Expect your electricity bill to go up $2 a month or more starting in November.

The Ontario Energy Board has announced new hydro prices effective Nov. 1 for householders and small businesses who buy direct from the utility.

The biggest increase is during peak periods, which in winter are on weekdays from 7 to 11 a.m., and from 5 to 7 p.m.

The peak rate will jump 0.5 cents a kilowatt hour (kwh), to 14 cents a kwh – an increase of 3.7 per cent.

Off-peak rates will increase 0.2 cents a kwh to 7.7 cents a kwh. That's a jump of 2.7 per cent. Off-peak rates are weekdays from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., and all day on weekend and holidays.

Mid-peak rates will also rise 0.2 cents a kwh to 11.4 cents a kwh, an increase of 1.8 per cent. Mid-peak periods are weekdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The new rates apply only to the energy portion of the hydro bill. Delivery and administration charges are not affected.

The energy board says that for a typical household using 800 kwh of electricity a month, the new rates will increase the monthly bill by $2.03.

The new rates apply only to households who buy their electricity directly from the utility. They don't affect those who buy through an energy retailer.

About 94 per cent of electricity consumers buy their power direct from the utility.