Paying your Power Bill Even where you and NS Power agree on the CONSUMER GUIDE TO You are responsible for paying the power bill if it terms of repayment, the Regulations allow is in your name as the “customer of record.” That NS Power to ask you to pay a security deposit. means if you move out, but do not cancel your You can ask NS Power to make an exception and electricity service, NS Power may continue to open your account without a security deposit if you can demonstrate that paying a security de- hold you legally responsible for the power bill posit will cause you hardship. even after you are no longer living at the resi- For many people in dence. Security Deposits electrical bills are unaffordable. Even if your name is not on the bill (that is, you If you are a new customer or if you are a return- This Guide is for people who need were not listed as “the customer of record”) if NS ing customer with poor credit, you may also be help in accessing electricity. Power is aware that you were getting the benefit asked to pay a security deposit to get your power GETTING CONNECTED of the electricity service, they may hold you re- connected. If you receive social assistance or are sponsible if the bill is not paid. on a low, fixed income, you cannot be required to Regulation of Electricity in Nova Scotia? provide a deposit, unless you have a history of Power in Nova Scotia is government regulat- Your bill is due on the billing date listed on your poor credit with NS Power. ed through legislation called the Public Utili- bill. If your bill is unpaid for a period of thirty ties Act. The Nova Scotia Utility and Review days after the billing date, NS Power can discon- Board, (the Board) supervises electricity pro- nect your power. viders and is responsible for setting the pow- Can Nova Scotia Power refuse service? er rates and charges, and approving the Reg- While the NS Power Regulations don’t apply Yes, Nova Scotia Power can deny you electric ser- ulations of Nova Scotia Power. directly to the municipal utilities, consumers can use the NS Power Regulations to advo- vices in limited circumstances where: Who Provides Electricity in Nova Scotia? cate for similar treatment with these utilities.  You currently owe money from a previous account Nova Scotia Power (NS Power) provides 95% Getting Electricity Service  You are applying on behalf of someone who of the electricity to consumers in Nova To get electricity service you must be the owes NS Power money from a previous ac- Scotia. NS Power is a private company that is The amount of the deposit will be equal to three owner or occupant of the place that will be count regulated by the Board. Consumer issues months’ service (if you are billed every two connected. An occupant is any person who  You live with someone who owes money to such as “budget plans,” “payments agree- months) or two months’ service (if you are has the right to occupy the residence. There NS Power from a previous account ments,” disconnections and security deposits billed monthly). is a $28 charge to connect or reconnect your are part of those regulations. If NS Power refuses to provide you with electrici- power between 8:30 AM and 4:30 PM. If you ty and you need more time to pay what you owe, Nova Scotia Power can ask you to pay a security Consumers have no choice of electricity ser- request that your power be reconnected out- you can ask for more time to pay through a deposit at any time if: vice provider in Nova Scotia. In the six Nova side of those hours, you will be charged an “Payment Agreement” (See below, PAYING YOUR Scotia municipalities where NS Power does additional $75 fee. These charges are applied BILL: PAYMENT AGREEMENTS & BUDGET PLANS).  You have no credit history with the company not provide power to consumers, there are to your bill. and an unacceptable credit rating  Your service has previously been disconnected municipal electrical utilities, including Antig- for non-payment onish, Berwick, Canso, Lunenburg, Mahone  You have a record of moving without notice Bay and Riverport.

