London Hydro Pilots an Innovative Electricity Price Plan

 

 MEDIA RELEASE 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - March 24, 2018 

Contact: Nancy Hutton, Director, Communications 

London Hydro (519)661-5800 ext. 5797

 

London Hydro Pilots an Innovative Electricity Price Plan London, ON – Today, London Hydro announced new and innovative electricity price and information plans to help customers use electricity wisely and save money. London Hydro is proud have been selected by the Ontario Energy Board to pilot two electricity plans: one is a real-time energy information program and the other is a critical peak pricing program. These two programs offer customers tools and pricing plans which will provide opportunities to save money.

To facilitate these two programs, London Hydro has developed an app, Trickl™, which will provide customers with on-line tools through their smartphones to monitor and control their energy consumption in real-time. Included in these programs are control devices, smart plugs and communication hubs that provide customers real-time data as well as remote control of their energy usage from anywhere through Trickl.

“These programs provide London Hydro’s customers with smart tools to use energy wisely and take control of their savings. In conjunction, London Hydro will gain insight into the effectiveness of these programs and their sustainability for standard offering,” said Vinay Sharma, CEO, London Hydro.

There are two different studies underway.

The first –- Real-Time pilot program

Customers participating in this program have access to their energy usage as it happens, in real-time. This information along with the new Trickl App will allow customers to monitor and take action to potentially reduce their electricity costs especially during the time periods when the cost of electricity is high. London Hydro provides a smart plug to participating customers, which customers can use to switch-off electrical load, through Trickl.

The second –Critical Peak Pricing (CPP) 

This pilot program is a little more involved. In this program a load controller is installed which is used to control electrical appliances (previously selected by the customer). As the name of the program implies, during the critical peak times a customer’s appliances will be turned off unless the customer chooses to override. An alert of a pending critical peak event is sent out fifteen minutes before the appliances are due for disconnection. Through the Trickl App, customers will have the option to override the event. There will be 36 peak alerts throughout the year. Customers can save on their bills by avoiding consumption during peak alerts as well as assist in reducing the system peak demand. Indeed, customers choosing to override the event will pay the peak price. For the duration on the pilot customers will have a reduced off- peak price. More consumption that is moved from on-peak times to off-peak times will help reduce costs. 

"When we launched Ontario's Fair Hydro Plan, our government delivered significant and immediate relief on electricity bills for all residential electricity customers and as many as half a million small businesses and farms across the province,” said Ontario’s Minister of Energy, Glenn Thibeault. “With affordability as a top priority, I'm pleased the Ontario Energy Board and London Hydro are taking the next step in offering more flexibility and choice to families, while helping to reduce electricity bills even further." 

“This is an exciting time for our customers and London Hydro,” Sharma stated. “Technology is rapidly changing the way we live and London Hydro is in the forefront of technology and has led the development of many innovative solutions for our customers. These pilot programs along with the Trickl App are evidence to the innovation of London Hydro.” 

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For more information contact Nancy Hutton 

(519) 661-5800 ext. 5797 

Cell (519) 639-7774