1001 Smart Cities

Permanent project revision

Toronto Hydro Smart Meters and Ontario's Time-of-Use Pricing

Revision 2026-11-04-quality-run · effective 2026-11-03

Current revision. This is the snapshot used by the live entity page.

unreviewed

Quality run: sources re-read and dated, factual corrections, present-tense statements updated, full claim array over snippet, impact and lesson.

sha256:e5115f470e7d8bf7c70d1d544b2a60a782038f19b760c59b734ca427a841c557
All revisions → Current entity page →

Change set

  • replace /snapshot/projectFingerprint — Updated projectFingerprint to the current sourced project record.
  • replace /snapshot/asOf — Updated asOf to the current sourced project record.
  • replace /snapshot/claims — Updated claims to the current sourced project record.
  • replace /snapshot/sources — Updated sources to the current sourced project record.
19
of 19 claims mapped
12
source dossiers
5
publication dates recorded
1
archives linked
0
exact locators
0
content captures hashed

Claims, one by one

The text below is copied verbatim from the published record. Each claim names the source dossiers that carry it; caveats stay attached to the claim they qualify.

Claim 1 clm-9c5967380d23fec6 quantitative
Ontario announced a smart meter for every home and small business in April 2004
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The committee report dates the government's announcement of Smart Metering to April 2004; the Auditor General's release describes the plan to install smart meters in homes and businesses.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Standing Committee on Public Accounts — Smart Metering Initiative
  2. Auditor General of Ontario — news release, 2014 Annual Report s.3.11
Claim 2 clm-3b3fdcd0822a234d quantitative
legislated it through the Energy Conservation Responsibility Act, 2006
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The audit report cites the Energy Conservation Responsibility Act, 2006 as the statute that, with its regulation, set up the smart-metering system's data entity and its cost recovery.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Auditor General of Ontario — 2014 Annual Report, Section 3.11 Smart Metering Initiative
Claim 3 clm-19d5adfc0487574f descriptive
Toronto Hydro, wholly owned by the City of Toronto
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The annual information form states that the City is the sole shareholder of Toronto Hydro Corporation, which owns the distribution company.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Toronto Hydro Corporation — Annual Information Form for the year ended 31 December 2025
Claim 4 clm-c3bb67c252cf53b7 descriptive
moved its customers onto time-of-use rates, the plan most Ontario households still pay
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
Toronto Hydro bills its customers on Time-of-Use by default, and the Ontario Energy Board says most residential and small business customers pay TOU prices.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Toronto Hydro — Choose your electricity price plan (Customer Choice)
  2. Ontario Energy Board — Choosing your electricity price plan
Claim 5 clm-195fe7c197678d4e quantitative
the province reached 4.8 million meters by 2014
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
Both the Auditor General and the legislative committee report 4.8 million smart meters installed as of May 2014.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Auditor General of Ontario — news release, 2014 Annual Report s.3.11
  2. Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Standing Committee on Public Accounts — Smart Metering Initiative
Claim 6 clm-a30ef17556d66eff descriptive
Prices are set by the Ontario Energy Board, not the utility
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
Toronto Hydro's price-plan page says the rates and price periods are set by the Ontario Energy Board.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Toronto Hydro — Choose your electricity price plan (Customer Choice)
Claim 7 clm-6c8d2e5f9eb568a3 descriptive
time-of-use is the default plan
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The regulator's 2020 backgrounder says customers who want to stay on time-of-use need do nothing, and its price-plan page says most residential and small-business customers pay time-of-use prices.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Ontario Energy Board — Backgrounder: November 1, 2020 Electricity Pricing Changes (13 October 2020)
  2. Ontario Energy Board — Choosing your electricity price plan
Claim 8 clm-1af62c3857955a34 quantitative
customers may switch to tiered prices (since November 2020)
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The backgrounder for the 1 November 2020 price changes says time-of-use customers can now choose to switch to tiered prices.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Ontario Energy Board — Backgrounder: November 1, 2020 Electricity Pricing Changes (13 October 2020)
Claim 9 clm-55b914ade8d98b98 quantitative
or an ultra-low overnight plan (since 2023)
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The regulator's release says utilities could offer the ultra-low overnight plan from 1 May 2023 and all had to by 1 November 2023.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Ontario Energy Board — Summer Hours and New Price Plan Coming May 1 (11 April 2023)
Claim 10 clm-1ce4cc94c03f740e quantitative
Ontario's Auditor General reported in 2014 that the rollout had cost close to CAD 2 billion against an initial CAD 1 billion projection
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The audit report says total implementation costs had reached almost $2 billion and that the OEB's initial projection was $1 billion; the release gives $1.9 billion as of May 2014.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Auditor General of Ontario — 2014 Annual Report, Section 3.11 Smart Metering Initiative
  2. Auditor General of Ontario — news release, 2014 Annual Report s.3.11
Claim 11 clm-9227c006b4b97e6e descriptive
the business case, submitted only after the government announced the rollout, overstated the benefit
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The Auditor General's release says the ministry submitted its business case only after the April 2004 announcement and that its projected net benefit was overstated.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Auditor General of Ontario — news release, 2014 Annual Report s.3.11
Claim 12 clm-55414fd149d1f67b quantitative
Toronto Hydro began a five-year replacement of the first-generation meters in May 2024
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The utility's meter-replacement page says it began a five-year project in May 2024, replacing first-generation meters with next-generation ones.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Toronto Hydro — Meter replacement program
Claim 13 clm-b853575955fa7d86 quantitative
projected 15-year net benefits of ~CAD 600M were overstated by at least CAD 512M, leaving ~CAD 88M
Published field
impact · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The audit report says the projected net benefits of about $600 million over 15 years were overstated by at least $512 million and should have been reflected as only $88 million.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Auditor General of Ontario — 2014 Annual Report, Section 3.11 Smart Metering Initiative
Claim 14 clm-102bf17e29607335 quantitative
A peer-reviewed Energy Policy study of 20,000+ Ontario households found demand fell 2.6% on-peak and 2.4% mid-peak after the switch to time-of-use billing.
Published field
impact · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The university's release summarises the peer-reviewed study: residential demand dropped 2.6 per cent on-peak and 2.4 per cent mid-peak after time-of-use rates began, at a distributor with more than 20,000 household customers.
Caveat
The study covers one southwestern Ontario distributor, not Toronto Hydro's customers.

