These Nova Scotians got extreme power bills. They're not alone

When Josh Feaver opened his most recent power bill, he felt both stumped and defeated.

The energy charges from Nova Scotia Power total $1,591.37 for the period spanning Dec. 13 to Feb. 14. That's not including taxes or the additional $773.32 he still owes from his previous bill.

Feaver said he's on the brink of being disconnected, which has left him looking for a second job.

"It will be a job for Nova Scotia Power and then a job to live," he said.

The 26-year-old rents a two-bedroom apartment in Bridgewater, N.S., with his girlfriend, their dog, two cats and pet snake. Their unit is on the top floor of an older home with a heat pump. They moved in last April.

They plug in a space heater for about an hour on cold mornings, Feaver said, but he still doesn't under‐ stand why his energy con‐ sumption spiked so high. They've unplugged the mi‐ crowave and typically don't turn on any lights until after 10 p.m., he added.

"Even last month to this month, the math doesn't add up because my bill doubled."

He said he called Nova Scotia Power three times and was told the problem is likely the heat pump. When he asked the utility to send someone to read his meter, he said they refused.

After CBC News contacted the utility about his situation, they contacted Feaver to in‐ vestigate further.

Chris Lanteigne, director of customer care with Nova Scotia Power, said his team often works with tenants to examine previous power bills and help determine usage patterns.

More generally, Lanteigne said there were several days of "extreme cold" in January that likely influenced higher energy usage across the province.

A growing concern

Feaver isn't the only one in disbelief over his latest power bill. More than 2,500 people have signed a petition calling on the provincial gov‐ ernment to intervene after many of them also experi‐ enced rate shock.

A rate increase of 6.5 per cent came into effect on Jan. 1, but customers are ques‐ tioning why their bills jumped much higher.

Danielle Fraser of Westvil‐ le, N.S., said her energy costs tripled. According to her bill, she used 4,268 kilowatts in January compared to 1,832 kilowatts in November.

She said no one at the utility can tell her why she's drawing more electricity when her habits haven't changed. She runs three heat pumps in her home and said she has them cleaned regu‐ larly.

"They don't know how the consumption is being used, they just seem to know that it is being used," said Fraser.

She said she was sur‐ prised to learn the energy in‐ sights provided with her monthly online statement are only estimates.

"Those insights are actual‐ ly not factual. They are what Nova Scotia Power assumed is using your power," said Fraser.

Nova Scotia Power confir‐ ms the "appliance usage," in‐ cluding heating consumption breakdowns, are approxi‐ mate amounts intended to provide a guide for cus‐ tomers.

A legal assistant who works from home, Fraser has already taken her case through the dispute resolu‐ tion process.

In his decision, the inde‐ pendent dispute resolution officer who handled the case said, "N.S. Power has appro‐ priately billed the customer for on-premise energy con‐ sumption."

Fraser plans to appeal to the Nova Scotia Utility and

Review Board and have her meter analyzed by Measure‐ ment Canada, a federal agency that investigates com‐ plaints of inaccuracies. She has also complained to the office of her MLA, Premier Tim Houston.

"I would like the govern‐ ment to do an investigation and to see why the consump‐ tion is increasing so drastical‐ ly for so many people. What are the billing practices that are causing this to happen so suddenly? It wasn't a slight increase," said Fraser.

Houston has been highly critical of both Nova Scotia Power and the Utility and Re‐ view Board. His government is in the process of moving ahead with a new indepen‐ dent energy system operator that would take some func‐ tions away from Nova Scotia Power.

An 'energy poverty cri‐ sis'

Thomas Arnason McNeil, se‐ nior energy co-ordinator with the Ecology Action Centre, believes there is an "energy poverty crisis" that requires more attention from the gov‐ ernment.

"People are really strug‐ gling right now," Arnason Mc‐ Neil. "They're in a hole."

Efficiency One is a nonprofit organization based in Dartmouth that helps people reduce their energy con‐ sumption. Its December re‐ port estimated 43 per cent of households in Nova Scotia are experiencing energy poverty, defined as a house‐

hold spending more than six per cent of its income on en‐ ergy.

The numbers are much higher in Cape Breton, in‐ cluding Eskasoni with an esti‐ mated 87 per cent and New Waterford with 67 per cent.

Arnason McNeil said the situation is also dire on the South Shore, where 102 households have electricity arrears totalling over $93,450, according to a com‐ munity group there.

Feaver is one of those customers, and said he can no longer afford groceries.

He makes $17 an hour as a cook at a local pub, so he nibbles at work.

But when he's home, he said he often goes without food.

"I'm constantly not able to sleep, worrying about how I'm going to be able to make my next bill," he said. "Get‐ ting a bill from Nova Scotia Power for $1,600 on top of car payments, rent and my phone bill and feeding the animals, it's almost impossi‐ ble."

'Blatant gouging'

The complaints don't appear to be isolated to a few ex‐ treme cases, according to so‐ cial media posts and the peti‐ tion being circulated.

Rubin Coward has lived in his home in Lower Sackville, N.S., for 32 years and said he was floored by his latest power bill. He was charged $80 more than the previous billing period, even though he and his wife were out of the province for 10 days.

He said he turned his forced hot air furnace down to less than 17 C, shut the water off and unplugged every appliance.

Coward believes this is "blatant gouging."

"When we see significant disparities like this in terms of billing and people are struggling ... I think it's of paramount importance that we echo those sentiments in unison," he said.

"We're not complaining for the sake of hearing our voices, but we're complaining because we want to be treated fairly."

All three people inter‐ viewed by CBC have smart meters installed.

"From our perspective, the bills that we do issue are all generated from our Mea‐ surement Canada meters. We are confident in the bills that are

Lanteigne.

"Through the dispute res‐ olution process the last few years since I've been with Nova Scotia Power, I am not aware of a meter that has been billing a customer wrong," he said.

"We have a process in place where we encourage customers to call if they have concerns and talk to us with their bill. And if that is not to their satisfaction, the dispute resolution officer is the next path for them to help raise their concerns."

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