The Ontario Legislature passed legislation yesterday that will pave the way towards additional protection for energy consumers while allowing for greater energy conservation through suite metering.

Once in force, the legislation will lead to new rules and regulations which:

• Protect consumers from hidden costs, excessive cancellation fees and other unfair industry practices.
• Provide greater fairness and transparency for consumers through rate comparisons, plain language disclosure available in multiple languages, enhanced rights to cancel contracts and new rules for energy retailers and their employees.
• Enable individual suite metering in apartment buildings, to give tenants more control over energy costs.

The Energy Consumer Protection Act, 2010, ensures that consumers will have the information they need to make the right decisions about electricity contracts, and confidence that they're protected by fair business practices.

Most of the new rules are expected to come into effect January 1, 2011.  Until new regulations are in force, energy consumers are encouraged to be familiar with the protection offered under existing rules.