How Power Outages Affect Submetered Billing in Ontario

Power outages happen. In Ontario, severe weather, equipment failures, and planned maintenance can all cause temporary loss of electricity. If you live in a submetered building, you may wonder how outages affect your billing.

During a power outage, your suite is not consuming electricity, so there is nothing to meter. Your submeter records zero consumption for the duration of the outage. You are not billed for electricity you did not use.

If the outage also affects the metering equipment or communication systems, there may be a temporary gap in data. Modern metering systems are designed to store data locally and transmit it when communications are restored. In most cases, the data gap is automatically filled once the system comes back online.

In rare cases where data cannot be recovered (for example, if metering equipment is damaged), the provider may need to estimate consumption for the affected period. The OEB Unit Sub-Metering Code provides guidelines for how estimated billing should be calculated. Estimates are typically based on your historical consumption patterns for the same time period.

If you believe you have been billed incorrectly during or after a power outage, contact your submetering provider. They can review the metering data for your suite and verify whether the billing for that period is accurate.

Planned outages (for example, for building maintenance or utility work) are typically communicated in advance by your property manager or local utility. These outages follow the same billing principles: no consumption during the outage means no charge for that period.