The HVAC Coalition of Ontario has settled a longstanding dispute with Enbridge Gas Distribution over access to the utility bill, reports the Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Institute of Canada (HRAI). The new arrangement will allow individual contractors access to the bill on a fee-for-service basis while at the same time ending Direct Energys exclusive access. Contractors will now be able to put certain customer payments, such as equipment financing or service contracts, directly on the gas companys bill. And contractors do not have to sign on to the new Enbridge Energy Link dealer network to have access. The new agreement also allows contractors to include logos and messages at no charge to facilitate entry of new users and help customers differentiate the various parties with amounts billed on the Enbridge Gas Distribution bill. Direct Energy will continue to have access to the bill, just not on an exclusive basis. The arrangement must be reviewed within two years so that the Ontario Energy Board (OEB) can see if it is indeed working in a fair and equitable manner, reports HRAI. Meanwhile, the HVAC Coalition is also trying to persuade the OEB to look more carefully at two other Enbridge initiatives the EnergyLink dealer network and the utilitys relationship with its new affiliate, Enbridge Solutions Inc. While the Coalition found, through a survey of its members, that over 50 percent had joined the EnergyLink network. This result was fully expected, given the attraction of free leads that the program offers, said Martin Luymes, director of services and relations for the Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Contractors of Canada (HRAC). In some cases contractors reported that they joined simply out of fear that customers would view their business as not approved by the gas company, he added. In the view of the HVAC Coalition, the EnergyLink program introduces a number of problems related to utility involvement in the HVAC contracting business, including the development of a utility-backed and ratepayer-funded brand that will potentially over-ride and displace the brand identities of independent contractors. Considering the marketing weight of Enbridge, there is concern that this may bring a return to the days when consumers simply looked to the utility for assistance, instead of making educated choices, he said. Testimony by Enbridge staff at recent OEB hearings revealed that they didnt ask the OEB to approve the EnergyLink program because they felt it was covered by previous approvals. Documents eventually filed with the Board by Enbridge suggested that any services that they thought the OEB wouldnt be likely to approve as part of the regulated utility might instead be offered under the non-regulated Energy Solutions affiliate. Potential service offerings included financing, equipment sales and rentals.
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