll receive a notification on the Hilo mobile app. There will be a maximum of 30 challenges each winter.

    Estimate my
    savings      Learn more about Hilo

Maximize your savings with smart thermostats!

Smart thermostats are the best tool to help you save money in winter, regardless of the offer you choose.

With Rate Flex D, you program the thermostats yourself to adjust your electricity use hassle-free.

With Hilo, you purchase smart thermostats at a low cost or use your own smart thermostats, provided they’re compatible, to automatically adjust the room temperature during peak demand events.

Your compatible Honeywell Home, Mysa or Sinopé thermostats can even qualify you for a bonus of up to $150 per device connected to Hilo*.

* With a 12-month commitment. Some conditions apply. Limit of connected baseboards per customer.

What you can do during a winter peak

Once your enrollment in Rate Flex D or Hilo is complete, there are a number of actions you can take to reduce your energy use during winter peak periods.

  • Turn down the heat

    The best way to increase your savings is to turn down the thermostats by at least 2°C in every room in your home at the start of a peak demand event. Smart thermostats are your best bet when it comes to managing the ambient temperature.

  • Put off using hot water until later

    Whenever possible, use hot water after a peak period so that your water heater doesn’t switch on when the demand for electricity is high.

  • Put off charging your electric vehicle until later

    Program your EV to charge at night.

  • Postpone the use of major appliances

    Make sure you put off using your washer, dryer and oven until after the peak period. Instead, opt for small appliances like the slow cooker, microwave or air fryer.

Save in winter by using these products wisely

Looking for energy-saving solutions for your business?

See our programs

Why should we all use less electricity?

Half the energy used in Québec still comes from fossil fuels. To replace polluting energy sources with clean energy, we’ll need to generate more clean energy while using it wisely.

Learn why it’s important to be energy wise

Positive results across Québec

During winter 2023‑2024, participating residential and business customers reduced power demand by 999 MW during each peak. That’s practically equivalent to the capacity of Outardes‑3 generating station!

See the results for winter 2023‑2024

Every household counts

An average of 352 MW curtailed during the winter period—enough to power about 50,000 households.

Businesses that are doing their part

An average of 647 MW curtailed during the winter period—enough to power about 92,500 households.

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