GDP-Affaires→LAT_40H_5J
The GDP Affaires option has been replaced. Its customers were moved automatically to Leeway 40 hours. An integration still reading the old code will no longer receive events.
Hydro-Québec’s DR Leeway (Latitude) and Commitment (Engagement) options
Peak notices arrive by email. Your building doesn’t read email.
Our software brings Hydro-Québec’s peak demand events straight into your BACnet/IP controllers. Your sequences start on time, even at 6 a.m. on a Saturday, with nobody having to step in.
- Reads Hydro-Québec’s data every 5 minutes, the rate Hydro-Québec recommends
- Your programs stay in charge: writes at BACnet priority 16, the lowest
- Already licensed by our first customers
Independent company, not affiliated with Hydro-Québec.
Is your building ready for the peak?
4 questions, 1 minute, instant result.
A peak event, as your controllers see it
Example: a Leeway event from 6 to 9 a.m. Pick a moment to see what is written to your controllers at that minute.
- Preheat, 30 min
- Heads-up, 10 min
- Event
- Return, 5 min
6 a.m.: the event starts
Your programs see CT go to 3 and apply your strategy: setpoints lowered, loads shed. Hydro-Québec measures your reduction from now on.
| CT | Peak status | 3 |
| UP1 | Event present | 1 |
| US1 | Minutes until the start | 0 |
| UE1 | Minutes until the end | 180 |
| DU1 | Duration, in minutes | 180 |
| PE1 | 1: morning, 2: afternoon or evening | 1 |
| WHQ | Watchdog: changes at each good read | 14 |
Preheat, heads-up and return times are set per site. Your programs decide what to do with each value.
What changes in winter 2026-2027
Whether your reductions are already automated or someone handles them by hand, these four points affect you.
One code per sub-option
From 20 to 100 hours, with or without weekends. Weekends add a second code, LAT_Signal_FDS. A code that doesn’t match your enrollment simply returns no events.
2-hour notice
Under the Commitment option, events last 4 to 5 hours, with no fixed time window. In exceptional situations, such as freezing rain, notice can drop to 2 hours.
25% less credit
Sign-up closes on September 30 each year. An exceptional sign-up during the winter reduces the credit: 25% in December, 50% in January, 75% in February, 100% in March.
Sources: Hydro-Québec’s Electricity Rates effective April 1, 2026, art. 6.19 and 6.37 to 6.44; Hydro-Québec’s building automation page; list of offers in its open data.
A missed event counts as zero
Your Leeway credit depends on your average reduction across all weekday events. In winter 2025-2026, Hydro-Québec called 59 hours of GDP events, and it says it expects to call every hour customers choose.
kW
Events missed this winter
Estimate. Rates from article 6.44 of the Electricity Rates effective April 1, 2026, with no weekend credit, assuming every hour is called in 4-hour events. No credit under 10 kW of effective interruptible power; with no reduction during more than half the events, Hydro-Québec may grant no credit. Hydro-Québec sets and pays the credit after the winter, using its reference power. The Commitment option follows other rules, with a fixed credit, a variable credit and penalties.
How it works
The software sends no commands to your equipment. It writes values to your controllers, and your programs decide.
Hydro-QuébecPeak demand events as open data, updated at the same time as the email notice
Outbound HTTPS
Our softwareWindows service on a site PC or a virtual machine. Also reads Environment Canada’s weather and its 48-hour forecast.
BACnet/IP
Your controllersYour sequences use the points received to preheat, shed load and return to normal
- We confirm your situation
Your option, your offer code and your controllers’ compatibility.
- We install and configure
On a site PC, with your offer codes and your controller list, in one configuration file.
