How Much Does It Cost to Run Air Conditioning in Ontario?
Hourly, monthly and yearly cooling costs at Ontario's electricity price, by system size and SEER rating, in Canadian dollars.
By Mark Curant·Updated
Quick answer
At Toronto's residential electricity price of 15.57¢/kWh before tax (April 1, 2025), a typical 3-ton central air conditioner (SEER 14) costs about C$0.40 per hour, C$96 for a month at 8 hours a day, and roughly C$320 a year over a cooling season of about 800 hours. That price is 40% below the U.S. average and ranks #7 of 10 among Canadian provinces.
Per hour
C$0.40
3-ton, SEER 14
Per month
C$96
8 hrs/day × 30 days
Per year
C$320
800 cooling hours
Your numbers in Ontario
Your AC now (SEER 10)
C$448/yr
C$0.56/hr · C$135 summer month
New system (SEER 16)
C$280/yr
C$0.35/hr · C$84 summer month
You would save
C$168/yr
C$1,682 over 10 years
Starts from Ontario's average residential rate and typical cooling hours. Want payback on a quote? Open the full calculator with these numbers →
The estimator works in Canadian cents and dollars, before tax.
Electricity prices in Ontario
| City | Bill at 1,000 kWh | Avg. price | Each kWh from 1,000 to 2,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toronto | C$155.69/month | 15.57¢/kWh | 11.56¢/kWh |
| Ottawa | C$143.51/month | 14.35¢/kWh | 11.29¢/kWh |
Power in Ontario is supplied by local distributors such as Toronto Hydro and Hydro Ottawa. Ontario bills include a fixed monthly delivery charge, so the average price per kWh falls as you use more. Many Ontario households are on time-of-use pricing: running the AC hardest outside on-peak hours, or pre-cooling the house before them, lowers the bill.
Air conditioning is added on top of a home's normal use, so the price of those extra kilowatt-hours matters most. In Toronto, each kWh between 1,000 and 2,000 a month costs 11.56¢, less than the average, because fixed charges are already covered. At that price, a 3-ton AC's season would cost about C$238 rather than C$320.
Cost to run AC in Ontario by system size
Central systems and ductless mini-splits are both sized in tons (1 ton = 12,000 Btu). A single-room mini-split is usually 0.75–1 ton; a whole house, 2–5 tons. Costs for SEER 14 at 15.57¢/kWh:
| System size | Per hour | Per month (8 hrs/day) | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.5 ton (18,000 Btu) | C$0.20 | C$48 | C$160 |
| 2 ton (24,000 Btu) | C$0.27 | C$64 | C$214 |
| 2.5 ton (30,000 Btu) | C$0.33 | C$80 | C$267 |
| 3 ton (36,000 Btu) | C$0.40 | C$96 | C$320 |
| 3.5 ton (42,000 Btu) | C$0.47 | C$112 | C$374 |
| 4 ton (48,000 Btu) | C$0.53 | C$128 | C$427 |
| 5 ton (60,000 Btu) | C$0.67 | C$160 | C$534 |
What a more efficient AC saves in Ontario
Annual cost of a 3-ton system at 800 cooling hours a year. Minimum efficiency for new central air conditioners is set by Natural Resources Canada; older units are often SEER 10 or lower.
| SEER rating | Annual cost | Savings vs. SEER 10 | 15-year savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| SEER 10 | C$448 | — | — |
| SEER 13 | C$345 | C$103 | C$1,552 |
| SEER 14 | C$320 | C$128 | C$1,922 |
| SEER 16 | C$280 | C$168 | C$2,522 |
| SEER 18 | C$249 | C$199 | C$2,989 |
| SEER 20 | C$224 | C$224 | C$3,363 |
Replacing an old AC? Price a heat pump too.
With a cooling season of about 800 hours, a premium air conditioner saves only C$71 a year over a standard one, so the extra cost takes a long time to pay back (see our 16 vs 18 SEER analysis). A cold-climate heat pump cools just as well in summer and also heats in winter, when it runs many more hours, so its efficiency pays back far faster. Check Ontario and your utility for current rebates and financing before you buy.
How Ontario compares
#1
Alberta
22.90¢/kWh
#2
Nova Scotia
20.48¢/kWh
#3
Prince Edward Island
19.69¢/kWh
#4
Saskatchewan
17.89¢/kWh
#5
New Brunswick
16.61¢/kWh
#6
Newfoundland and Labrador
15.59¢/kWh
#8
British Columbia
12.60¢/kWh
#9
Manitoba
10.53¢/kWh
#10
Quebec
8.29¢/kWh
In U.S. terms, Ontario's price is about 10.95¢ US/kWh, against a U.S. average of 18.31¢ (July 2026). See costs in every U.S. state.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to run AC per hour in Ontario?
About C$0.40 for a typical 3-ton central air conditioner rated SEER 14, at Toronto's average residential price of 15.57¢/kWh before tax (April 1, 2025). A 1.5-ton unit, typical for one or two rooms, costs about C$0.20 an hour.
How much does central air cost per month in Ontario?
Running 8 hours a day for 30 days, a 3-ton SEER 14 system uses about 617 kWh, or about C$96 before tax at 15.57¢/kWh. Over a typical cooling season of about 800 full-load hours, it comes to roughly C$320 a year.
Is a high-efficiency air conditioner worth it in Ontario?
For cooling alone, the savings are modest. Replacing a SEER 10 unit with a SEER 16 saves about C$168 a year, and going from SEER 14 to SEER 18 saves about C$71 a year. If you're replacing the system anyway, a heat pump that also heats in winter usually saves far more than a higher-SEER air conditioner.
How we calculated this
Power draw (kW) = tons × 12,000 Btu/h ÷ SEER ÷ 1,000. Cost = kW × hours × price. Price: Hydro-Québec, Comparison of Electricity Prices in Major North American Cities (rates in effect April 1, 2025), the monthly bill for 1,000 kWh in Toronto divided by 1,000, before GST/HST and provincial taxes. U.S. dollar figures use US$0.703 per C$ (October 1, 2026). Cooling hours are our estimate for Ontario's climate. Check your own bill: divide the total before tax by the kWh used to get your rate.
Run your own numbers
The calculator opens with Ontario's price and typical hours filled in. Add your unit's SEER and size to see your cost and what an upgrade would save. Its dollar amounts work in any currency, so read them as Canadian dollars.
Calculate for Ontario