Sources carrying this claim

  1. University of Waterloo — study of Ontario time-of-use pricing (Miller, Golab & Rosenberg, Energy Policy)
Claim 15 clm-e4e80ddd948bf94c descriptive
Ontario delivered a full-population rollout
Published field
lesson · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The committee reports 4.8 million smart meters installed in homes and small businesses across Ontario by May 2014.
Caveat
The audit also found that some 812,000 installed meters had not sent data to the provincial data centre.

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Standing Committee on Public Accounts — Smart Metering Initiative
Claim 16 clm-8c57341dd92ceb5d descriptive
then found the price signal too weak to move much load
Published field
lesson · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The Auditor General found that the difference between peak and off-peak rates had not been significant enough to change consumption patterns.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Auditor General of Ontario — news release, 2014 Annual Report s.3.11
Claim 17 clm-ee24070cd8140751 quantitative
by 2014 on-peak cost only 1.8 times off-peak, down from three times in 2006
Published field
lesson · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The release states that the peak rate was three times the off-peak rate when time-of-use began in 2006 and only 1.8 times at the time of the 2014 audit.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Auditor General of Ontario — news release, 2014 Annual Report s.3.11
Claim 18 clm-d47a89ee86dccc03 quantitative
Toronto's winter 2026–27 tariff charges 18.9 cents per kWh on-peak against 9.1 off-peak
Published field
lesson · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
Toronto Hydro's rates page lists the winter time-of-use prices from 1 November 2026: 9.1 cents off-peak and 18.9 cents on-peak.
Caveat
Prices change twice a year; these are the rates in force from November 2026.

