Smart Meters Banned in Ontario Apartments 

In Canada, the Ontario Energy Board (OEB) recently issued a bulletin that bans the use of so-called "smart meters" in apartment communities, sending a clear message to owners who are increasingly off-loading the cost of electricity to their residents. The bulletin was in response to mounting complaints on the part of residents who have had no choice but to switch to metered individual billing. Previously, the cost of electricity was bundled into their monthly rent. Under current legislation, apartment communities are not permitted to install or use sub-meters. Brian Hewson, the OEB's chief compliance officer, states, "[It is] only when properties have been authorized that sub-metering systems are allowed to be installed." The announcement still came as a surprise to both owners and sub-meter distributors, many of whom have been using the devices for years to encourage residents to conserve energy. Part of the confusion has been due to a "lack of clarity" concerning the regulation. Mary Todorow, a policy analyst for the Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario, notes, "It was allowed for condos, but not quite multi-residential. It was voluntary, but it could happen under consent . . . and some felt they could be doing it without consent." The OEB's bulletin will likely spur the government to create new legislation on the issue.

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