Homeowner’s experience shows how difficult it can be to extricate oneself from fossil fuels

This article was written by Marco Chown Oved and was published in the Toronto Star on July 25, 2024.

When Paul Dowsett made the call to Enbridge to cut off his natural gas service last year, it was the culmination of years of efforts to show that zero emissions households aren’t just possible, they’re practical and affordable.

But a year later, he has received a bill for more than $350 and is finding out it’s much harder to get off gas than he thought.

An architect by trade, Dowsett had put green building theory into practice in his environmentallyretrofitted home in the Pocket neighbourhood off the Danforth.

After installing a heat pump and induction stove, he had completely electrified his house and no longer needed natural gas — a particularly potent greenhouse gas that causes global warming.

“I’m motivated to be as environmentally friendly as I can possibly be and the way to do that is to stop burning fossil fuels,” he said. “I have an all-electric car, so I don’t burn gas in my car. And I now have an all-electric house, so I don’t burn natural gas in my house. It’s amazing.”

As soon as his new stove was in place, Dowsett called Enbridge to close his account and was surprised at how easy it was.

“The person on the other end of the phone said: ‘Sure. No problem. We can close your account,’ ” and after reading the meter, they determined that Enbridge actually owed him money.

“Within a couple of days, boom, the money was in my account. And I never saw a bill after that. So I thought, ‘OK, everything’s taken care of,’ ” he said.

But this month, Dowsett received a bill for $357, even though he had used no gas.

Enbridge had charged him a “customer charge” of $22.88 each month for the past 13 months and a $25 “new account charge,” even though he hadn’t asked for one.

“They had opened an account for me and charged me for the privilege, which I thought was a bit of cheek,” he said.

Dowsett’s difficulty extricating himself from the fossil fuel industry has implications beyond his pocket book, because getting off gas isn’t a lifestyle choice, it’s an environmental imperative, climate change experts say.

Climate change is overwhelmingly driven by the burning of fossil fuels and most countries around the world have committed to all but eliminating their use by 2050. The city of Toronto has a more ambitious plan for net zero (which means offsetting the small amount of fossil fuel combustion that cannot be eliminated) by 2040.

In practice, this means everyone will have to replace their furnace with a heat pump, and buy an electric car or go without. It doesn’t have to happen today, or even this year.

But if we are to meet local, national and international goals for limiting the adverse effects of climate change — like the devastating rainstorm last week — whenever anything that burns oil or gas wears out, it must be replaced with a zeroemissions alternative.

Enbridge Gas, which has a monopoly on natural gas distribution in Ontario, promotes alternatives to electrification as a path to net zero, including renewable natural gas, derived from decomposing agricultural waste and landfill, and hydrogen as a way to keep people using furnaces. But there’s no way to replace anywhere close to the amount of natural gas currently in use.

This means millions of Ontarians are going to have to cut off their gas in the next 26 years. And Dowsett’s experience shows that it may not be as simple as expected.

After receiving the surprise bill, he called Enbridge to follow up. Dowsett said the company agent asked if he had specifically requested to “lock-off” his meter or have it removed when he closed his account.

Not only was this the first time he’d heard of either procedure, Dowsett said he was surprised that a customer would be expected to ask for such things unprompted when closing their account.

“The onus should be on Enbridge, not on the customer, to know the secret code that they need to say to get this done,” he said.

The agent then explained that Enbridge opened an account for his property because it still had a meter and no one had taken over the account.

“I said, ‘Wow. It would have been nice if you had called me before opening an account on my behalf.’ ”

Contacted by the Star, Enbridge said it could not comment on Dowsett’s individual situation, but said it would work with him to resolve it.

“Enbridge Gas recognizes that customers may be looking for different energy sources and promotes energy choice. We will strive to provide more explicit information about options when customers request to close their accounts,” wrote spokesperson Leanne McNaughton in an email.

In followup emails, Enbridge representatives explained that anyone wanting to cut off their gas permanently should have the meter and gas line removed from their property, which involves excavating a trench and sealing the gas line at the street.

Enbridge will do this at no charge, but the customer may be responsible for an excavation permit and ensuring “locates” are completed to avoid disturbing underground infrastructure, said spokesperson Lesley Hunter.

Alternatively, Enbridge will lock-off a meter if a customer wishes to temporarily suspend their gas service.

This can be completed without disturbing the ground, but is intended for a seasonal pause and not a permanent end to gas use.

After speaking with Enbridge, Dowsett arranged for his meter to be removed, but nobody showed up on the appointed day.

Despite the surprise Enbridge bill, Dowsett says retrofitting his home has reduced his energy bills and made it more comfortable.

“I save $400 a year on my bills and what I get additionally, that I didn’t have before, is now I have summer air conditioning from my heat pump,” he said.

If you factor in the savings from his EV — which he estimates at $4,000 in fuel costs a year — it’s an even better deal.

“I’m saving money and I get more service for less money, which is really kind of nice.”