Grimsby Power

COVID - 19 Information Update

Posted March 20th, 2020

The COVID-19 outbreak is an area of concern for all.  We understand that during this pandemic customer's will be impacted by vast changes in daily routine and economic uncertainty. 

Please click here for more information.

An Ontario Energy Board Update

Posted March 20th, 2020

To learn more about Grimsby Power's response to the COVID-19 pandemic please see our update above.  Among other measures, the power disconnection moratorium has been extended by 3 months by the Ontario Government.  No disconnections will be made over this time.  Please see Decision & Order released by the OEB on March 19, 2020 by clicking here.

Electrical Safety Awareness Survey

Posted January 3rd, 2020

Grimsby Power wants you to know that we are conducting an Electrical Safety Awareness Survey starting  January 7, 2020. You may receive a call from a company called ADVANIS on behalf of Grimsby Power. This survey is important to ensure we are providing appropriate safety messaging to our customers. We encourage you to participate and share your thoughts. At no time during the survey will you be asked to provide any financial information.  If you have any questions, please contact us 905-945-5437.

Consumer Alert

Posted December 19th, 2019

The Ontario Energy Board (OEB) has been advised that consumers are being approached by a door-to-door sales person claiming affiliation with the Ontario Electricity Support Program (OESP).

The sales person produced an OESP application and promised the consumer savings if they filled it out. The OESP application includes personal information such as social insurance number, date of birth and electricity utility account information. 

Neither the OEB nor accredited OESP intake agencies engage in door-to-door solicitation. 

Consumers seeking information about the OESP can visit ontarioelectricitysupport.ca, where they can apply online and also find a list of OEB-selected intake agencies should they need assistance filing an application.

Consumer Tips

• Consumers should be cautious about sharing their personal information or utility account information with any unauthorized individual or organization.
• If approached to complete an OESP application in this way, please do not complete the application. Instead, contact the OEB or your local police if you suspect fraud. 
• The OESP provides monthly on-bill credits for lower-income customers to reduce their electricity bills. Find out more about the program, check eligibility requirements and apply online at ontarioelectricitysupport.ca.

Resources

• Go to www.oeb.ca/billhelp to learn more about financial assistance programs and special rules for lower-income customers.
• Consumer Alert (pdf)

Rate Change Effective January 1, 2020

Posted December 13th, 2019

On August 12, 2019, Grimsby Power filed an IRM application with the Ontario Energy Board for rates effective January 1, 2020. 

The IRM application is a mechanistic price cap adjustment, based on inflation and the OEB’s assessment of the distributor’s efficiency.  The price cap adjustment components are set out in the table below.  Inserting these components into a formula results in a 1.85% increase to Grimsby Power’s distribution rates.

As a result of the OEB’s findings in the Decision, there will be a monthly total bill increase before taxes of $1.00 for a residential customer consuming 750 kWh, effective January 1, 2020.  After taxes and the Ontario Electricity Rebate the increase will be $0.81 per month.

The table below provides total bill impacts for a sample of Grimsby Power customers. 

To read the full decision and rate order click here.

To view all documents files during the application process click here.

Ontario Electricity Rebate

Posted December 6th, 2019

On November 1, 2019, amendments to the Ontario Rebate for Electricity Consumers Act, 2016 (“The Act”) and the regulations under that Act came into effect.  The act and regulations can be found on the government’s e-laws website at https://www.ontario.ca/laws.

The amount of the rebate was increased from 8% to 31.8% and was renamed the “Ontario Electricity Rebate” (OER).  The base amount of the calculation remains unchanged.

Under the new regulation an “eligible account” is defined as a consumer in Ontario who meets any of the following conditions:

1.  The consumer has a demand for electricity of 50 kilowatts or less.

2.  The consumer annually uses not more than 250,000 kilowatt hours of electricity.

3.  The consumer,

             i.        carries on a business that is a farming business for the purposes of the Farm Registration and Farm Organizations Funding Act, 1993, and

           ii.        holds a valid farm business registration number assigned under that Act or the consumer’s obligation to file an application for a  farming business registration number was waived pursuant to an order made under subsection 22 (6) of that Act.

4.  The account is in respect of a long-term care home licensed under the Long-Term Care Homes Act, 2007, other than an account that is also in respect of a hospital.

5. Subject to subsection (2), the account is solely in respect of a multi-unit complex but is not an account referred to in paragraph 4, and the following conditions are met:

         i.        The consumer exceeds the demand and use thresholds set out in paragraphs 1 and 2.

       ii.        The multi-unit complex contains at least two qualifying units.

      iii.        At least 50 per cent of the units within the multi-unit complex are qualifying units.

      iv.         The consumer has met the notice requirements of section 1.3. 

If a customer qualifies under section 5 above there is a requirement to give notice to Grimsby Power by use of the attached notice form by January 31, 2020.

