Electric Heating Relief Program

The Electric Heating Relief Program covers electric heat paid during the heating season. The heating season starts on September 15 each year and goes until May 31 in the following year. There are 3 Phases every year:

1. September 15 to December 31;
2. January 1 to March 31;
3. April 1 to May 31.

Toronto Community Housing has budgeted about $900,000 to help tenants with their electric heating bills for the 2022 to 2023 heating season.

How do tenants qualify for this relief?​​

You will receive relief payments if:

• you pay rent-geared-to-income (RGI)
• your home has electric heating
• you pay your own hydro bill

RGI tenants who pay electric heating bills don't have to apply for payments. Toronto Community Housing will identify eligible households and issue payments directly to Toronto Hydro on behalf of those residents.

How will tenants receive payments?​​

Toronto Community Housing is partnering with Toronto Hydro to apply credits directly to tenants' hydro bills. Depending on when a household's billing cycle occurs with Toronto Hydro, it can take up to two months for the payment to appear on their bill.

How is the relief payment calculated?​​

We have calculated each household's relief payment using information from Toronto Hydro and Toronto Community Housing on the average monthly hydro heating bill for a unit of the household's size (how many bedrooms the unit has).

There are two steps to calculate how much Toronto Community Housing will pay to a household's hydro bill:

1. The average electricity usage for heating the unit is multiplied by the average electricity rate for Toronto Community Housing buildings. The result is the resident's estimated electricity heating bill.

2. An amount called the P-Scale (which is the provincial utility charge that is deducted from the rent of households that pay for their own hydro) is subtracted from the estimated electricity heating bill. This final amount is your hydro relief payment.

Next steps​​

Residents who have qualified for the program will receive a letter with details specific to their household. This letter covers the following information:

• How the programs works
• How the calculations for each payment are made
• When the payments should appear on their bills
• Information on additional support programs

​Additional resources

The Toronto Community Housing electric heating relief program is separate from the new Ontario Electricity Support Program (OESP). OESP is a program offered by the Ontario government (through the Ontario Energy Board) that lowers electricity bills for low-income households. If a household is approved for the program, the amount of the credit will depend on:

• The number of people in the home
• The total combined household income

For information on OESP or to find out how you can apply for the program, go to the Ontario Electricity Support website or call 1-855-831-8151 toll-free from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET.