Hydro-Québec is handing out free smart thermostats (with installation) but there’s a catch

If you’re looking for ways to trim your electricity bill, Hydro-Québec is currently giving away free smart thermostats, installation included.

The idea behind the giveaway is to get people managing their power use more carefully, especially during the winter peak periods when demand across the province spikes.

The giveaway is part of a roughly $10-billion energy-efficiency push Hydro-Québec laid out in its plan for 2035. Between now and then, the utility wants to hand out a million smart thermostats across Quebec.

Here’s how it works, and what you’re signing up for.

What a smart thermostat actually does

A smart thermostat is the wall unit that controls the heating in your home or apartment. Unlike an old-school thermostat, it can be controlled remotely and will adjust your energy use automatically based on things like the weather. Hydro-Québec estimates that people who use one save around $200 a year, or up to 20% on their electricity bill over the winter.

How to get one

To get the free Hilo-brand thermostats, you put in a request through Hydro-Québec’s smart-home site.

The devices themselves are free, and so is the installation. If you go with Hilo, the utility handles everything from ordering the unit to putting it on your wall.

The catch

Accepting the thermostats means committing to the Hilo program for at least 12 months. As part of that, you’ll need to switch to the Flex D rate and cut back your electricity use during winter peak periods, mainly in the morning and evening. In exchange, Hydro-Québec offers rewards to people who stick to the program’s conditions.

The Flex D rate is a bit of a trade-off. For more than 95% of the winter, you actually pay less than the base rate. But during peak events, which make up at most 5% of the season, the rate jumps sharply.

To put real numbers on it, the regular D rate sits at about 7.065 ¢/kWh year-round. Flex D keeps that same price in summer, but drops to about 4.886 ¢/kWh from December 1 to March 31 outside peak periods. During a peak event, though, the price climbs all the way to about 46.463 ¢/kWh. So the rate rewards you for shifting your heavy usage, like laundry or cooking, away from those morning and evening windows, and penalizes you if you don’t.

Do you have to use Hilo?

No. Hydro-Québec gives away the Hilo thermostat for free, but other compatible models are available on the market for a cost. The upside of going with Hilo is that the utility takes care of the whole process, from the order to the install.

This article’s cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.

This story was inspired by the article “Hydro-Québec donne des thermostats intelligents GRATUITS et voici quoi faire” which was originally published on Narcity.