Our 8-point strategic direction

Our 2021-2025 Strategic Direction outlines a balanced plan for sustainable growth, enhanced operational efficiency, and improved performance across environmental, social and governance (ESG) indicators.

In 2023, we achieved significant progress in advancing the 8-point plan which underpins our business strategy and our journey towards a smart energy future.

Achieve net-zero operations by 2030

We’re committed to achieving net-zero operations by 2030 and becoming the first municipally-owned utility in Canada to reach this critical milestone. From electrifying our fleet, to decarbonizing our operations, to planning our first low-carbon substation, we made steady progress in 2023 on the journey towards our “moonshot” goal.

Procured additional hybrid and electric vehicles (EVs) for our corporate fleet and installed 24 Level 2 EV chargers at our facilities.
Initiated the environmental assessment and public consultation for the Piperville Municipal Transformer Station, our first-ever low-carbon substation.
Performed preliminary calculations of Scope 3 GHG emissions and updated our strategies for reducing Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions.
Diverted 94 per cent of non-hazardous waste from landfill.

Become the partner of first choice for signature green energy and carbon reduction projects in our community

Wherever there’s an opportunity in our community to transform how we use energy, Hydro Ottawa wants to be there to help bring the possibilities to life. In 2023, we moved the needle on numerous local projects featuring cutting-edge sustainability solutions.

Established a new partnership with The Ottawa Hospital to build an energy-efficient, low-carbon central utility plant for its new Civic Campus.
Formalized our collaboration with OC Transpo on the City of Ottawa’s flagship initiative to transition to a zero-emission bus fleet.
Secured City of Ottawa approval for an innovative pilot project providing low-carbon heating for 600 residential units in Lebreton Flats using energy from municipal wastewater.
Advanced the next phase of the district energy system providing zero-carbon heating and cooling for the Zibi community in downtown Ottawa and Gatineau.
Helped the Ottawa International Airport Authority decarbonize its facilities and operations by installing EV charging infrastructure and upgrading electrical and lighting systems.

Accelerate digital transformation to enable sustainable business practices

We’re always looking for ways to enhance customer value and become more efficient by harnessing digital solutions. Last year we expanded our digital toolkit to improve outage communications, strengthen our cybersecurity, and increase productivity.

Launched our new online Outage Centre, including a redesigned outage map, and introduced email and text alerts for outages.
Enhanced cybersecurity protections and controls for mission-critical operations technology.
Adopted next-generation technology solutions, including satellite imaging for tree trimming and predictive analytics for asset management, to reduce costs, automate business processes, and increase efficiency.

Leverage and promote distributed energy resources

From rooftop solar panels to battery storage, distributed energy resources (DERs) are driving the energy transition, and delivering benefits for customers and the grid at large. Hydro Ottawa continued its push in 2023 for greater use of DERs by supporting customer adoption of electric vehicles and enabling electricity conservation projects in our community.

Enabled the installation of more than 500 EV chargers across our community.
Launched new electricity conservation programs for businesses, including incentives for rooftop solar development.
Completed a retrofit program in Kanata North that reduced the community’s peak demand by 2.5 MW (one of our largest projects to date under Ontario’s conservation framework).
Received conditional federal government approval for a $10 million Deep Retrofit Accelerator Program, through which Hydro Ottawa will collaborate with local partners to facilitate energy retrofits and decarbonization measures for our commercial, institutional and multi-unit residential customers.
Supported a 40 per cent year-over-year increase in the number of residential customers generating their own electricity using rooftop solar panels.

Continue to grow and diversify our revenue sources

Our financial performance in 2023 was impacted by several operational challenges. However, we were still able to continue growing and diversifying our revenue, and our overall financial position and outlook remain strong.

Achieved consolidated revenue of $333 million.
Generated $24.1 million in net income.
Secured a 20-year contract for Renewable Energy Certificates for Portage Power’s Dolgeville hydroelectric plant in New York.
Established an advisory and consulting practice within our energy services business.
Commenced commercial operations for Hiboo Networks, our new fibre optic solutions affiliate serving local businesses in the Ottawa and Gatineau region.

Grow our social license to operate

As a committed community partner, Hydro Ottawa embraces the responsibility to maintain credibility with our customers and stakeholders. Over the past year, we sought to build greater trust through a range of community engagement and support initiatives.

Raised $195,000 through our annual employee charitable fundraising campaign, with proceeds supporting the United Way and Royal Ottawa Prompt Care Clinic.
Contributed $102,000 through our Community Investment Program to local organizations supporting vulnerable groups and seeking to build stronger and healthier communities.
Sourced $79.6 million in goods and services from local suppliers in the National Capital Region.
Launched the “Keeping Ottawa Connected” campaign focused on raising community awareness around emergency preparedness, outage restoration and public safety.
Collaborated with Electricity Canada in the creation of a standardized national Grade 9/10 electricity education curriculum.
Distributed $10.4 million in Ontario Electricity Support Program funding to over 15,000 households, and $157,000 in relief through the Low-Income Energy Assistance Program.
Maintained leadership in gender diversity at the Board level, with women comprising more than 50 per cent of our Board Directors in 2023.

Ensure organizational capacity, culture, and leadership to deliver in a post-pandemic environment

In order to deliver the highest quality services to our customers and remain a top employer, Hydro Ottawa strives to foster a safe, healthy work environment and a skilled, diverse workforce. In 2023, we maintained safety as our top priority, invested in our people, and established new partnerships to promote diversity, equity and inclusion.

Provided an average of 18 hours of safe work practices training per employee and 51 hours for trades employees.
Retained best-in-class certifications for our Occupational Health, Safety and Environmental Management Systems to international standards.
Renewed three collective agreements with bargaining units across our electricity distribution and renewable generation businesses.
Established a partnership with Carleton University’s Women in Engineering & IT program, focused on empowering women engineers and IT professionals with the knowledge, skills and network to excel in their future careers.
Engaged Indigenous Works, a national Indigenous-led social enterprise, to help us create land acknowledgements for our work locations and public communications.

Continue to provide best-in-class customer service

Putting the customer at the centre of everything we do is the essence of Hydro Ottawa’s business strategy. In line with this posture, we took steps in 2023 to enhance customer choice and convenience, make critical investments in grid reliability, and improve our emergency response capabilities.

Achieved 91 per cent customer satisfaction.
Connected 5,500 new customers.
Invested $56.9 million in the safety and reliability of our distribution grid.
Redesigned our mobile app and online customer portal, offering new features to improve the user experience and expand self-service options.
Maintained highest e-billing rate among Ontario electricity distributors (65 per cent of customers).
Implemented new provincial programs to increase customer choice and convenience (Green Button data standard and Ultra-Low Overnight rate plan).