Excellent One-stop Guide for New Customers
New Customer Information
At Burlington Hydro, we define ourselves by our ability to contribute in a meaningful way to the social, economic and environmental well-being of our community. It is part and parcel of how we view corporate responsibility and the commitment we’ve made to our customers and shareholders to meet our city’s energy needs today and into the future – providing innovative energy solutions, while delivering safe, efficient and reliable power
Gerry Smallegange, President & Chief Executive Officer
Introduction to Burlington Hydro
Burlington Hydro serves approximately 68,000 residential and commercial customers in the City of Burlington, delivering electricity into the community through a network of 1,600 kilometres of medium-voltage distribution lines and 32 substations*.
Burlington Hydro takes its responsibility of informing, educating and responding to customer needs as a top priority. We are committed to helping make our city a great place to live, work and do business. We’re a progressive company committed to continuous improvement and performance excellence in the areas of safety, conservation, stewardship, community involvement and technological innovation.
* Burlington Enterprises Corporation (BEC) is an energy services company that is wholly owned by the City of Burlington. Burlington Hydro Inc. (BHI) and Burlington Electricity Services Inc. (BESI) are affiliate companies owned by Burlington Enterprises Corporation.
Opening an Account with Burlington Hydro
Your Burlington Hydro account usually goes under the owner/tenant’s name. As the account holder, responsibility for paying the utility bills rests with you. Burlington Hydro requires at least five (5) business days’ advance notice of your move-in date so we can have your account set up in time for move-in day. Please contact Burlington Hydro’s customer service at 905-332-1851
Here’s a list of the information you’ll need to set up a new account with Burlington Hydro:
- Personal identification (Drivers licence or proof of age).
- Your phone number(s).
- Complete address.
- Your move-in date (the date you want your service to begin)
- Your email address.
When opening your account, you’ll need to pay an account start-up charge of $30.00, plus HST and you may also have to provide a security deposit. There may be additional charges depending on your connection (i.e. if service upgrades are required).
Security Deposit
If you have never had a utility account in your name before, you might need to provide a security deposit. The amount of the security deposit varies depending on Burlington Hydro’s estimate of your monthly usage. Customers have the option of paying security deposits in installments.
The security deposit will be returned to you after you have demonstrated one full year of good payment or upon closing of the account, whichever occurs first. Security deposit interest is applied monthly to your account
If you are not closing your account at the time the security deposit is returned to you, it may be returned as credit on your account. If you are closing your account and owe money to Burlington Hydro, we will deduct the money owing from the amount of the deposit that is returned to you.
For a non-refundable fee - $25 for residential customers, and $42 for commercial/industrial customers – you can apply for a Deposit Waiver. A Deposit Waiver is a form authorizing Burlington Hydro to pull a credit report on you to determine if we are able to waive the deposit.
Payment Options
Payments are automated through our Pre-authorized Payment Plan. On the due date of your account the total amount owing will be automatically withdrawn from your account.
Apply for Equal Payment Plan
The Equal Payment Plan provides equal monthly payments for Residential and Small Commercial customer consumption.
- Bills can be paid by mail; by using the Deposit Box at the south end of our building at 1340 Brant St.; at most financial institutions; online banking; by credit card through our Paymentus service.
Getting Set up in the MyAccount Portal
- One of the first things Burlington Hydro recommends to new customers is to Register for the MyAccount Portal
- You’ll need to be up and running first with hydro service before you register
- Be sure you have hydro account number AND your electricity meter number in hand – they are required to get your access (Learn where to get your account and meter numbers)
Enrolling for MyAccount E-billing
- Customers can opt in for e-Billing in the MyAccount Portal
- With e-Billing, you’ll avoid the hassle of receiving paper bills in the mail. Instead, we’ll email you a notification every time a new bill is issued. You’ll see how much you owe, right in the email
- A full copy of your hydro bill is available for viewing or download from the MyAccount Portal (activation is required)
- You can also access historical hydro bills here
My Account Hydro Usage Tools
- Using the MyAccount Portal hydro usage tool you can see your household’s hydro consumption at high, mid and off peak times to help you conserve.
- If you are on Time-of-Use billing, the tools gives you a great sense of your usage during those periods
- Whether on TOU or Tiered pricing, you’ll get great insight ... click on the handy graphs and charts to see your usage right down to the day and hour
- Accessible from any web connection including your smart phone
What Can You Expect as a Customer of Burlington Hydro?
It takes hard work, innovative thinking and a long term vision to deliver true value to customers year after year, dollar for dollar. At Burlington Hydro that means consistently exceeding Ontario Energy Board (OEB) standards for customer service. We invite you to access our website (www.burlingtonhydro.com) to find out more about the services we offer and for information that is important to you, such as customer billing choices. The following list provides an overview of some of our service choices and important consumer information about our utility:
View Electricity Rates
- Learn more about the Regulated Price Plan and the cost of electricity.
- Learn more about Burlington Hydro’s Distribution Rates.
Learn About Our Electricity Bills
- Burlington Hydro has one of the most comprehensive and self-explanatory Electricity Bills in the industry – designed with our customers in mind.
View Water Rates
- Burlington Hydro also bills on behalf of Halton Region for water (included with on your bi-monthly electricity bill).
Follow @BurlingtonHydro on Twitter
- Tweets about major outages, community news & conservation.
- We tweet during business hours & major power events.
Customer Bulletins – StayingCurrent
Burlington Hydro occasionally inserts ‘stayingcurrent’ bulletins in your hydro bill covering a variety of helpful topics such as Outage Safety and Emergency Preparedness.
Be Sure to Call Before You Dig!
- Damaging underground services can have serious consequences, from personal injury and the loss of essential services to expensive restoration costs or potential legal action.
- Don’t take the risk. Get a FREE locate!
- Call Before You Dig 24/7 for a FREE Locate 1-800-400-2255 or request a locate online at www.on1call.com.
What’s New at BHI
- We are committed to keeping our customers, stakeholders and media up-to-date on the latest announcements.