PowerStream Customers to See More Hours With Lower Prices

VAUGHAN, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - April 25, 2011) - PowerStream residential customers billed based on Time-of-Use (TOU) prices will soon be seeing more hours of lower prices during the week. Effective May 1, 2011, the weekday evening off-peak price period will be moved ahead to start from 7 p.m. rather than the current 9 p.m. start time, thereby providing TOU customers with an additional 10 hours per week at the lower off-peak prices.

This means that activities such as laundry and running dishwashers can be done earlier in the evening on weekdays at the lowest electricity price. As in the past, off-peak pricing will continue to apply all day on weekends and holidays.

To view the "Ontario Electricity Time-of-Use Price Periods" chart, please visit the following link: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/power425chart.pdf

"All residential electricity customers in Ontario currently on the Regulated Price Plan (RPP) Time- of-Use (TOU) prices will benefit from the change as the additional 10 hours will truly help all customers, particularly young families and seniors, manage their electricity use more effectively and enjoy greater savings", said Town of Markham Mayor and PowerStream Board Chair, Frank Scarpitti. "Weekends and holidays will continue to be off-peak as well so this means families now enjoy 108 hours at off-peak prices in a typical week."

Since PowerStream residential customers are billed on a bi-monthly basis, the benefits of this change for those customers billed in the first few weeks of May and through July will not fully appear until their following bill.

Scarpitti also pointed out how customers who are able to shift their consumption to off-peak periods will be helping to reduce the strain of the Ontario's electricity grid.

For more information on TOU pricing and PowerStream's recently introduced saveONenergy conservation programs and incentives, please visit www.powerstream.ca.

About PowerStream Inc.

PowerStream is the second largest municipally-owned electricity distribution company in Ontario, providing service to more than 330,000 customers residing or owning a business in communities located immediately north of Toronto and in Central Ontario. The communities served include Alliston, Aurora, Barrie, Beeton, Bradford West Gwillimbury, Markham, Penetanguishene, Richmond Hill, Thornton, Tottenham and Vaughan. PowerStream is an incorporated entity, jointly owned by the City of Barrie, the City of Vaughan and the Town of Markham.