The Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 (RTA) contains new rules dealing with electricity smart meters* and the “ratio billing” of smaller buildings (dividing or "apportioning" utilities among tenants).
The new rules would regulate how landlords could install electricity meters in individual units, and “ratio bill” the electricity or other utilities of smaller buildings (buildings with no more than six units). After a unit was smart metered or the building ratio billed, the electricity costs (or costs of other utilities in the case of ratio billing) could then be removed from a tenant’s rent and the tenant would only be responsible for paying for what they use.
The government decided that the sections of the RTA dealing with smart meters and ratio billing would not be proclaimed with the rest of the Act. That means that while the rest of the legislation came into force on January 31, 2007, the sections dealing with smart metering and ratio billing did not.
Before the new rules for smart metering and ratio billing become law, there are a number of outstanding issues that the government must address (such as customer fees and electricity rates) to ensure that smart metering and ratio billing of rental housing is done fairly and without unintended impacts on tenants or landlords.
When these sections of the RTA do become law, there will be a number of protections in place for tenants who are required to pay for their own electricity due to smart metering (or electricity or other utilities in the case of ratio billing).
* Smart meters measure how much electricity is used in a unit during different times of the day. During certain high-use times, the cost of electricity would be higher. Smart meters encourage people to conserve energy and save money.