What Is a Distributor?

Distributors are:

Local electricity utilities, are also known as local distribution companies (LDCs). They take power from high-voltage transmission lines, “step-down” the electricity to a low-voltage level (50 kv and under), and provide it to local customers of all sorts: homes, businesses, institutions and industry.
The men and women connecting new homes and businesses to electricity supply, maintaining their community’s network of power lines and restoring them after storms.

An essential piece of any electricity system, and a key player in the economic development of Ontario. As cities and industries expand, distributors expand with them to facilitate their growth.

Businesses focused on the reliable and safe delivery of electricity. Electricity that is not provided at an appropriate voltage can damage machinery, impair digital devices and, in the case of a surge in voltage, cause catastrophic damage to computer systems.

Committed to electricity conservation, creating and implementing conservation programs across the province: saving consumers money, protecting our environment, and helping to solve Ontario's energy supply challenge.

Both publicly and privately owned. They are regulated monopolies in their respective communities and service areas. The government, through its regulator the Ontario Energy Board, regulates the rates that distributors charge customers for the distribution service.

Closely linked to their communities because

Facilitate and promote economic development;
Distributors maintain their community’s system of electricity wires;
Distributors are the primary electricity billing agent, dealing directly with residents and small businesses; and, the majority of distributors are municipally-owned.