Customers behind on their electricity bills won’t have to fear being disconnected until May, after the Ontario Energy Board ruled that service must remain in place until Apr. 30.

The order issued late Thursday afternoon follows legislation passed by MPPs the day before to ban winter disconnections as many residents of the province struggle with high hydro prices and delivery charges.

“We credit the OEB for moving quickly and decisively on this matter,” said Energy Minister Glenn Thibeault said in a statement. Thibeault was under heavy pressure from opposition parties to take action.

He speculated Wednesday that the ban might end in late March, but noted that the decision was up to the energy board.

The order also requires homes disconnected from the power grid to be reconnected to it “as soon as possible, at no charge.”

As well, it calls for the “prompt removal” by local utilities of any devices installed on homes to limit the amount of electricity they can use, and prohibits installing them.

Utilities used “load-limiting devices” to provide customers with limited electricity.

Energy board vice-president Brian Hewson said the ban and other steps are interim measures until the organization can complete a “comprehensive review” of customer service rules for both electric and natural gas utilities.

The review will determine how well rules in place since 2011 have been working in ensuring “an appropriate balance between customer protection and the ongoing operational needs of utilities,” Hewson added, in a statement.

The review will consider disconnections, security deposits, accounts in arrears, billing errors, equal payment plans, bills and other aspects of the system, such as reconnection fees.

The energy board does not yet have statistics on how many customers had their hydro disconnected for non-payment this winter season. Some 60,000 people lost their electricity last year.

Thibeault and Premier Kathleen Wynne have promised more hydro rate relief soon. This follows an 8-per-cent instant rebate of the provincial portion of the HST on electricity bills that took effect Jan. 1.

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