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charged interest, currently set to 1.5% per PAYMENT AGREEMENTS organizations listed at the last page of this Guide. You can also ask NS Power to put you in touch  You have filed for bankruptcy and are choos- month, compounded monthly, to a maximum & BUDGET PLANS with their “Low Income Advocate.” ing to claim your electric service account in interest rate of 19.75% per year. In negotiating If your power bill is unaffordable, or you cannot bankruptcy a Payment Agreement, make sure you ask to pay your bill on time, you should contact NS How to request a Payment Agreement  You refuse to give customer data Power (or the electrical company in your area) have your interest charges stopped, starting  You have been sent disconnection notices right away. NS Power has payment options that NS Power provides an automated phone service from the date that you began negotiating with because of non-payment or your payments may help with paying your bill. at 1-800-428-6230. If you want to speak to an have been returned for insufficient funds. NS Power. employee about a Payment Agreement, select 3, If you need more time to pay your bill then 1, 1 again, and then when prompted enter If You Cannot Afford a Security Deposit Returned or “Bounced” Payments: NS Power your account number. You will then get to speak You may be able to negotiate a Payment Agree- If you cannot afford to pay a security deposit, will charge $23 for a returned cheque or a re- to a person to negotiate the terms of the a Pay- ment if you are having a hard time paying your there are options available to get electric ser- turned automatic withdrawal or pre-authorized ment Agreement. bill. A Payment Agreement lets you pay back the vice: payment from your bank account. This charge is money owing on your bill (the “arrears”) in in- Before calling, it is helpful to consider what your  Waiver: You can ask for an exception to be in addition to any charges by your institution for stallments. It also limits the amount of interest budget is and if you can afford to make an initial made in your case, so that you are not re- returned payments. NS Power can charge on your unpaid bills. payment “up-front”. But remember: NS Power quired to pay a security deposit, as long as Your payments may be extended for a period of you keep up with your bill payments or pay- Meter Testing: If you ask for your power meter ment agreement. This is called a “waiver.” If up to 24 months based on: to be tested by Industry as a result of a you are seeking reconnection after being dis- dispute, and the meter is found to be accurate,  How much money you owe connected for non-payment, or falling be- hind on your payment agreement, you will you will be charged $38.  Your ability to pay, your source of income, then be required to pay a security deposit. expenses and number of dependents NS Power allows you to make payments on your  Installment Payments: If a security deposit  Your payment history account through these third-party payment ser- is unavoidable, you can ask for the deposit to vices. However, these services charge substan-  Other factors including medical needs and be made in equal monthly payments over 12 employment history months. tial fees. You are responsible to pay these fees, not NS Power. Make sure before you sign that the terms of the Ask NS Power for the return of your security agreement are reasonable. Otherwise you could deposit with interest when you close your ac- be setting yourself up to fail. If you breach a Pay- count, or after two years, whichever comes ment Agreement, it will be harder to negotiate in soonest. future with NS Power. does not require an up-front payment to set up a Payment Agreement. If NS Power refuses to offer you terms for repay- The Board must approve any additional charges What if you have a Payment Agreement and on your bill – the amounts in this guide reflect ment that you think you can manage, you may want to connect with a community organization cannot pay? the 2017 charges. with experience in advocacy in these If you already have a Payment Agreement in place, but your circumstances have changed and Interest: If you fail to pay your bill on time and matters. You can call 211, Nova Scotia’s you can no longer meet the payments under the owe money to NS Power, you may also be referral service, as well as referring to the

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agreement, contact NS Power to let them know When NS Power can disconnect power DISPUTE RESOLUTION AND APPEALS about the change. Ask NS Power to amend your Once you have received a Notice of Disconnec- If you disagree with the amount NS Power has Payment Agreement to give you more time to tion, NS Power must wait 12 days before discon- billed you, or with the reasons given for discon- pay. It will be easier to arrange a change in your necting the power. This is your opportunity to nection, you can make a complaint to the Dispute Payment Agreement if you let NS Power know contact NS Power to make arrangements to pay Resolution Officer(“ DRO”). your situation before missing a payment. in order to avoid disconnection. NS Power can refuse to change your Payment The DRO is responsible for resolving disputes Agreement if: Before they actually disconnect your power, NS over whether you have been billed the proper Power must give you written notice. amount, whether your meter is operating  The amount you owe on your account is more properly, or whether you are responsible for the than six months’ worth of power bills NS Power must also make reasonable efforts to  There has been no payment on the account contact you to ask you to pay what you owe amount NS Power has charged you. Contact in- for three months or more them before any disconnection. formation for the DRO is available on the NS Pow-  You have not made the two most recent pay- er website and appears on the Notice of Discon- ments required on your agreement If you receive a Disconnection Notice, contact NS nection. If you are late on a bill payment more than once, DISCONNECTION Power right away. You have the right to ask NS If you want to make a complaint to the DRO the the agreement will be cancelled and you will re- Power to give additional time to pay. (See section NS Power can issue a Notice of Disconnection if: ceive a “Notice of Disconnection” (see below, on Payment Agreements, above.) most effective way is to send an email to the ad-  There have been no payments on your ac- “DISCONNECTION”). dress on the website (see “Resources” page). count for more than 30 days after the billing Equal billing/Budget billing plans date of your last bill NS Power cannot disconnect power when:  You fail to comply with the terms of your Cold Temperatures. Your power cannot be dis- Normally, NS Power bills you once every two Payment Agreement connected when the temperature falls or is fore- months. A “Budget Plan” allows you to receive a  You refuse to pay a security deposit upon cast to fall below 0° Celsius at any time in the bill on a monthly basis, for an equal amount each request week following the planned disconnection. month. It is based on the average power usage  You have misrepresented your identity in for the premises over the previous 12 months. order to get electricity connected Medical Concerns. If you or somebody who lives You can ask to include arrears payments, if nec-  There is unauthorized interference or diver- with you has a serious medical condition that essary, in your Budget Plan. sion of electricity service delivered to your would be made worse if power was disconnect- property ed, you can ask NS Power to postpone disconnec- At the end of the 12 months, if you used more tion for up to 14 days. than the average, you may face an additional bill, If you receive a Disconnection Notice, contact NS or if you used less, you will receive a credit. To Power right away. You have the right to ask NS You must provide information to show that dis- stay on a Budget Plan, you must maintain a good Power to give you additional time to pay. (see connection will worsen a serious medical condi- payment history. section on Payments Agreements above). tion for you or somebody who lives with you.

