Customer Engagement Survey - closed Sept 17, 2021
Renfrew Hydro 2023 Cost of Service Application
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Renfrew Hydro Incorporated (RHI) is developing its business plan for 2023 to 2027 and will be submitting a rate application specific to the year 2023. We are seeking your input to help us develop our business plan for the next five years. This plan will determine the level of spending and investments that Renfrew Hydro will make in equipment and infrastructure, service offerings as well as the rates that you pay.
Local distribution companies (LDCs) like Renfrew Hydro are funded by the distribution rates included in the delivery charge paid by their customers. Electricity distributors are required to file a rate application with the Ontario Energy Board (OEB) to request a change in distribution rates based on their plan. Learn more here.
Renfrew Hydro has important decisions to make about the pace and mix of expenditures it makes in equipment and infrastructure, the services it provides you as a customer, and the rates you pay.
This survey is about gathering your feedback on finding the right balance between the services you receive from Renfrew Hydro and the price you pay.
The electricity distribution services that you receive from Renfrew Hydro represent approximately 20% of your hydro bill. While Renfrew Hydro is responsible for billing and collecting payment for the entire electricity bill, it retains only a portion of the delivery charge. The remainder of your bill is collected for the other companies responsible for generating and transmitting electricity, and to regulatory agencies and the federal and provincial governments.

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Ontario's electricity system is owned and operated by public, private and municipal corporations across the province. It is made up of three key components: generation, transmission and distribution.
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Renfrew Hydro is responsible for the last step of the journey: distributing electricity to customers. Our local distribution system is connected to the transmission grid through distribution stations and transformers.
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Renfrew Hydro serves more than 4,300 residential, commercial, and industrial customers throughout its 12.8 square kilometer service territory
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Renfrew Hydro’s distribution system consists of one operations center, five distribution stations, 1800 poles, 81 km of power lines, and 645 transformers. In addition, Renfrew Hydro maintains the Town of Renfrew’s street and traffic light systems.
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Renfrew Hydro does not receive taxpayer money to fund its operations or its investments in the distribution system. It is entirely funded through the rates its customers pay.

Between 2017 and 2021, Renfrew Hydro invested in distribution system capacity as well as the replacement of aging infrastructure to maintain operational effectiveness and efficiency. We invested in modernizing our substations and replaced approximately 150 end of life poles. We completed major infrastructure replacement projects on Raglan Street North, and Lisgar, Hall, and McAndrew Avenues. In addition, we converted all of the Town’s streetlights to LED and invested in upgrades to our metering and billing systems.
In 2023 and for the next several years, Renfrew Hydro will need to continue to invest in our infrastructure, equipment, and workforce.
These needs are being driven by a diverse set of factors, such as aging infrastructure, population and economic growth, an increasing number of severe weather events, technological evolution, cyber security threats, and workforce retirements. The plan forward includes major asset replacement and upgrades, vehicle replacement, and the modernization of our local distribution system to enable the connection of renewable energy sources and the electrification of transportation. We need to continue to invest in our computer systems and software to enhance our customer services and offerings, while also improving our overall productivity and effectiveness.
In 2021 the average residential distribution charge was $26.47 per month. Renfrew Hydro is expecting to request a rate increase of approximately 5% in 2023 and this requested rate increase is subject to a review by the Ontario Energy Board in an open and transparent manner. A 5% increase to our distribution rates equates to an overall electricity bill increase of less than 1%.
Read more to better understand our 2023 rate application.
LET’S CONNECT
Have your say about the future of the service you receive from Renfrew Hydro. Complete our online survey and you could win* a $100 Renfrew BIA gift certificate (two available).
Don’t delay, survey ends September 17, 2021.
*See contest rules.