What are electricity utility scorecards?

Utilities

For utilities, the scorecards are a way to track performance year over year and compare to other utilities’ performance.

We encourage utilities to use the scorecards as a springboard for engaging with customers about their performance, explaining their costs, and highlighting the value they deliver for the distribution system and the benefits for consumers. Utilities can also view them as an opportunity to hear what customers say they’re willing to pay for and what their priorities are.

Scorecards are a key part of our role in promoting energy literacy. We encourage utilities to promote them in their bill messaging, on social media, in annual and financial reports, web ads and more.

The Ontario Energy Board

We use scorecards to help monitor an individual utility’s performance and to compare performance across the sector. Comparisons are critical to our rate-setting process, and through them, we can determine if corrective action is needed. We are constantly evaluating the effectiveness of the scorecard and work closely with stakeholders to ensure that it continues to support our mandate as an independent industry watchdog and regulator.

The scorecards include measures that relate to customer experience. Over time, you’ll be able see how your utility is faring year over year, as well as how it compares to other utilities.

Use the scorecards to assess the value of service your utility provides, for instance:

• When customers booked service appointments with your utility, how often did it show up on time?
• How often did customers’ power go out, and how long did your utility take to restore it?
• How successful is your utility at issuing accurate bills?
• Did your utility answer customer phone calls in a timely way?

The Ontario Energy Board establishes industry and utility-specific performance targets for many of the measures in the scorecard. These targets take into consideration the level of service you can expect to receive from your utility at levels we have determined are reasonable.

We monitor performance and data until we have learned enough to set industry-wide targets. Over time, year-over-year improvements will differentiate the utility’s performance levels relative to the norm and to other high-performers. We use this information to ensure performance targets continue to be appropriate and to encourage continuous improvement. 

The scorecard is used to track how well utilities perform over the five-year period. The arrows indicate the directional trend they are achieving (up, down or flat) based on data from the past 5 years. If the value reported in the most current year is “on target” (target is met or exceeded), the arrow is green.  If it is not, the arrow is red. 

A blank means that the data for that particular metric and year is either not available or no service was required. For example:

• For the measures introduced in 2013 (First Contact Resolution, Billing Accuracy, Customer Satisfaction Survey Results, and Distribution System Plan Implementation Progress), prior years will show a blank as the results were not available. 
• A blank in the measure Renewable Generation Connection Impact Assessments Completed on Time means that no assessments were required to be completed that year, thus no data was available.