5 6 Once you send a complaint, you do not have to RESOURCES  Heat Assistance Rebate Program (HARP) pay the disputed amount until you receive a deci- 1-800-670-4357 or (902) 424-5200, NOTES www.homeheatinghelp.ca sion from the DRO. NS Power cannot disconnect For more information on NS Power or the Helps with the cost of home heating for low- your power until 12 days after you receive the appeals process, contact: income Nova Scotians. Rebates range from $100  NS Power Customer Care:1-800-428-6230 or DRO’s written decision in response to your com- to $200. Applications accepted during the win- (902) 428-6230 plaint. You must continue to pay any charges that ter months, call or go online for specific dates. are not in dispute  Dispute Resolution Officer:- 1 877-428-6202 or  Home Warming (902) 428-6202 1-877-434-2136, http://homewarming.ca Provides a no-charge assessment and  NS Utility and Review Board 1-855-442-4448 or home upgrades to income-qualified homeown- (902) 424-4448 ers. Proof of home ownership and proof of in-  Nova Scotia Power Regulations can be found at come is required. Applications available online or by phone. www.nspower.ca under “Approved Electricity Rates and Regulations” in the “About Us” sec- tion.

 If you are concerned about the cost of electrici- ty in NS and want to get involved, please join If you disagree with the DRO’s decision, you have the Affordable Energy Coalition (AEC). Call: 902- 12 days from the date you receive the decision to 423-8105, for more information. appeal to the Board. You must appeal in writing For more information by sending a letter to the Board with your reasons  211 Nova Scotia Written by and any evidence you wish them to consider. NS 2-1-1, www.ns.211.ca Dalhousie Legal Aid Service Power will submit evidence to the Board as well – A free, confidential information and referral ser- and the vice to more than 3,000 community and social the Board should send you a copy of any material Affordable Energy Coalition filed in relation to your complaint – If you do not services across Nova Scotia. Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by dialing 2-1-1 or online. receive a copy contact the Board to request one. Good Neighbour Energy Fund The DRO is not responsible for arranging Pay- (902) 422-3435 ment Agreements. If you do not dispute the www.salvationarmy.ca/maritime/gnef/ amount you owe, but need more time to pay An emergency heating program available to Published by your account, you should contact NS Power. Nova Scotian families who meet the criteria. Runs from January 15 through April 15. Families The Nova Scotia Public Interest NOTE: This Guide contains legal information, not legal advice. can reapply for the program every 24 months. Research Group Complete answers to questions may depend on individual circumstances. For more infor- Applications available online, from your local 6136 University Ave mation, see the “Additional Information & Resources” section at the end of this guide. Salvation Army church or thrift store, and MLA Halifax, NS, B3H 4J2 offices. Web: www.nspirg.ca

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