Milton residents irate over 'ridiculous' hydro bill hike
A Milton woman who has seen a hefty jump in her hydro bills compared to last summer has created an online petition urging the province to lower hydro rates across Ontario.
At about $400, Mary Camastra says her bill is double what she would have normally been paying during the summer.
Many families are already having a hard time with hydro, she noted.
And now that we're in the middle of this (pandemic), we got hit really hard with hydro and water and delivery (charges). It's just ridiculous. We should not be paying that much money," the entrepreneur said.
Troy Hare, president and CEO of Milton Hydro, said in an email interview that there are a couple of factors that contribute to the higher hydro bills this summer, including an increase in the number of people working from home and the extremely hot" summer.
According to Hare, the average electricity consumption for a residential customer has increased over 2019 during the COVID-19 summer by 264 kWh in May and June, and 290 kWh in July. The average energy consumption has increased by 29 per cent in June and 28 per cent in July.
"Air conditioning is one of the largest consumers of electricity in any household," he said.
And as part of the response to COVID, he said the provincial government changed the hydro rate structure to create a more predictable way to pay for power.
Ontario suspended the regular time-of-use" pricing for residential and small business customers on March 24, which saw a fixed hydro rate of 10.1 cents per kilowatt hour until May 31.
On June 1, the COVID-19 Recovery Rate was introduced at 12.8 c/kWh for all hours of the day. This will be in place until Oct. 31, when electricity prices are set by the Ontario Energy Board for Nov. 1.
MPP Parm Gill said in an email that the recovery rate policy provided Ontarians savings during the hottest hours of the day."
Our government continues to spend $5.6 billion annually to hold bills to the rate of inflation to provide residents, small businesses and farms a 31.8 per cent discount on electricity bills through the Ontario Electricity Rebate," he said. Furthermore, our government invested $8 million to support small businesses and charities struggling to pay their electricity bills due to COVID-19. Application for the COVID-19 Energy Assistance Program for Small Business open Monday, August 31st."
Resident Alfonso Mazzarella, who says his hydro bill has gone up by about 40 per cent, argued that the fixed electricity price should not have been set so high if the intention was to provide relief during the pandemic.
That's not right," the IT analyst told the Champion. If you're going to help us, set it at the lowest."
For Camastra, the fixed hydro rate doesn't give her and others the flexibility to decide when they want to use their electronics or electricity. She normally does her laundry after 7 p.m. to take advantage of the regular summer off-peak rates of 6.5 cents.
Whether I do my laundry at seven o'clock at night or two o'clock in the afternoon, I'm still paying 12.8 cents," she says of the current situation, noting that is almost the highest summer rate.
Camastra says she has heard similar complaints from friends and neighbours. Many Miltonians have also taken to social media to air their frustration.
She hopes that the petition, which has garnered over 1,000 signatures, will help create enough noise" to push for a change.
I really think that people should be aware of what's happening," Camastra said.
STORY BEHIND THE STORY: For some local families, the fixed hydro rate has added to their suffering during COVID-19. Many are taking action in the hope of gaining some financial relief.
What do you think of the fixed electricity rate? Share your thoughts. Conversations are opinions of our readers and are subject to our Terms of Use. Inside Halton does not endorse these opinions.