Go through these checks before choosing a rate plan, signing a retail electricity or gas contract, or leaving one.
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Use this checklist before changing your electricity or gas plan or signing a contract with an energy retailer. It works for Ontario's Regulated Price Plan choices (time-of-use, ultra-low overnight, tiered), Alberta's Rate of Last Resort and Default Rate Tariff versus competitive retailers, BC Hydro's tiered or flat rate with optional time-of-day pricing, and Québec's Rate D options.
The order matters. First you need your own usage, because every plan comparison depends on how much you use and when. Second, compare like with like: a retail fixed price is not directly comparable with a regulated price if extra charges such as Ontario's Global Adjustment or a monthly admin fee are added on top. Third, read the contract terms that determine what leaving costs. Ontario's Energy Consumer Protection Act, 2010 gives a 10-day cooling-off period after you acknowledge receiving a copy of the contract, and Alberta retailers give a 10-day cooling-off period, as the Utilities Consumer Advocate explains.
Tick items as you go; your ticks are stored only in your browser. For the reasoning behind each item, read comparing electricity plans with worked examples and cancelling a retail energy contract.
Billing Problems, Complaints and Official Sources
Where to complain about an electricity or natural gas bill or retailer in Canada, in what order, and what to include, with the regulator or mediator for each province.
Billing Problems, Complaints and Official Sources
The most common costly mistakes with electricity and gas contracts and plans in Canada, the sales patterns behind them, and the rules and checks that protect you.
Bill Calculations and Plan Choices
A checklist for moving utilities in Canada: closing and opening electricity and gas accounts, meter reads, security deposits, retailer contracts and first-bill checks.
