The cost to run a NAS in Quebec
By Devin Chua · Data checked by Owen Nakamura · Updated · Prices checked Quebec is the cheapest province to run a NAS. A NAS drawing 40 W around the clock (350 kWh a year) costs about CA$25 a year at Hydro-Québec's first-tier Rate D price of 7.065¢/kWh, or about CA$39 if your home already uses more than 40 kWh a day. Electricity charge only.
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The calculator is pre-set to Quebec; the rate is editable, and its source and dates are shown under it.
156 kWh/year · 18 W average at the wall
Electricity charge only: 156 kWh × 7.065¢. Delivery, regulatory charges and taxes not included.
A UPS adds a few percent loss but protects against the far costlier unclean shutdown. Annual figures use your current rate, drive count and active hours.
How Rate D bills a NAS
Rate D has two energy prices: 7.065¢/kWh for the first 40 kWh a day of the billing period and 11.142¢ for the rest, plus a fixed daily system access charge. A NAS uses about one kWh a day, so the question is which price your home's extra kWh land on. If your household stays under 40 kWh a day, the NAS is billed at 7.065¢; in winter, a home with electric heating is often above it, and the NAS's kWh then cost 11.142¢. The calculator defaults to the first-tier price; switch to 11.142¢ if your bill shows you over the threshold.
At the first-tier price a 40 W NAS costs about CA$25 a year; a 60 W six-bay array about CA$37.
Quebec against the rest of Canada
The same 40 W NAS costs about CA$44 in Ontario on time-of-use, CA$42 in Alberta on the Rate of Last Resort and CA$67 in Nova Scotia, all as electricity charges only. For someone running several always-on machines, that gap adds up over a year.
Where the money still goes
These are electricity (energy) charges only: delivery, regulatory charges, the fixed daily or monthly charge and taxes are not included, and the fixed charges are not caused by the NAS, so they are not spread over it.
At Quebec's low price, drive spin-down saves only cents per drive a year. The useful move here is not over-buying bays you will not fill. Hydro-Québec changes its rates each April 1; the calculator shows when the default took effect and flags it when it is due for a re-check.
Compare with other provinces
Frequently asked questions
How much does a NAS cost to run in Quebec?
About CA$25 a year for a NAS drawing 40 W around the clock, at Hydro-Québec's first-tier price of 7.065¢/kWh, or about CA$39 if your home already uses more than 40 kWh a day. Electricity charge only.
Is Quebec really the cheapest place to run a homelab in Canada?
Yes, on the prices we track: Rate D's first-tier price of 7.065¢/kWh is the lowest residential energy price among the provinces, and even its second-tier 11.142¢ is below most other provinces' rates.
Does Quebec have time-of-use rates for a NAS?
Rate D is not time-of-use; it has two consumption tiers. A NAS pays the same price around the clock, set by whether your home is above or below 40 kWh a day.
Is drive spin-down worth it in Quebec?
Barely, in dollars: at 7.065¢/kWh, parking a drive saves only cents a year. Right-sizing your bays and drives matters more.
Devin Chua works out which drives, RAM and NVMe cache fit which NAS model at nasdrives.ca, and what the RAID choice means for usable capacity, checked against what is in stock on Amazon.ca.
Data checked by Owen Nakamura, Technical editor (data checking)