Under the new rules certain larger multi-unit complexes that are not primarily residential and certain types of multi-unit complexes are not eligible for the Ontario Electricity Rebate.  Complexes that no longer qualify include:

• hotels, motels or motor hotels, resorts, lodges, tourist camps, cottages or cabin establishments, inns, campgrounds, trailer parks, tourist homes, bed and breakfast vacation establishments or vacation homes;
• hospitals (as defined under O. Reg. 363/16 as amended);
• living accommodations occupied by a person for penal or correctional purposes, or premises that are subject to the Ministry of Correctional Services Act or the Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017;
• short-term living accommodations provided as emergency shelter;
• universities, colleges of applied arts and technology or other entities that provide post-secondary education; and
• premises that are identified by a NAICS code commencing with the digits 21, 22, 23, 31, 32, or 33.

In order to continue to receive the rebate beyond January 31, 2020 you will need to complete the attached notice form and return the completed form to Grimsby Power no later than January 31, 2020.

The following outlines the effective dates regarding the Ontario Electricity Rebate:

• If on October 22, 2019 you were receiving the 8% Provincial Rebate and you wish to continue receiving the Ontario Electricity Rebate you must submit the attached form to Grimsby Power by January 31, 2020. 

• If you do not submit the form you will not receive the rebate beyond January 31, 2020. 

• If you submit the form and you are no longer eligible, you will still receive the rebate until October 31, 2020. 

• If you submit the form and you remain eligible, you will continue to receive the Ontario Electricity Rebate until further notice or your circumstances change.

The completed form can be submitted by email to customeraccounts@grimsbypower.com, faxed to 905-945-9933 or mailed to 231 Roberts Road, Grimsby, ON, L3M 5N2. 

If you require any further information, please call 905-945-5437 ext. 258

Grimsby Power 2018 Scorecard

Posted September 30th, 2019

Each year electricity utilities are issued a scorecard that provides certain performance information.  Utility scorecards track comprehensive performance information for each electricity utility in Ontario over a range of time and for a specific year.

A utility scorecard is important because it provides information that tells the Ontario Energy Board and consumers if utilities are following the rules and if their performance is improving over time. They're also a way for a utility to be transparent with its consumers about how Grimsby Power is performing overall.

To view Grimsby Power’s 2018 Scorecard click here.

To view all 2018 utility scorecards click here.

Consumer Alert

Posted September 27th, 2019

Consumers are reporting being contacted by scam artists pretending to be from their utility and threatening to disconnect electricity service if they don’t receive payment immediately.

If you receive such a message by phone, text or letter, contact Grimsby Power directly using the telephone number printed on your bill.

Power Outage

Posted August 18th, 2019

5:48 - Power has been restored to the Kingsway and Balmoral area.

4:35pm - There is currently an outage in the Kingsway and Balmoral area.  A crew has been dispatched to resolve the issue.  Thank you for your patience.

10:38am - Power has been restored to the Elm Tree and Allen area.  All power has now been restored.  Thank you for your patience.

10:22am - Power has been restored to the Ridge Rd East and Russ Rd area.  The crew is moving to restore power to the Elm Tree and Allen area.

10:00am - The crew is working to replace a blown fuse in Ridge and Russ area.  There is currently a second outage in the area of Elm Tree Rd and Allen Rd.  The crew will restore power to the Ridge and Russ area then move to restore power to Elm Tree and Allen Rd area.

8:50am - There is currently a power outage in the Ridge Rd East and Russ Rd area.  A crew has been dispatched to resolve the issue. The estimated time to restoration is currently unknown.  Thank you for your patience as the crew works to restore power.

Severe Thunderstorm Watch

Posted August 8th, 2019

There is currently a severe thunderstorm watch in effect for Grimsby. Strong winds, hail and down pours may occur. 

During conditions like this there is a greater possibility of damage to power lines due to trees/branches and flying debris that can cause power outages.  Outages may be intermittent in nature.

If you experience a power outage please call 905-945-5437 and press 1.  If you have information regarding an event (i.e. heard a loud bang, branch/tree on power line, line down across road, debris made contact with power line) please communicate that information when you call in.  This information will help us respond to the outage.

In the event of a power outage our crews are committed to working safely to restore power.  High winds and storm conditions can pose additional risk to our crews.  Power will be restored as it is safe to do so.

Severe Thunderstorm Watch in effect until 12:43 PM EDT. Source: Environment Canada

Conditions are favourable for the development of severe thunderstorms that may be capable of producing strong wind gusts and large hail.

Severe thunderstorms are possible this morning into this afternoon.

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Large hail can damage property and cause injury. Strong wind gusts can toss loose objects, damage weak buildings, break branches off trees and overturn large vehicles.

Severe thunderstorm watches are issued when atmospheric conditions are favourable for the development of thunderstorms that could produce one or more of the following: large hail, damaging winds, torrential rainfall.

Please continue to monitor alerts and forecasts issued by Environment Canada. To report severe weather, send an email to ONstorm@canada.ca or tweet reports using #ONStorm.

For more information: http://www.emergencymanagementontario.ca/english/beprepared/beprepared.html