Ontario IESO Announces Temporary Suspension of the microFIT Program

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This suspension has been initiated due to irregularities within the application process that suggest Applicants and third-party representatives are not following proper procedure when making legal declarations. To address the issue, the IESO has also announced that they will be making changes to the microFIT Rules to include the requirement to have the Applicant Declaration Prescribed Form be notarized (or similarly confirmed) before it is submitted. Further details on these changes have not yet been released but will be spoken to at Solar Ontario 2016 in Niagara Falls.

The IESO anticipates that the revised microFIT Rules (microFIT 4.0) will be implemented in July 2016, at which point the microFIT Program will re-open to accept new Applications.

CanSIA is taking Application irregularities and consumer protection very seriously and has initiated a Consumer Protection Forum to help the IESO address these issues and ensure that customers have the information they need to make informed decisions regarding installing solar systems. In the coming weeks, CanSIA will be releasing the first of several new documents/policies regarding consumer protection: A guide for consumers who are deciding to purchase a solar system. This guide will include information on typical financing and contracting arrangements, questions to ask solar professionals, and important information to consider when making the decision to go solar.

If members have questions regarding the IESO announcement or CanSIA's activities under the Consumer Protection Forum, please contact Ben Weir, Director of Policy and Regulatory Affairs at bweir@cansia.ca.

More information on the IESO announcement is available on their website.