Two Ontario, Canada, utilities have presented a proposal to the Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA) to move to a “one in ten” inspection program, where installing contractors will handle meter unlocks on their own. Union Gas and Enbridge have been involved with ongoing discussion with Canadian HVAC contractors on the future of fuel-burning appliance inspections in Ontario.

If the proposal passes, there will be a shift in safety enforcement from utilities to installing contractors. Informal reaction from contractors has been mixed, but most agree that a new system will be better for them because it will “elevate their status in the minds of consumers as the responsible agent in new gas installations,” according to the Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Institute of Canada (HRAI).

Publication date: 09/16/2002