Ottawa Hydro and Hydro One Moving Toward Sustainability
By Irene Staron, Manotick Village Community Association President
In April, the Ottawa region experienced a unique solar eclipse, the last to occur over Ottawa for generations. Yes, solar eclipses occur every 7 years, but to be in the path of totality one would need to travel the world and follow cosmological updates to stay in the know. The April 8 eclipse brought early dusk to Manotick, lasting for less than an hour. We were prepared for it. We knew it was coming and celebrated the natural phenomenon with awe. In recent years, however, the dimming of our light has been brought on by less predictable elements such as ice storms and wind storms, causing power outages and flooding in our community.
Following Earth Week we raise the subject of sustainability. You may recall the MVCA facilitated an Ottawa Hydro presentation for our residents to learn more about what to expect during a power outage. Ottawa Hydro and Hydro One are two of seven independent electricity system operators in the province of Ontario who comprise the IESO, the coordinator and integrator of Ontario’s electricity system.
In 2024 the IESO drafted a policy to help residents save energy and money. Read on to learn more.
Resident concerns inform the MVCA on where and how to focus our volunteer hours and efforts. Have a concern you’d like us to look into? Write us at president@manotickvca.org.
We want to hear from you!
Moving Towards Sustainability – Save Energy, Save Money
The IESO monitor the energy needs of Ontario in real time – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – balancing supply and demand and directing the flow of electricity across Ontario’s transmission lines and are dedicated to finding ways to reduce energy use and costs for its customers. A new Ontario energy policy provides for customers to potentially switch from their tiered or time of use rate structure to a third option called Ultra-Low Overnight (ULO) rates. Both Hydro One and Hydro Ottawa have implemented this policy in collaboration with the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO). You can now choose to switch to the Ontario Energy Board’s new Ultra-Low Overnight (ULO) price plan. Specially designed for customers who use more electricity at night, such as those who charge their electric vehicle, this new price plan can help customers keep costs down and take control of their electricity bill by shifting usage to the ultra-low overnight price period when province- wide electricity demand is lower. If you own an Electric Vehicle, or have rooftop solar using NetMetering, or have home power batteries then the ULO can be a significant way for you to save energy costs. Are you interested in saving money, energy and are environmentally concerned? Go to our ‘quick poll’ at https://forms.gle/mV784W3vkChrfADi8 to learn more about the Sustainability Workshop being offered to Manotick residents. All replies are confidential.
Because You Asked – What is the status of the Minto Communities Development?
A number of you have been asking about the status of the Mahogany Harbour community and how far along Minto is with the construction of new homes.
The latest update from the City reports that Minto’s plan for the Mahogany project includes 1,400 units in a 5-phase process. While an exact timeline cannot be specified at present, Minto is nearing completion of the third phase. To date, 550-600 homes have been built. In short, they are near the halfway mark of the development project. We’ll keep you posted on further updates and thank you for keeping your questions coming!
