Major savings this winter thanks to Hilo and dynamic pricing

With the coldest January on record since 2004, the past winter was a chilly one, to say the least.

Thanks to solutions like dynamic pricing and Hilo, however, Hydro-Québec customers were able to rack up savings with either a credit on their bill or a cash reward.

Tens of thousands of people used these tools to save money while reducing the pressure on the power system by more than 170 MW just by making small changes to their consumption habits for about 100 hours during the winter.

Savings in winter 2021–2022

Hilo: A smart home that works for you

As part of the 30 challenges held this winter, Hilo customers helped reduce electricity demand during peak periods by letting the equipment preheat their homes and then lower the temperature for a few hours. They earned an average of $166 in cash rewards this winter alone, and those who made the most efforts during peak events received an average of $229 in total cash rewards.

In addition, it is estimated that Hilo connected devices decreased customers’ annual electricity bills by about 15%.

Hilo services are now available in over 90% of cities across Québec and continue to be rolled out across the province. Each customer curtailed an average of 10.5 kWh of electricity for each challenge. This figure that is expected to increase as new equipment is added.

In a way, Hilo is like a virtual generating station that aims to reduce Hydro-Québec’s power needs by 620 MW by 2029–2029: the equivalent of the demand of over 114,000 households or the entire capacity of the La Romaine-2 generating station.

To do so, Hilo announced this year the first smart solution for water heaters that meets public health requirements. Other products will follow over the next few years, including a smart solution for electric vehicle charging stations, a thermostat for underfloor heating and one for central heating and cooling systems.

Dynamic pricing: Small changes in habits that really pay off

This year, more than 160,000 residential customers signed up for dynamic pricing, which is offered on a voluntary basis. That figure is expected to rise to 250,000 as the gradual rollout continues over the coming years, so everyone who wants to sign up has the opportunity to do so.

Dynamic pricing does not require an investment for customers. It leads to savings through simple actions to reduce electricity consumption during some 30 peak demand events during the winter.

This past winter, customers enrolled in the winter credit option received an average credit of $46. Customers who were actively involved and adopted the good practices outlined in our tips saved an average of $114.

What about Rate Flex D? The average savings of residential customers who signed up for Flex D will be determined in the coming weeks. For reference purposes, in winter 2020–2021, residential customers saved $48 on average, and those who followed our tips during peak periods saved $106.

For each peak demand event, dynamic pricing helped curtail an average of 157 MW, which is equivalent to the demand of 30,000 households per event.

Our customers stay motivated and save energy thanks to support from Hydro-Québec and the online community we created for people enrolled in dynamic pricing.

The efforts invested by customers who choose to change their habits should curtail power demand by nearly 371 MW by 2028–2029, which is equivalent to the demand of close to 70,000 households.