Hilo by Hydro‑Québec offers smart solutions for optimizing your energy use as well as opportunities to take up energy consumption challenges in exchange for cash rewards.
You can now participate in Hilo challenges with certain Honeywell Home, Mysa or Sinopé thermostats. To get started, you’ll need the Hilo hub—available free of charge.
Learn moreHilo offers a turnkey smart home service. It’s simple: use only the energy you need and earn cash rewards.
* Some conditions apply. With a commitment of 12 months.
Thinking of switching to Hilo? See how much you could save on your annual electricity bill and earn in cash rewards each winter by participating in Hilo challenges.
A Hilo challenge is an occasional event to reduce energy use during a peak winter period. The challenges take place from 4 a.m. to 11 a.m., from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m., or in both periods. There are up to 30 challenges every winter. To thank you for taking part, Hilo gives you a cash reward for every kilowatthour (kWh) saved during the challenges (on average $135 each winter)!
Hilo acts as a virtual power plant coordinating its customers’ energy demands. Its goal is to free up enough electricity to meet the needs of Hydro‑Québec’s power grid, which is in high demand during periods of intense cold. This reduction in demand helps avoid more investments in the power grid or having to purchase energy from sources that are less green, among other things. For example, the saved energy could be used to power transportation electrification in Québec, a shift that is already underway.
This past March 31, the 2023–2024 challenge season ended on a high note! The efforts of Hilo customers to reduce pressure on Hydro‑Québec’s power system during periods of intense cold made a real difference. On average, customers curtailed 236 kWh and earned $135 in cash rewards for the season.
The Hilo smart home service and Rate Flex D both aim to optimize home energy use during peak periods and thereby lead to savings on customers’ electricity bills. The actions you’re willing to take to be energy wise will help you decide between the two.
With its turnkey smart home service and connected devices, Hilo will help you reduce your energy consumption throughout the year and automatically shift your consumption outside of peak periods. In addition, for each kWh you don’t consume, you’ll receive a cash reward.
With Rate Flex D, you can save quite a bit of money, since most of the time in winter, you’ll be charged less than the base rate, except during occasional peak demand events, when you’ll be charged more than the base rate. All you need to do is take a few steps to use electricity more wisely and at the right time.
Before determining your eligibility, you must meet these four basic criteria:
A Hilo smart home puts money back in your pocket in two ways: