MB / CANADIAN BUSINESS ELECTRICITY

Commercial electricity in Manitoba

The general service class depends on billing demand in kVA and who owns the transformation.

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In Manitoba, Manitoba Hydro bills commercial customers by general service class. A small account with billing demand up to 50 kVA pays a basic charge and two energy blocks; larger accounts add a demand charge per kVA. The rates took effect on January 1, 2026, and the table below names the source for every figure.

Source: Manitoba Hydro · 2026-10-29

What the official sources say

Checked 2026-10-29. Each row names its source. The publication and your account’s terms control what applies to you.

Who regulates the rates: Manitoba Hydro’s electricity and natural gas rates are regulated by the Public Utilities Board of Manitoba.Source: Manitoba Hydro: Rates & charges
Latest increase: Effective January 1, 2026, electricity rates increased 4.0% on average. Rates for customers in the Diesel zone were maintained at their existing levels.Source: Manitoba Hydro: Rates & charges · Manitoba Hydro: Commercial rates
General service classes: Small, non-demand: utility-owned transformation and billing demand not exceeding 50 kVA. Small, demand: utility-owned transformation and billing demand between 51 and 200 kVA. Small, seasonal: consumption primarily in summer and billing demand not exceeding 50 kVA. Medium: utility-owned transformation and billing demand above 200 kVA. Large: customer-owned transformation, in three subclasses by supply voltage.Source: Manitoba Hydro: Commercial rates
Small, non-demand charges: A basic monthly charge of $21.57 single phase or $35.04 three phase. Energy is 9.864 cents per kWh for the first 11,000 kWh a month and 7.568 cents per kWh for the balance. The minimum monthly bill is the basic charge.Source: Manitoba Hydro: Commercial rates
Small, demand charges: The same basic charge and first 11,000 kWh price, then 7.568 cents per kWh for the next 8,500 kWh and 4.858 cents for the balance, which the page ties to accounts whose demand has exceeded 50 kVA at least once in the previous 12 months. The first 50 kVA of monthly measured demand has no charge, and the balance is $12.82 per kVA.Source: Manitoba Hydro: Commercial rates
Medium charges: A basic monthly charge of $35.81. Energy is 9.120 cents per kWh for the first 19,500 kWh and 4.728 cents per kWh for the balance. The first 50 kVA of monthly billing demand has no charge, and the balance is $12.39 per kVA. Monthly billing demand is the greatest of measured demand, 25% of contract demand, and 25% of the highest measured demand in the previous 12 months.Source: Manitoba Hydro: Commercial rates
Large charges: For supply above 750 V up to 30 kV, 4.388 cents per kWh and $10.76 per kVA. Above 30 kV up to 100 kV, 4.037 cents and $8.98 per kVA. Above 100 kV, 3.917 cents and $8.03 per kVA. For the two higher-voltage subclasses, billing demand also counts measured demand during Peak Hours and 90% of measured demand during Non-Peak Hours.Source: Manitoba Hydro: Commercial rates
Seasonal and diesel customers: A small seasonal account pays a basic annual charge of $258.84 instead of a monthly one. Commercial customers in the Diesel zone have their own general service rate. Manitoba Hydro tells customers to contact their Energy Service Advisor for general service rate information and terms and conditions.Source: Manitoba Hydro: Commercial rates

What matters for a business account

Manitoba Hydro bills commercial customers by general service class, and the class is set by billing demand and by who owns the transformation. A small account with billing demand up to 50 kVA pays a basic charge and two energy blocks. Above that, a demand charge per kVA applies after the first 50 kVA, and the energy blocks change.

Demand is billed in kVA, not kW. For the medium class, monthly billing demand is the greatest of measured demand, 25% of contract demand and 25% of the highest measured demand in the previous 12 months, so a past peak can set a floor for later months. For small accounts with demand, the page says the lowest energy block depends on whether demand has exceeded 50 kVA in the previous 12 months.

Seasonal and Diesel zone customers have their own rows on the same page. Use the class on your own bill, and ask your Manitoba Hydro Energy Service Advisor about terms and conditions before relying on a calculation.

Your Manitoba bill-review checklist

Find the general service class on the bill and whether the transformation is utility-owned or customer-owned.
Read the billing demand in kVA, not kW, and the months it came from.
For a small account, compare the demand with the 50 kVA no-charge block and with the 200 kVA threshold for the medium class.
Note whether the service is single phase or three phase, because the basic charge differs.
Keep the date of any rate change with the figures when you compare periods: the commercial rates changed on January 1, 2026.

Turn the statement into a useful calculation

Record the billing period and electricity consumption in kWh. Use the billed demand from the statement where a demand charge applies; do not assume average consumption identifies the peak. Enter the fixed and variable components in their published units, and identify which adjustments are already included.

The Canadian calculator lets you declare energy blocks, billed demand, any included demand allowance, fixed charges and a tax assumption. Its subtotal is a model of those entries. It does not select your tariff, decide whether a business qualifies, reproduce every rider or certify a billing error.

When comparing two periods, record changes in operating hours, production, occupancy, heating and equipment. Those observations help explain a movement in consumption without inventing a market price or assuming an error. Keep the actual account and source documents privately with your business records.

Open the Canadian bill calculator →

Read the original sources

The publication and the account’s terms control applicability. A provider directory is not a province-wide offer or a guarantee that the same tariff applies to another meter.

Questions business owners ask

Does low consumption guarantee a small Manitoba business bill?

No. Fixed and applicable demand or minimum charges can remain even when energy consumption falls. The account’s actual business schedule is the starting point.

Which Manitoba Hydro class is a small business in?

Manitoba Hydro’s commercial page puts an account with utility-owned transformation and billing demand up to 50 kVA in General Service Small, non-demand; billing demand from 51 to 200 kVA in General Service Small, demand; and billing demand above 200 kVA in General Service Medium.

What does Manitoba Hydro charge a small account with no demand charge?

The page lists a basic monthly charge of $21.57 single phase or $35.04 three phase, 9.864 cents per kWh for the first 11,000 kWh a month and 7.568 cents for the balance, effective January 1, 2026.

Who regulates Manitoba Hydro’s electricity rates?

The Public Utilities Board of Manitoba regulates Manitoba Hydro’s electricity and natural gas rates. Manitoba Hydro’s page describes the January 1, 2026 change as an average increase of 4.0%.

Are these business tariffs or residential examples?

This guide is written for commercial bill review. Actual eligibility and charge inputs must come from the account’s business schedule. Residential examples and U.S. state averages are not substituted for it.