EDA Advocacy in Action

WORKING GROUP AIMS TO BOOST CEAP UPTAKE

After working with the Ministry of Energy, Northern Development and Mines to help develop and implement both the CEAP and CEAP-SB – COVID Emergency Assistance Programs for residential and small business customers, respectively – the EDA and its LDC members have been participating on a working group to help increase the number of successful applicants after lower than expected initial demand.

MPP Stan Cho MPP Andrea Khanjin

CEAP provides a one time, on-bill credit to eligible residential electricity and natural gas customers to help them catch up on their energy bills and resume regular payments. The program is being delivered by electricity distributors, gas distributors, and unit sub-meter providers (USMPs), in accordance with rules laid out by the Ontario Energy Board. Utilities and USMPs began accepting applications for CEAP in July.

OEB RELEASES FINALIZED CUSTOMER CHOICE CODE AMENDMENTS

The EDA has continued in recent months to contribute to the development of implementation details around the transition to customer choice on time-of-use billing – which became effective November 1 – seeking sufficient flexibility for utilities to meet the program’s objectives, and emphasizing the importance of customer communication and education.

In early September the OEB released the finalized amendments to the Standard Supply Service Code (SSSC), after numerous submissions and substantial participation in the working group on the part of the EDA. Several changes were made to the first iterations of the code amendments based on EDA feedback. These include removing a requirement for LDCs to include on-bill messaging when a pricing plan change occurs, changes to the original suggestion regarding new accounts, and confirmation that LDCs can track costs incurred in developing and implementing customer choice in a variance account.

MPP Christina Mitas MPP David Piccini.

EDA MEETS WITH PC MPPS ON LDC COVID RESPONSE

Throughout August and September, the EDA met with several government MPPs, including Stan Cho, Andrea Khanjin, Christina Mitas, and David Piccini. The EDA used these meetings to help build the LDC sector brand, promote the “Power of Local Hydro”, and discuss the work that the EDA has done with the government during the COVID-19 pandemic. More specific topics of discussion included the upcoming expansion of customer choice on billing, CEAP and CEAP-SB, as well as the EDA’s recommendation to include electrification in the government’s economic recovery plan.

These meetings were also an opportunity to ready MPPs for any questions they may receive on the Time-of-Use Customer Choice program, and on what the changes will mean for their constituents.

The EDA received good feedback from these meetings. MPPs were encouraged and excited to help promote CEAP and CEAP-SB, and were ready to do their part on customer choice.