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Toronto Hydro — Residential electricity rates (2026)
Claim 19 clm-a21fd7ec0c744747 descriptive
the business case arrived only after the government had announced the rollout
Published field
lesson · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The committee found that no cost-benefit analyses or business case studies were done before the government announced Smart Metering in April 2004.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Standing Committee on Public Accounts — Smart Metering Initiative

Source dossiers and revision state

This layer records what is known about each source, what is still missing, and the exact snapshot this page is rendering. A missing date, archive or hash stays visible as missing.

unreviewed Revision 2026-11-04-quality-run effective 2026-11-03 · created 2026-11-04

Awaiting operator and domain-expert review; publication of this revision implies neither.

sha256:e5115f470e7d8bf7c70d1d544b2a60a782038f19b760c59b734ca427a841c557
Revision history → Permanent version link → Machine-readable record → Evidence Constitution →
19
of 19 claims mapped
12
source dossiers
5
publication dates recorded
1
archives linked
0
exact locators
0
content captures hashed

Governance facts carried by the record

Operator
Toronto Hydro-Electric System Limited (City of Toronto); prices and price plans set by the Ontario Energy Board
Actor types
utility, regional-government
Funding model
utility
Funding description
Ontario electricity ratepayers, recovered through OEB-regulated distribution rates
Cost
≈CAD 1.9B province-wide (Ontario, to 2014); initially projected at ≈CAD 1B
Ownership
Not recorded
Decision rights
Not recorded
Exit conditions
Not recorded

12 source dossiers

Auditor General of Ontario — news release, 2014 Annual Report s.3.11 auditor.on.ca · 6 linked claims

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-b2743ebf4abd88a4
Publisher
Name not classified · auditor.on.ca
Type / language
pdf · language not classified
Published
2014-12-09
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-11-03
Dossier created
2026-11-04
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Release title, verified in the document metadata: 'Rollout of $1.9-billion Smart Metering Initiative Had Serious Shortcomings — Benefits Not Yet Realized'. This is the authority for the CAD 1.9B headline figure.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Auditor General of Ontario — 2014 Annual Report, Section 3.11 Smart Metering Initiative auditor.on.ca · 3 linked claims

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-b9c003b536e4f828
Publisher
Name not classified · auditor.on.ca
Type / language
pdf · language not classified
Published
Not recorded
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-11-03
Dossier created
2026-11-04
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Carries the audit findings: 'its projected net benefits of approximately $600 million over 15 years were significantly overstated by at least $512 million', which 'should have been reflected as only $88 million over 15 years', and that costs 'had reached almost $2 billion (compared to the initial projected cost of $1 billion)' as of May 2014. Text reached via the PDF's search index; the file does not render for automated extraction.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Standing Committee on Public Accounts — Smart Metering Initiative ola.org · 4 linked claims

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-6f81b47dbed1ddec
Publisher
Name not classified · ola.org
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
Not recorded
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-11-03
Dossier created
2026-11-04
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Independent confirmation of scale and sequence: '4.8 million smart meters had been installed in homes and at small businesses' as of May 2014, and 'no cost-benefit analyses or business case studies were done before the government announced Smart Metering in April 2004'.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Toronto Hydro — Choose your electricity price plan (Customer Choice) torontohydro.com · 2 linked claims

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-f390aa25215dd5b7
Publisher
Name not classified · torontohydro.com
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
Not recorded
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-11-03
Dossier created
2026-11-04
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Establishes time-of-use as the default: 'regardless of which plan you choose, your first bill will be charged on the Time-of-Use price plan.' Lists TOU, Tiered and Ultra-Low Overnight; the Ontario Energy Board sets all rates and thresholds.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Ontario Energy Board — Choosing your electricity price plan oeb.ca · 2 linked claims

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-802b3149c15145a3
Publisher
Name not classified · oeb.ca
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
Not recorded
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-11-03
Dossier created
2026-11-04
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Regulator's own statement: 'The choice between TOU, ULO and Tiered prices is available to residential and small business customers that have smart meters and are billed under the OEB's RPP', and 'Most residential and small business customers in Ontario pay TOU prices.'

