paid between .26 cents and $3.17 more per month, said Lister. Customers with more than the provincial average monthly consumption, paid $4.87 more, to $8 less, per month. The over arching conclu- sion is that Time-of-Use rates are not having a significant impact on customers electricity bills. Overall, I am satisfied with the way this program is proceeding and the vast majority of our cus- tomers are embracing the new way of looking at the cost of electricity and how it impacts them. TOU rates are electricity prices that vary based on time of day, day of week and season. At the Provinces direction, Oakville Hydro began converting customers to TOU rates on April 14, 2011. The idea behind TOU rates is to get hydro customers to use electricity at off-peak periods, whenever possible, to help promote energy con- servation and take the strain off the electricity system. Lister said 60,000 smart meters are now installed in Oakville with the first TOU bills issued in June. While Oakville Hydro continues to try to spread awareness of TOU rates through newspa- per ads and other methods, a survey conducted by Oakville Hydro found 71 per cent of respon- dents have a basic understanding of TOU rates with 90 per cent of respondents indicating they knew TOU rates would be used to calculate their electricity bill. Callers to our customer care centre under- stand Time of Use and are inquiring about ways to shift their energy use and are looking for more information, said Lister. We also received feedback regarding the inconvenience of off-peak periods. Besides discussing the Time of Use situation, Lister also spoke about Oakville Hydros general status. Oakville Hydro, he said, is currently the 13th largest distribution company in Ontario with more than 64,000 customers. Customer growth has slowed from 1.7 per cent in 2010 to 1.3 per cent in 2011. Financially, Lister said, 2011 is progressing as planned and he anticipates finishing the year meeting the companys financial objectives. Lister said the recently constructed Glenorchy Transformer Station has already proven a good investment. Just six days after the stations activation in July, Oakville experienced a heat wave and it was necessary to run 44 megawatts through the sta- tion to balance the loads across Oakville. Some of Oakville Hydros other business development activities, Lister said, include explor- ing hydro power, bio-gas, and combined heat and power opportunities. Oakville Hydro is also exploring geo-exchange systems for a new housing development. Lister said solar roof installation on some Town facilities is on track for year-end completion and Oakville Hydro has a pole-mounted solar pilot program underway. An algae-based, bio-fuel technology is being investigated for green electricity production. You pick the Winner! Vote for Your top 3 Project Photos on our Facebook and Twitter pages between Nov. 9 and Nov. 23 Winner will be announced on Dec. 7, 2011 *For contest rules and regulations please see www.habitathalton.ca WIN A $250 Gift Certificate * Plus a 1 Hour Interior Design Consultation Enter on-line at www.habitathalton.ca between Sept. 22 and Oct. 24 ReStore Open to the public 1800 Appleby Line, Unit 10, Burlington 905-637-4446 ext. 229 www.habitathalton.ca Join our ReStore team! Volunteer Today! Please call: 905-637-4446 ext.223 ouY may qualify for discounts of up to 45% when you combine your auto and home insurance with Allstate. Inclusive of all other discounts as applied to Allstates base rates. Terms and conditions apply and may vary by region. Rates and discounts subject to change. **Rates shown include the following: $1,000,000 liability coverage; $300 comprehensive and $500 collision deductibles; maximum years of licensed experience and driven for pleasure under 12,000 km/year. 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SEMINAR DATE CELEBRATING OUR 18THANNIVERSARY BEST INVESTMENT COMPANY BEST FINANCIAL PLANNER BEST FINANCIAL PLANNER The past few years of investing for retirement has seen more volatility than the previous 10 years combined. Is it time to come out of the casinos and do something different? Today & Tomorrow Financial Planning Inc. presents a seminar on Saturday, October 29th at the Holiday Inn Burlington that will teach you about products that will guarantee your capital and generate a minimum of 5% or 6% income thats guaranteed for life.We will also discuss other guaranteed products and tax strategies. SATURDAY,OCTOBER 29TH, 2011 from 10:00am till 11:30am Holiday Inn Hotel & Conference Centre 3063 South Service Rd. Burlington, ON. - FREE PARKING Handouts will be provided and refreshments served. To reserve your seat, call Justin or Sherry at 905-336-9941 or justinr@todaytomorrow.com or sherryb@todaytomorrow.com www.todaytomorrow.com w w w .i n si d eH A LT O N .c o m O A K V IL LE B EA V ER Th ur sd ay , O ct ob er 6 , 2 01 1 1 0 By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Oakville Hydro President and CEO Rob Lister says Time-of-Use (TOU) rates are not having a significant impact on the local utilitys custom- ers electricity bills. Lister addressed Town of Oakville council Monday to provide Oakville Hydros sole share- holder, the Town, with a quarterly report. During his presentation, Lister said a review of a small sample group of customers during the summer billing period indicated, in general, TOU pricing is having minimal impact on bills. Customers with less than the provincial average monthly consumption in the sample TOU rates not having major impact on local hydro bills