What is a Kilowatt-Hour?

It is the unit of electricity that your meter measures and for which we bill you each month. A kilowatt-hour (kWh) is 1,000 watts of electricity used in one hour. For example, if a 100 watt light bulb is on for one hour per day for 30 days that is 30 days x 100/1000 = 3 kWh.

How do I Report a Streetlight Problem?

Each municipality is responsible for its own street light maintenance. When you notice a street light is not working properly, you should report the outage to your municipal office.

When Can I Expect my Next Bill?

Westario Power mails the bills by the Town/Village in which you live. Customers can expect to receive their bills at approximately the same time each month. For new customers, your first bill could take up to 60 days before it is received. The same applies to customers that have moved out of a property serviced by Westario Power.

Dispute Resolution

Dispute resolution is a process required by the Ontario Energy Board of each licensed electric distributor, the goal of which is to resolve complaints by consumers and other market participants regarding services provided by the electrical distributor under the terms of its Distribution Licence. Westario Power Inc. is committed to resolving such complaints promptly. If you have been unable to reach an amicable resolution with your party, please contact us at [email protected] or by telephone at 519-507-6937 or toll free 1-866-978-2746.

What Should I do if I am Moving?

Please complete the appropriate form under our “Forms and Applications” Tab, allowing a lead time of 5 business days to complete.

If you are enrolled with an energy retailer, you must give your retailer at least 60 days notice of your move date and new address information; as well as notify Westario Power. If you move to an area where your retailer can supply you with electricity, then your retailer will inform you about their current offers available to you at your new address.

Does Westario Power do Tree Trimming?

When customers request Westario Power to trim trees, we will review each request, on a case-by-case basis, to look for potential risks to system reliability.

Trees that interfere with or have the potential for interfering with existing utility lines, or trees that obstruct the route of new lines, will be trimmed, or sometimes removed. There are two exceptions:

• Trees near the distribution lines that pose no immediate risk to Westario Power’s distribution system will not be trimmed or removed. The customer should hire a fully qualified arborist with electrical awareness training. This training allows the arborist to encroach up to 3 feet of energize primary conductors. Since this tree poses no risk to Westario we will not participate in its removal.
• Trees that interfere with secondary service wires (wires from utility poles to the customer’s house or building) will not normally be trimmed or removed. Arrangements can be made to have these wires temporarily disconnected and removed to permit the property owner or contractor to trim or remove the tree. If a customer wants service wires temporarily disconnected to trim or remove a tree, contact Westario Power two weeks in advance to ensure the availability of a utility crew at the desired time. This service is available at no charge during normal working hours.

If Westario Power determines that a tree should be trimmed or removed, Westario Power will remove all branches and wood cut from the tree from the property. The property owner may keep any portion of the wood desired. However, Westario Power will not cut wood to uniform length nor stack the wood. Trees to be removed will be cut as close to ground level as possible.

Fallen trees or limbs that have fallen from standing trees are the responsibility of the property owner. The property owner is also responsible for the disposal of all limbs and wood resulting from the trimming of storm-damaged trees for Westario Power service restoration effort.

What’s yours? What’s ours?

Customers often ask us what equipment they are responsible for when it comes to their home’s electrical system.

In general, you are responsible for:

• Meter Base – the metal box that houses the meter
• Service Panel or Fuse Box – the circuit breakers or fuses and all of the wiring in your home

In general , Westario Power is responsible for:

• Power lines, poles and other electrical equipment that supplies homes other than yours
• Meter – the meter that measures electricity use.

Call us if you are uncertain what electrical equipment you own on your property. If you plan to repair, replace or upgrade your electrical equipment, please ensure you hire a licensed electrician.

What is Global Adjustment?

The Global Adjustment rate is set and adjusted each month by the IESO to support Ontario’s generating capacity and to cover the cost of conservation programs in Ontario. Its value varies month-to-month, and may be positive or negative depending on the fluctuation of prices in the spot market.  If the market price for electricity falls, the Global adjustment generally goes up (and vice-versa).

The rate is set to reflect the differences between the market price and:

• The regulated rate paid to Ontario Power Generation’s baseload generating stations (nuclear, hydroelectric, thermal)
• Payments made to suppliers contracted by the Ontario Power Authority (“OPA”); which include new gas-fired facilities, renewable facilities (wind, solar, etc.) and demand response programs; and
• Contracted rates paid to non-utility generators
• The cost of delivering conservation programs in the province.

For more information please refer to the IESO website.

Who is affected?

If customers buy electricity under the Regulated Price Plan (RPP), an estimate of the Global Adjustment is factored into the electricity prices set by the Ontario Energy Board (OEB). As an RPP customer, you will not see an additional itemized Global Adjustment charge on your bill. You are an RPP customer if you pay the OEB’s Time-of-Use (TOU) or Tiered electricity prices. The majority of Westario Power customers (Residential and General Service<50kW) pay their electricity bills based on the RPP.

If you have entered into a contract to buy electricity from an Electricity Retailer, you are classified as a non-RPP customer, and in accordance with regulation, are subject to the Global Adjustment price in addition to the energy contract price offered by your retailer.

When a customer enters into a contract with a retailer, it is only on the basis of the retailer’s energy price. The Global Adjustment price is not fixed in the retailer contract, it is set monthly by the province’s Independent Electricity System Operator (”IESO”) and applied as a separate line item on your bill.