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O. Reg. 275/04: Information on Invoices for Low-Volume Consumers of Electricity

filed September 2, 2004 under Ontario Energy Board Act, 1998, S.O. 1998, c. 15, Sched. B

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ontario regulation 275/04

made under the

Ontario Energy Board Act, 1998

Made: August 25, 2004
Filed: September 2, 2004
Printed in The Ontario Gazette: September 18, 2004

Information on Invoices to Low-Volume Consumers of Electricity

Headings on invoice

1. (1) An invoice issued to a low-volume consumer must include the heading, “Your Electricity Charges”.

(2) An invoice issued to a low-volume consumer must include, below the heading required by subsection (1), the following sub-headings in the order listed:

1. Electricity.

2. Delivery.

3. Regulatory charges.

4. Debt retirement charge.

(3) A distributor that bills on behalf of a retailer using distributor-consolidated billing in accordance with the Retail Settlement Code may include other information on the invoice provided to the distributor by the retailer in accordance with the Code, if the distributor includes the sub-heading “Electricity” on the invoice as required by paragraph 1 of subsection (2).

Electricity

2. Under the sub-heading “Electricity”, the invoice must indicate clearly and separately the amount of electricity consumed, the commodity price for the electricity and any other information related to the consumption of electricity that may be required as the result of other regulations made under the Act, an order of the Board or a licence condition imposed by the Board.

Delivery

3. (1) Under the sub-heading “Delivery”, the invoice must clearly indicate the total cost of the delivery charges.

(2) Delivery charges are to be calculated as the sum of,

(a) all variable and fixed distribution charges;

(b) all charges based on the retail transmission network service rate; and

(c) all charges based on the retail transmission connection service rate.

Regulatory charges

4. (1) Under the sub-heading “Regulatory charges”, the invoice must clearly indicate the total cost of the regulatory charges.

(2) The regulatory charges are to be calculated as the sum of the standard supply service administration charge, where applicable, and the wholesale market service charge, including rural or remote rate protection compensation required under subsection 79 (4) of the Act.

Debt retirement charge

5. Under the sub-heading “Debt retirement charge”, the invoice must clearly indicate the total amount of the debt retirement charge payable under subsection 85 (4) of the Electricity Act, 1998.

Historical information

6. The invoice must include information on the historical consumption of electricity by the consumer in a manner that enables the consumer to readily compare electricity consumption from the current billing period to electricity consumption from earlier billing periods.

Metered and adjusted consumption

7. The invoice must clearly and separately indicate the consumer’s consumption of electricity as indicated on the consumer’s meter and the consumer’s consumption of electricity after the application of the adjustment factor.

Conservation message

8. (1) When the Minister provides a conservation message, the conservation message must be included on or with the invoice.

(2) If the Minister has not provided a conservation message, the distributor may include its own conservation message on or with the invoice.

Restriction

9. (1) An invoice shall not include on it any information about the subject matters to which the heading and sub-headings in section 1 refer, other than that specified in this Regulation.

(2) Despite subsection (1), an invoice may include information concerning any adjustments to billing information relating to any subject matter referred to in this Regulation.

Glossary and information

10. (1) The distributor must include on or with the invoice the following glossary of terms and their meanings, in the language as set out in the following Table:

TABLE
GLOSSARY OF TERMS

 

Term

Description

Electricity

This is the cost of the electricity supplied to you during this billing period and is the part of the bill that is subject to competition.  The electricity consumed is multiplied by the adjustment factor*.  (Name of distributor) collects this money and pays this amount directly to our suppliers.

*When electricity is delivered over a power line, it is normal for a small amount of power to be consumed or lost as heat.  Equipment, such as wires and transformers, consumes power before it gets to your home or business.  The adjustment factor accounts for these losses.

Delivery

These are the costs of delivering electricity from generating stations across the Province to (name of distributor) then to your home or business.  This includes the costs to build and maintain the transmission and distribution lines, towers and poles and operate provincial and local electricity systems.

A portion of these charges are fixed and do not change from month to month.  The rest are variable and increase or decrease depending on the amount of electricity that you use.

Regulatory Charges

Regulatory charges are the costs of administering the wholesale electricity system and maintaining the reliability of the provincial grid.

Debt Retirement Charge

The debt retirement charge pays down the debt of the former Ontario Hydro.

(2) The invoice shall include the website of the distributor, where available, and the distributor’s telephone number in a note following the glossary of terms that shall read as follows:

NOTE: For a detailed explanation of electricity terms, please visit (website of distributor, where available) or www.oeb.gov.on.ca.

Application, transition

11. (1) This Regulation applies to invoices issued after September 1, 2004 to low-volume consumers of electricity.

(2) Despite subsection (1), if a distributor is, for technical or operational reasons, unable to adapt its invoices to conform to this Regulation by September 1, 2004, it shall do so as soon as possible after that date but, in any event, no later than October 31, 2004.

Commencement

12. This Regulation comes into force on September 1, 2004.