Implementation of the Electricity Marketplace Monitoring Program, in PDF format, 85 KB

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This communiqué is intended to provide information on the upcoming implementation of the new Electricity Marketplace Monitoring Program.

The general purpose of marketplace monitoring is to establish or maintain certain activities which will provide Measurement Canada with data in order to evaluate the overall status of accuracy and equity in the marketplace. The establishment of a marketplace monitoring program was one of the key recommendations of the Electricity Trade Sector Review.

The stated objectives will be met by performing functions which centre around the gathering, evaluation and analysis of marketplace performance data. The data items which will provide Measurement Canada with the necessary information have been clearly identified. These items are almost identical to those that were proposed by the industry during the Electricity Trade Sector Review.

The marketplace monitoring program is national in scope and includes information obtained from relevant stakeholder organizations concerning the performance of electricity meters which are subject to the provisions of the Electricity and Gas Inspection Act. Additionally Measurement Canada will be seeking information from consumers and consumer’s associations, as well as Provincial/Territorial bodies responsible for establishing electricity policy.

Implementation Plan

The plan for 2004 is to have certain participants to make a single submission of 2004 data before January 31 of 2005. The principle for this interim implementation is to use the system in replacement of the Metershop Questionnaires that was used by the accredited organizations to report the same data over the last years. The following data items are required to be reported:

Meter Population Data identified in section 7.1.1 of the Program Overview document.
Meter Verification Data identified in section 7.1.2 of the Program Overview document.
Meter Compliance Data identified in section 7.1.3 of the Program Overview document.
Meter Inspection Data identified in section 7.1.4 of the Program Overview document.

For the following years the program will be fully implemented. All the data identified by the program will be collected on a quarterly basis as a minimum in order to provide an accurate indication of the state of the marketplace throughout any given year.

Additional Information

Measurement Canada has developed instructions to provide additional information to the meter owners and the accredited meter verifiers. This document explains in plain language the different data fields, the reporting methods and provides other useful information related to this program. It will be posted on MC web-site; Instructions for providing Meter Data to Measurement Canada Electricity Marketplace Monitoring Program - For industry.

Should you need additional information please visit Measurement Canada web-site and consult the document Marketplace Monitoring of the Electricity Measurement Sector - Program Overview.

You can also contact your nearest Measurement Canada district office.

Enrolment to the Program

Measurement Canada has developed an informatics application named Electricity Marketplace Monitoring Application (EMMA). This application will be the principal tool used to gather the data needed for the program. This IT application is a web-page system.

Each participant will be contacted by its nearest Measurement Canada district office for the enrolment. Contributors must use online Electricity Marketplace Monitoring Application (EMMA) enrolment form found on MC web-site to register.

The district will assess the participant identification, validate the information provided and will contact the organization representative (by telephone) to obtain a password chosen by the organization.

More information will be available in the EMMA online help found with this application.

Participants to the Program

Meter performance data will be collected from meter owners and meter verifiers. These organizations have very specific data to report. You will find the details related to the Data in section 7.1 and 7.2.6 of Marketplace Monitoring of the Electricity Measurement Sector - Program Overview.

Measurement Canada will also gather meter performance data by performing product audits, system audits, dispute investigations, targeted compliance inspections on meters and installations, and inspections under other established inspection programs.

Data Validation

Since Measurement Canada is the Federal Government Agency responsible for accuracy and equity in the electricity marketplace, it must ensure the appropriateness of the marketplace indicators and the validity of the data being provided by external sources. As part of the marketplace monitoring program Measurement Canada will validate meter data collected from external sources by performing the following activities: compliance inspections, record reviews, interviews and investigations.

Data Evaluation

Data evaluation is a key aspect of the program. Measurement Canada will evaluate and analyze meter performance data in order to determine compliance rates as well as general compliance trends. Data will also be evaluated to determine if and where measurement problems may exist. Where such problems are discovered, Measurement Canada will take the appropriate follow-up actions necessary for addressing the situation.

You will find more information related to this evaluation in the document Marketplace Monitoring of the Electricity Measurement Sector - Program Overview.

This evaluation will assist Measurement Canada in focussing its resources towards the areas where they can provide the most benefit.

Results Publication

Upon completion of all the data evaluation and analysis for each calender year, Measurement Canada will create and publish an annual Electricity Marketplace Monitoring Report. The report will provide a general summary of the monitoring activities which have taken place and the results of the data analysis. It will also include statements that answer or satisfy (or not) the stated program objectives, and will include or make reference to the aggregate counts of all performance data items. This report will be available to all industry stakeholders and the general public for their information.

Voluntary Participation to the Program

While the Trade Sector Review stakeholder consensus recommended making data reporting mandatory, Measurement Canada initially prefers to seek voluntary compliance with data reporting. The benefits of implementing a voluntary reporting system include:

less requirements prescribed through Regulations;
more flexibility;
the program could be implemented more quickly and efficiently, therefore benefiting all the stakeholders, (including consumers and the general public), who would make use of the results; and
the annual metershop questionnaire could be eliminated.

Should the voluntary reporting does not sufficiently meet the stated program objectives, Measurement Canada will need to gather the identified data through other means, and pursue initiatives in support of mandatory reporting. Other methods for gathering data are identified in the Program Overview document and include making reporting a requirement of accreditation, and performing comprehensive onsite investigations and record reviews.


		Created: 2005-08-04 Updated: 2005-12-02	Top of Page	Important Notices