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Ontario Energy Board — Summer Hours and New Price Plan Coming May 1 (11 April 2023) oeb.ca · 1 linked claim

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-1a6d51c71a27df3c
Publisher
Name not classified · oeb.ca
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2023-04-11
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-11-03
Dossier created
2026-11-04
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Dates the ultra-low overnight option: utilities could offer ULO from 1 May 2023 and 'By November 1, 2023, all utilities must offer ULO to their customers.'

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Toronto Hydro — Residential electricity rates (2026) torontohydro.com · 1 linked claim

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-4c02244edc31ec9f
Publisher
Name not classified · torontohydro.com
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
Not recorded
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-11-03
Dossier created
2026-11-04
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Current tariff, summer 2026: off-peak 9.8, mid-peak 15.7, on-peak 20.3 cents/kWh — an on-peak to off-peak ratio of about 2.1 to 1. Confirms 'The Ontario Energy Board (OEB) sets and approves all electricity rates.'

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
University of Waterloo — study of Ontario time-of-use pricing (Miller, Golab & Rosenberg, Energy Policy) uwaterloo.ca · 1 linked claim

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-7bd82343d79faa72
Publisher
Name not classified · uwaterloo.ca
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2017-05-30
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-11-03
Dossier created
2026-11-04
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
Open archived copy ↗ · 2026-03-07
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Peer-reviewed measurement: 'residential demand for electricity dropped just 2.6 per cent during on-peak periods and 2.4 per cent during mid-peak periods.' Based on 20,000+ households at one southwestern Ontario distributor, nine months before and after time-of-use began in November 2011 — Ontario-wide behaviour, not Toronto-specific.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Toronto Hydro — Meter replacement program torontohydro.com · 1 linked claim

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-f5f4f57576017d35
Publisher
Name not classified · torontohydro.com
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
Not recorded
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-11-03
Dossier created
2026-11-04
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Currency check: 'As of May 2024, we've begun a five-year project to replace residential and small business customer meters', swapping first-generation for next-generation meters as the originals approach end of life.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Toronto Hydro — Green Button torontohydro.com · background

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-f79ce1acc8ee13a1
Publisher
Name not classified · torontohydro.com
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
Not recorded
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-11-03
Dossier created
2026-11-04
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Supports the data-access claim: customers download their own consumption data (Download My Data) and can authorise third parties to receive it (Connect My Data), revocable from the self-serve portal.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Background source; no baseline claim points here
Toronto Hydro Corporation — Annual Information Form for the year ended 31 December 2025 torontohydro.com · 1 linked claim

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-507fc7a2b48614ea
Publisher
Name not classified · torontohydro.com
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2026-02-25
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-11-03
Dossier created
2026-11-04
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Corporate source for ownership: Toronto Hydro Corporation is wholly owned by the City of Toronto, serving roughly 800,000 customers.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Ontario Energy Board — Backgrounder: November 1, 2020 Electricity Pricing Changes (13 October 2020) oeb.ca · 2 linked claims

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-7c7b6d8bfb000e53
Publisher
Name not classified · oeb.ca
Type / language
pdf · language not classified
Published
2020-10-13
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-11-03
Dossier created
2026-11-04
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

The regulator's backgrounder for the price changes of 1 November 2020: time-of-use customers can now choose to switch to tiered prices, and those who want to stay on time-of-use pricing need do nothing.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Known limits of this file
  • Publisher names and source languages have not yet been classified; domains are recorded without guessing.
  • Existing source notes are descriptive locators, not page- or paragraph-exact citations.
  • A missing archive, publication date or content hash is shown as null rather than inferred.
  • The project-level evidence grade ranks the strongest source in the entry; it is not a truth score for every claim.