Average Hydro Bill in Montreal: What Hydro-Québec Heat Really Costs a Tenant

In most Canadian cities a utility bill means four or five accounts. In a Montreal apartment it usually means two: Hydro-Québec and your internet provider. Heat is electric, water is paid through the owner's taxes, and gas is rare in rentals. That makes Montreal one of the cheapest big cities in Canada to keep warm, as long as you understand how Hydro-Québec's two-price rate works in January.

Chauffé or non chauffé: read the listing first

Montreal listings tell you up front. "4½ chauffé" means heating is in the rent; "chauffé, éclairé" means electricity is too. Most plex apartments in the Plateau, Rosemont and Villeray are non chauffé: baseboard heaters on your own meter. In that case, Hydro-Québec is your heating bill.

If two similar units are $100 apart and only the cheaper one is non chauffé, the heated one may be the better deal. Over a full year, heat adds roughly $600 to an average apartment's electricity cost. Most of that lands between December and March.

How Rate D works, and the 40 kWh line

Almost every Montreal home is on Hydro-Québec's Rate D. Prices went up 3% for residential customers on April 1, 2026:

• System access charge: 46.154¢ per day, about $14 a month.
• First 40 kWh per day: 7.065¢ per kWh.
• Everything above that: 11.142¢ per kWh.

The 40 kWh is calculated per day across the billing period, so a 30-day month gives you about 1,216 kWh at the lower price. A heated apartment stays under that line most of the year. In January it often doesn't, and every kWh past the line costs about 58% more. GST and QST (14.975% together) are added on top.

A Montreal year, bill by bill

Here's a non chauffé 4½ using about 12,000 kWh a year, which is the consumption figure Quebec media have used for a typical apartment. These are monthly figures with taxes:

Hydro-Québec bills most homes every two months, so a December–January bill can easily pass $300 for a single apartment. The equalized payment plan splits a year's estimated use into 12 equal payments. It's the easiest way to avoid a February surprise.

An all-electric detached or semi-detached house uses a lot more. At 2,500 to 3,000 kWh in January it lands around $280–$345 for that month, and about $73–$97 in summer.

Water, gas and the old oil furnace

Water: Montreal doesn't meter homes. Water is funded through property and water taxes paid by the owner, so tenants get no bill at all.

Gas: Énergir supplies natural gas in Montreal, but you'll mostly see it in some houses and older larger buildings, rarely in a plex apartment.

Oil: Some older plexes and houses still have oil furnaces. Since December 31, 2023, Quebec has banned replacing an oil-fired furnace, boiler or water heater with another fossil-fuel unit in existing homes of three storeys or less. Repairs to oil furnaces older than 20 years are also restricted. If you're renting a unit that pays its own oil, ask how old the furnace is and what the landlord plans to replace it with.

Internet

Vidéotron and Bell are the two main wired providers. In 2026, Vidéotron's plans were listed from about $68 a month for 100 Mbps to around $75 for 500 Mbps and $80 for its top tier, with unlimited data. Bell competes at similar prices with frequent promotions. Smaller providers resell on the same networks and can be cheaper.

Before you sign: questions for a Montreal landlord

• Heating and hot water: Is the unit chauffé? Is the hot water tank on my meter or the building's? (The TAL lease form has a section where this must be filled in.)
• Last winter's bill: What did the previous tenant pay Hydro-Québec for December to February? You can also ask the outgoing tenant directly; around July 1 they often will tell you.
• Windows and insulation: Are the windows original? Drafty single-pane windows in an old plex can push January past the 40 kWh line every day.
• Thermostats: Are the baseboards on electronic thermostats? Old dial thermostats waste a lot of power.
• Heat source if not electric: If it's oil or gas, whose account is it, and how old is the furnace?

Quebec: no security deposits. A landlord can only ask for the first month's rent in advance (Civil Code of Québec, art. 1904). Damage deposits, key deposits and last-month deposits are not allowed, even if the tenant offers. Leases must also be on the Tribunal administratif du logement's mandatory form. If you're moving on July 1, open your Hydro-Québec account a few weeks early; it's the busiest moving day in the country.

Montreal hydro and utility FAQ

What does "chauffé" or "éclairé" mean in a Montreal listing?

Chauffé means heating is included in the rent. Éclairé means electricity is included too. A "4½ non chauffé" means you'll open your own Hydro-Québec account and pay for heat through it, which in a Montreal winter is most of the bill.

How much is Hydro-Québec for a 4½ apartment?

For an electrically heated 4½ using around 12,000 kWh a year, expect roughly $50–$60 in summer months, about $97 in an average month and $150–$190 in January, including GST and QST, on the April 2026 Rate D prices.

Do tenants pay for water in Montreal?

No. Montreal doesn't meter residential water; it's funded through the owner's property and water taxes. You won't get a water bill as a tenant.

Can a Montreal landlord ask for a security deposit?

No. Under article 1904 of the Civil Code of Québec a landlord can only ask for the first month's rent in advance. Damage deposits, key deposits and last-month deposits are not allowed.

Is gas heating common in Montreal?

Not in apartments. Most rental units heat with electric baseboards. Énergir distributes natural gas in Montreal, but it's mostly found in some houses and larger buildings.

Keep reading

Our Montreal renting guide covers neighbourhoods and the July 1 rush. Income needed to rent in Montreal shows the full monthly budget, and Montreal vs Toronto rentals compares the two cities. Our electricity bill by province guide puts Quebec's low rates in national context.

Sources and how we estimated

• Rate D prices from April 1, 2026: Hydro-Québec rate grid.
• Apartment consumption (about 12,000 kWh a year): Noovo estimates reported by CTV Montreal.
• Oil heating rules: Regulation respecting oil-fired heating appliances.
• Water: Ville de Montréal (metered billing applies to non-residential buildings).
• Deposits: Civil Code of Québec, art. 1904, and the Tribunal administratif du logement.
• Internet: Vidéotron plan prices compiled by Topicks, 2026.
• Monthly splits of the 12,000 kWh are our estimate for a typical heated apartment; your bill depends on insulation, unit size and thermostat settings.

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