The Ontario Energy Board (OEB) has ordered Enbridge Gas Distribution to either find a way to provide "nondiscriminatory access to the utility bill" for the HVAC industry or to remove Direct Energy from the bill by Jan. 1, 2007.
There has been some debate around the authority of the OEB to "make an order or grant remedies concerning billing arrangements related to non-commodity services and products (e.g., HVAC products and services)." Direct Energy argued strongly that the Board did not have jurisdiction to make rulings in this area. "Enbridge must maintain and demonstrate effective control over its billing and any sharing which takes place on the bill it uses," said the OEB in rejecting the argument.