Burlington Hydro rates and running a heat pump fit together better than most homeowners expect, because a heat pump does its heaviest work in the coldest hours — overnight and early morning — and those hours are off-peak on Ontario's time-of-use plan. Under winter time-of-use, every hour from 7 pm to 7 am is off-peak, and so is the entire weekend — which is where most of a heat pump's runtime already lands. Burlington Hydro delivers and bills the power, but the price per kilowatt-hour is set by the Ontario Energy Board and changes each November 1. The short rule: time-of-use suits most heat-pump homes here, and ultra-low overnight — built around charging an electric vehicle between 11 pm and 7 am — usually does not unless you have the car too.
Who Sets the Rate: OEB Prices, Burlington Hydro Delivery
Burlington Hydro is owned by the City of Burlington and serves the city's residential customers. It does not set the energy price. Regulated Price Plan rates are published by the Ontario Energy Board, usually taking effect on November 1, and Burlington Hydro applies them, adds its delivery and regulatory charges, and applies the Ontario Electricity Rebate line. That is why we do not print cents-per-kilowatt-hour figures here: they move every year, and the current numbers are on Burlington Hydro's rate page and your bill.
What does not change every year is the structure of the plans, and that structure is what decides how a heat pump behaves on your bill.
The Three Plans and Their Time Windows
- Time-of-use (TOU), winter (November 1 to April 30): on-peak 7–11 am and 5–7 pm on weekdays, mid-peak 11 am–5 pm, off-peak 7 pm–7 am plus all weekend and holiday hours.
- Time-of-use, summer (May 1 to October 31): on-peak 11 am–5 pm on weekdays, mid-peak 7–11 am and 5–7 pm, off-peak 7 pm–7 am and weekends.
- Tiered: one price for everything up to a monthly threshold (higher in winter than summer) and a higher price for every kilowatt-hour above it, regardless of the hour.
- Ultra-low overnight (ULO): a very low price from 11 pm to 7 am every day, a mid-peak price through the weekday daytime, and a high on-peak price from 4 pm to 9 pm on weekdays; weekends and holidays are off-peak during the day.
You can switch between the three plans through Burlington Hydro. Checking your last twelve months of hourly usage in your online account is the honest way to compare them, because a heat pump shifts where your consumption lands.
Why Time-of-Use Suits a Heat Pump in Winter
A heat pump's electricity draw follows outdoor temperature, and the coldest part of the day in Burlington is usually between midnight and dawn, with the lake keeping afternoons a little milder than inland Milton or Waterdown. Under winter TOU, every hour from 7 pm to 7 am is off-peak, and so is the whole weekend. A large share of a heat pump's winter kilowatt-hours therefore land in the cheapest window without you doing anything.
The expensive winter hours are 7–11 am and 5–7 pm on weekdays. The mistake to avoid is a deep overnight setback: a heat pump recovering from a cold house at 7 am runs flat out, or calls on its electric backup strip, right as the on-peak rate starts. Hold a steady temperature, or set back by a degree or two at most, and let the unit run long and low.
Where Ultra-Low Overnight Goes Wrong for Heat-Only Homes
ULO is designed around electric vehicles: charge from 11 pm to 7 am at a very low price, and pay a premium between 4 pm and 9 pm on weekdays. A heat pump cannot shift its work into the night the way a car can. On a January weekday the 4–9 pm window is dinner, showers and the coldest part of the evening, and the heat pump is running through all of it at the highest price on the plan.
Free quotes, written pricing.
The pattern we see in Burlington: a household with an EV and a heat pump can still come out ahead on ULO because the overnight charging savings outweigh the evening heating premium. A heat pump home with no EV, and no way to move load out of the evening, is usually better served by TOU or tiered. Run your own hourly data before switching.
Tiered, and the Winter Threshold
The tiered plan removes the clock and adds a monthly threshold; the winter threshold is higher than the summer one because Ontario expects heating load. A home heating entirely with a heat pump will typically pass the winter threshold in the cold months and pay the higher tier on the remainder. Your bill prints the threshold and how many kilowatt-hours fell above it: if you are clearing it every month from December through March, tiered is charging you the higher price on the bulk of your heat. Tiered tends to suit households whose usage is spread flat across the day — someone home all day, for example — while TOU rewards the overnight-heavy profile a heat pump naturally has.
