• Never sign anything at the door.

• And don’t feel pressured to renew at the last minute. By law, fixed contractors must send you a renewal notice 60-120 days before your deal expires. That means you have to hang on to the cancellation notice that comes with your original package. If you don’t?

“They get automatically renewed for one year, typically at a very high rate,” Wikant advises.

For more information on Rite Rate’s services, click here.

Here’s some other useful advice from Energyshop.com, an independent company offering energy rate comparisons and objective advice, on what to expect on your gas bill and how to get the best deal:

What makes up the gas bill?

• Your gas bill is comprised of three major segments –gas supply, delivery and customer/monthly charge. Gas supply is the cost of the gas itself, delivery refers to the cost of delivering the gas from a central pipeline to your home, and customer/monthly charge is a fixed rate to compensate the utility for service, connecting, and billing costs.

What are my payment choices?

• Buy from the utility: If you choose this option, you’ll be paying variable rates depending on how much it costs the utility to deliver gas to you. The utility is not allowed to make a profit. If there’s a difference, and the utility finds it has cost more to deliver the energy than it has cost you, you could be charged a lump sum, or a surcharge over a period of several months.

• Buy from a gas marketer: This means a fixed rate over a short- or long-term, depending on what you choose. The fixed-price option means you know what you’ll be paying each month and can budget for the cost. The gas will still be delivered by the utility, and there’s no risk of being without gas as long as the bill is paid.

How to choose the best deal:

• Consider your budget, how much you’d like to risk, and your goals.

• Decide what’s more important – waiting for the lowest possible price, but risking paying a higher price, or the comfort in knowing what the price will be each month.

• Get expert advice on gas trends and prices to determine whether they’re likely to go up or come down.

• Check out the prices and incentives offered by the marketers, if you’re examining that option. Figure out which deal works best for you.

What is the benefit of signing up with a marketer?

• It’s a good idea if you want constant gas prices month to month, or if you believe gas prices are on the rise. Marketers let you choose long-term or short-term contracts, and sometimes offer incentives like rebates or credits.

• Utilities can’t offer fixed term gas contracts

• Marketers offering a variable rate often provide a guarantee that the price will be a certain per cent lower than the utility rate.

If I go with a marketer, how long does it take to make the switch?

• It takes about 8-12 weeks for the appropriate paperwork to be completed.

• If you’re switching from one marketer to another, you’ll usually receive 90 days notice before the end of your previous contract. They usually want 60 days notice of your intention to cancel, and you may have to go back to buying from the utility for a month before you can sign up with another marketer.

• Be careful if you receive a cheque from a gas marketer. If you endorse and cash it, you may have just agreed to a three or five year contract. Make sure that’s what you intend to do.

How do I cancel a contract if I’ve signed it?

• Marketers must provide a written contract within 40 days, and after that, the consumer has 60 days in which they can cancel it. You must send written notice that you wish to cancel.

• The marketer must also contact the consumer between the 10th and 60th day of the contract. You can, at that time, choose to reaffirm or not to reaffirm. If the former, you may be penalized if you try to cancel after that.

• If a consumer signs up via the Internet, there’s no reaffirmation required, and the consumer has 10 days to cancel.

• If your contract was automatically renewed, you can cancel within 30 days of being sent the first bill after the renewed contract takes effect.

How do I complain if I have a problem with my energy marketer?

• First, contact the marketer and see if they can address your complaint.

• Failing that, contact the Ontario Energy Board toll free at 1-888-632-6273 or, in Toronto, call 416-481-1967.