Ontario Bill 21 - The Energy Conservation Leadership Act, was signed into law on March 28, 2006.  Casual observers have called this "The Smart Meter Bill", because it deals extensively with the roll-out of time-based electrical metering, but there is much more to it.  The new law gives the provincial government broad authority to compel cities, towns, and regions to demonstrate conservation planning and activity within their internal operations.  Specific wording of interest includes:

The word "may" is important.  In legislation it normally means "not today, but get ready because it's coming soon".

 

The legislation is clear that directives under Bill 21 will supercede local bylaws restricting energy conserving activities.  It is also clear that an enforcement authority will be designated with the ability to undertake legal remedy for non-compliance.

 

The four key items are listed in the order that we expect them to be implemented.  Item 1 deals with preparing a plan, which is a logical precursor to items 2 through 4.  The plan is essentially an assessment of corporate energy-consuming assets and activities, along with an informed analysis to identify and prioritize energy conservation opportunities.  The process must include a way to keep the plan current (for ongoing reporting needs).  For compliance with future requirements, it should feed directly into execution of conservation activities, and should provide a way to report the results of those activities.

 

EEI has a long history of partnering with municipalities to cut corporate energy use.  We believe that Ontario municipalities will be best served by an enterprise energy management system designed for the purpose, coupled with focussed input from specialists in energy conservation in buildings.  ManagingEnergy.com, which we use extensively, is perfectly suited to addressing the requirements of Bill 21, and our expert staff is ready to partner with you.