This AVC follows Halton Hills Hydro’s discovery of a billing system error that resulted in customers being overcharged. Under the terms of this AVC, Halton Hills Hydro will pay an administrative monetary penalty of $5,000 and provide a credit to its current customers.
An AVC is a binding commitment by a regulated entity to take measures to rectify or prevent non-compliance. Failure to abide by the terms of an AVC can lead to enforcement action being taken by the OEB.
More specifically, under the terms of this AVC, Halton Hills Hydro will provide a credit to current customers in an amount totalling approximately $450,500, which represents the overcharged amounts for four years. This will be paid through a lump sum bill credit that will appear on a customer’s bill within 90 days of the OEB’s acceptance of the AVC. At that time, Halton Hills Hydro will also provide an explanation to its customers in a form approved by the OEB. The billing system error that gave rise to the overcharging was fixed by Halton Hills Hydro for bills issued starting May 1, 2022.
Halton Hills Hydro proactively launched a review of its billing system after learning that a billing issue relating to the proration of certain charges had been the subject of an AVC given by a different electricity distributor. Halton Hills Hydro reported to the OEB that it had discovered a similar issue with its own billing system and was taking steps to correct it.
“All licensed electricity distributors must be rigorous in applying OEB-approved rates and calculating accurate billing amounts for their customers. Billing accuracy is foundational to customer trust and the OEB is assured that Halton Hills Hydro has fixed this billing issue.”
– Brian Hewson, Vice-President, Consumer Protection & Industry Performance
Additional Information and Resources
- Read the Assurance of Voluntary Compliance - EB-2022-0206
- Learn about the OEB’s Compliance and Enforcement Process
About the Ontario Energy Board
The OEB is the independent regulator of Ontario’s electricity and natural gas sectors. It protects the interests of consumers and supports the collective advancement of the people of Ontario. Its goal is to deliver public value through prudent regulation and independent adjudicative decision-making which contributes to Ontario’s economic, social and environmental development.
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