Electricity costs increase: BC Hydro hike trickles down to West Kootenay
By Rachel Selkirk
June 1 marked the start of new electricity rates from FortisBC. While the company serves approximately, 160 000 residential and commercial customers in South-Central BC, other rate hikes were implemented province-wide by BC Hydro.
The increase comes after the BC Utilities Commission (BCUC), the provincial regulatory board, approved an 8% rate increase for BC Hydro. FortisBC purchases some power from BC Hydro, and the local increase is a result of that.
“We did a June 1, 1.4% increase, which was a BC Hydro follow-through,” said Neal Pobran, corporate communications manager for Fortis BC. “We buy a percentage of power from BC Hydro and whenever their costs go up, our costs increase as well.”
Under normal circumstances, FortisBC examines electricity rates once a year. Because the current increase was made by BC Hydro, however, the June 1 change was unavoidable. “Usually we go through our rate revenue requirements annually, and that’s when rates get changed except in this case.”
The rate increase may only be temporary. The BC Utilities Commission approved the rate for the interim while the necessary public process is completed to make the change permanent. Pobran said a final decision should be made by the Utilities Commission soon, noting that “If it doesn’t get approved, it will be refunded to customers. They’ll get a credit on their bill.”
While the FortisBC electricity rate increase is smaller than in the rest of the province, local rates are still higher. Fortis residential customers are paying 9.09 cents per kWh while BC Hydro residential customers are paying 8.78 cents per kWh.
While the average homeowner’s bill will increase by about $1.40 per month, there are plenty of ways families can reduce their monthly bill. FortisBC PowerSense programs promote energy efficiency while helping lower monthly costs.
Pobran believes the PowerSense programs are great opportunities for homeowners to save. “There’s a lot of information on how customers can reduce their usage through insulation and energy star appliances. Our rebates and incentives for energy star appliances just increased, so that’s a good thing for people to look into.”
Purchases of Energy Star appliances can lead to rebates of $25-$75. Rebates are also offered for solar powered water systems, lighting changes, and general home improvements.
Businesses can also reduce their costs through dedicated programs, including the new Lighting Installation Program. The program provides up to $5500 to businesses that upgrade their lighting to something more energy efficient.
For information on FortisBC and their PowerSense programs, please visit their website.