- Your integrator programs the sequences
They map the points to your strategies, then test them in simulation mode, without waiting for a real event.
| Controllers | BACnet/IP, with Analog Value and Binary Value objects writable at priority 16 |
|---|---|
| PC | Windows 10 22H2 or Windows 11 25H2, 64-bit, or a virtual machine, always on |
| Network | Outbound HTTPS to Hydro-Québec and Environment Canada. BACnet/IP on the controllers’ network, which can stay separate from the Internet. |
| Monitoring | The WHQ watchdog tells controllers when reads have failed, and EHQ counts points in fault. Status page in English and French. |
| Several offers | Each controller follows its own offer on the same site |
| Licence | Perpetual, per PC, checked on the PC itself with no licence server. Trial licence available. |
Your three ways to respond
| Email and manual action | Your own API integration | Bâtiment au Courant | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Responds at night and on weekends | Depends who’s available | Yes | Yes |
| Follows events published out of order or in pairs | When the email is read | To be programmed | Included |
| Flags a failed read | No | To be programmed | Watchdog included |
| Tests sequences before winter | Test notice by email | To be programmed | Simulation mode |
| Respects Hydro-Québec’s read rate | Not applicable | To be programmed | Included |
| What it costs | Staff time, and lost credits | Programming and upkeep hours | A licence |
Do you maintain controls in several buildings?
You keep the programming and the customer relationship. We provide the event reads and points ready to map to your sequences.
- 63 Hydro-Québec points and 100 weather points: map only the ones you need
- Simulation mode to test your sequences during commissioning
- Several offers on one site, including weekends and Commitment
- Under the Solutions efficaces program guide (in French), programming demand response sequences counts among the costs eligible for Hydro-Québec’s financial support
Common questions
Are you Hydro-Québec?
No. We are an independent company with no link to Hydro-Québec. The software reads Hydro-Québec’s open data service. Your enrollment in the DR option and your credits stay between you and Hydro-Québec.
What is the free check?
A 15-minute call. We confirm your option, your offer code and your controllers’ compatibility, then tell you what to do before the season.
We sell automation software: if it’s a fit, we’ll present the offer. If it isn’t, we’ll tell you.
How much does the software cost?
The licence is perpetual, per PC, with a support period. The price depends on the number of sites and their size: we’ll give it to you during the call.
Can Hydro-Québec’s financial support cover the software?
Possibly. Hydro-Québec advertises support for 75% to 90% of eligible automation costs. Its guide includes the software needed to program demand response strategies, subject to its approval. It requires a sub-option of 40 hours or more, kept for 5 years. We’ll look at your case with you during the call.
Do I have to change integrators?
No. Your integrator keeps programming your controllers. The software gives them the values to use.
What happens if the Internet goes down?
Reads fail and the WHQ watchdog drops to 0, then below 0. Your programs see it and apply the fallback you planned. Hydro-Québec’s email still arrives by its own route.
Is Hydro-Québec’s open data reliable?
Hydro-Québec says it updates the data when it sends the email notice. The email remains the official notice: if they differ, the email prevails. The service is still in controlled introduction, and Hydro-Québec plans no format change during the season.
I’m not enrolled yet. What are my options?
Leeway sign-up closes on September 30 each year, in your Customer Space. It applies to Rate DM, DP, G, H, M, G9 and LG contracts, and to Rate L under 50,000 kW. Commitment requests are also due before September 30, and Hydro-Québec then has 30 days to respond.
The Rates provide for an exceptional Leeway sign-up during the winter, with a credit deduction of 25% in December, 50% in January, 75% in February and 100% in March. The decision is Hydro-Québec’s, and it may limit new sign-ups.
Aiming for next winter? Use the time to confirm your controllers’ compatibility, plan your sequences and look at Hydro-Québec’s financial support. The free check covers that too.
My controllers aren’t BACnet/IP. What can I do?
The software only writes BACnet/IP. If your controllers use another protocol, we’ll look with you and your integrator at whether a gateway is possible.
Can we try it?
Yes. A trial licence works on your real controllers until its end date. Simulation mode also lets you test your sequences at a date and time you choose.