Higher power bills in the winter aren’t uncommon, but some Nova Scotia Power customers opened their bills this month to find a shocking increase.
Shayne Worsdale, who lives in Upper Vaughan, N.S., says his $500 bill is more than double what he normally pays this time of the year.
“This was a shock, I have to say,” he said.”
“We haven’t had any bills that have been even close to this last winter when we were using it with the same amount (of electricity). So I don’t quite understand why there’s been a surge, so to speak, in usage or recorded usage.”
Worsdale is one of dozens of customers with complaints Global News spoke with or was contacted by.
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Patrick Abbott of Hammonds Plains, N.S. saw a $700 increase in his bill.
“I just want them to charge me what I owe. And I truly do not believe I owe $1,350 for two months of power when I’ve done nothing differently,” he said.
Shortly after speaking with Global News, Abbott says the utility company called him to say they will test his meter for faults, but confirmed he’s still on the hook for the bill currently.
In Truro, N.S., Alexandria Whyte says she’s been fighting with Nova Scotia Power over her $1,000 bills for her 800-square-foot home.
She’s tried lowering her family’s power usage, but it hasn’t made a difference.
“Even when I wasn’t home for three months, my bill still increased by 137 per cent,” she said.
“So, I don’t understand how, if I’m not home using any form of electricity except for heating my home, how is my bill increasing that much and so fast?”
The situation got to the point where she tried lowering her heat so low, her pipes froze.
“It’s not that I’m overusing the heating, because when I try to decrease it to the point that I have a manageable bill, I end up with frozen pipes,” she said.
Nova Scotia Power couldn’t speak specifically about individual cases.
In a statement, their director of customer care, Chris Lanteigne, encouraged people with concerns to reach out to the utility company.
Lanteigne says in part, “Every customer’s situation is unique and we have a compassionate team of Nova Scotians who are dedicated to providing advice, options, resources and support.”
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