Dual-Fuel: Letting Enbridge Gas Take the Coldest Hours
Most heat pump installs we do in Burlington keep the gas furnace as backup. The thermostat holds a switchover temperature: above it the heat pump heats, below it the furnace takes over. Where that point sits depends on the unit's efficiency at each temperature and on the current Enbridge gas price versus the Burlington Hydro rate in force that hour. With a cold-climate unit and winter off-peak pricing, the heat pump often stays the cheaper choice well below freezing overnight; on a weekday on-peak morning at -15°C the furnace can be the cheaper heat.
- Ask for a thermostat that can set the switchover point, not a fixed factory value.
- Have the installer size the heat pump to the home's heat loss, not to the furnace it sits beside — an oversized unit short-cycles and wastes the efficiency you paid for.
- Revisit the switchover each November when the OEB rate changes.
The question of whether a heat pump lowers a Burlington bill overall — gas plus electricity, not just the hydro line — is answered with real numbers in will a heat pump lower my bills in Burlington, and the broader comparison lives in heat pump vs. furnace in Ontario.
Which Rebates and Programs Actually Apply in Burlington
- Peak Perks (Save on Energy): enrol a compatible smart thermostat and it makes brief setpoint adjustments during summer peak events. It is a summer program, so it never touches your heating; enrolment currently pays a $75 prepaid card plus $20 a year for staying in the program.
- Home Renovation Savings Program (Enbridge Gas with Save on Energy, launched January 2025): this is the live provincial route for heat pump money, and we file the paperwork with the install. What qualifies and how much is paid changes, so read the Ontario HVAC rebates guide rather than a number quoted over the phone.
- Burlington Hydro does not run its own furnace or heat pump rebate — it distributes the power and bills you. The equipment incentives are provincial, and the utility-side questions worth asking are about rate plan and service capacity, which we set out on the Burlington Hydro page.
Panel Capacity in Older Burlington Homes
A cold-climate heat pump with electric backup needs a dedicated 240-volt circuit and sometimes a larger service. The 1960s–70s homes in Tyandaga, Roseland and Brant Hills frequently have 100-amp panels that are already full; a load calculation tells us whether the heat pump fits or whether a service upgrade, coordinated through Burlington Hydro and inspected by ESA, comes first. That cost belongs in the quote, not in a change order.
If you are considering a heat pump installation in Burlington, we size the unit, set the dual-fuel switchover for your rate plan and handle the rebate filing. Contact us and bring a recent Burlington Hydro bill — it tells us which plan you are on and where your usage sits.
Frequently asked questions
Does Burlington Hydro set the price I pay for electricity?
No. The Ontario Energy Board sets Regulated Price Plan rates, typically changing November 1. Burlington Hydro delivers the power, bills you, adds delivery charges and applies the Ontario Electricity Rebate. Current rates are on Burlington Hydro's website and your bill.
Is the ultra-low overnight plan good for a heat pump?
Usually only if you also charge an electric vehicle overnight. A heat pump cannot move its heating into the 11 pm–7 am window, and it runs through the 4–9 pm weekday on-peak period at the plan's highest price. Heat-pump homes without an EV are generally better on time-of-use or tiered.
Should I set my heat pump back overnight to save money?
Not by much. Overnight is already off-peak on time-of-use, and a deep setback forces a hard recovery, often with electric backup, right at the 7 am on-peak start. Hold a steady temperature or set back a degree or two.
Will a heat pump raise my Burlington Hydro bill?
Yes, the hydro line goes up because the heat pump uses electricity. What matters is the combined total with your Enbridge gas bill. In a dual-fuel setup with the switchover set for your rate plan, the combined cost is often lower; the answer depends on the home and current rates.
Can I switch between time-of-use, tiered and ultra-low overnight?
Yes. Residential customers choose their plan through Burlington Hydro. Compare your hourly usage from the online account before switching, and remember that a heat pump changes your usage pattern from what it was with a gas furnace.