NOTL Hydro has recently received reports from a number of Niagara-on-the-Lake residents that they have been approached at home by individuals misrepresenting themselves as Niagara-on-the-Lake Hydro employees and offering special energy rates.
NOTL Hydro would like to remind you that we do not solicit our residential customers for services through door-to-door or telephone marketing. As always, please ensure that you perform your due diligence on any company that knocks on your door or calls you on the phone. Here are some helpful reminders from the Ontario Energy Board (regulators of gas and electric utilities and regulators of energy retailers) on things to remember if you are approached to sign an energy contract:
- Always make sure you get a business card and look at the salesperson’s ID badge first.
- Don’t share personal information (i.e. your gas or electricity bill) unless you are sure you want to sign a contract.
- Carefully read the contract, disclosure statement and price comparison provided by the salesperson.
- The Ontario Energy Board does not go door-to-door.
* Info taken from Ontario Energy Board website
The Ontario Energy Board has a tool on their website enabling customers to see how their bill might look based on a contract with an electricity retailer. Choose your electric utility from a drop down list, enter your monthly electricity usage using time-of-use periods, then simply enter the retailer contract price in the optional box. Estimated side-by-side bills will calculate and appear for you to compare for yourself. We encourage you to be an informed consumer at all times. If you choose to buy your electricity from an energy retailer, you will pay the rate agreed to on the contract you are signing, plus the global adjustment, which currently does not appear on your bill.
Should you have any questions please call our office at (905) 468-4235. If you would like to contact the Ontario Energy Board directly regarding your enquiries or concerns, you can contact their consumer relations department at 1-877-632-2727.