NB Power has shared the findings of a third-party report looking into high residential power bills.
After many residents filed complaints of a spike this past summer, the report found no significant errors causing high bills.
The residential customer assessment was completed by KPMG, a third-party auditing service.
It tested a “statistically significant” sample of 400 meters, as well as 100 meters in a risk-based sample.
Only 12 meters in total between the two sample groups showed any signs of inaccurate readings, none of which were smart meters.
According to NB Power CEO Lori Clark, those 12 meters were under-reporting power consumption levels.
“This report today should give customers confidence that our metering and billing systems are working properly and that smart meters actually provide a tool for them to help manage their energy usage over time,” said Clark.
The analysis attributed the high bills to increased rates, longer billing periods, fewer power outages compared to the previous winter, and colder weather.
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“The challenge in New Brunswick is that as customers, we have a high dependence on electric heat,” said Clark.
KPMG laid out several recommendations for NB Power to take in response to the results, including opening their equalized payment plan to customers with arrears up to $1,200, more standardized billing days, and applying to the Energy and Utilities Board to introduce optional time-of-use rates.
That last action won’t be taken until the rest of the province’s smart meters are installed, said Clark.
“Once we get the smart meters rolled out, the next step would be to design or to have those time-of-use rates in front of the Energy and Utilities Board, get those approved and then applied to all customers at the same time.”
NB Power will also commit to testing 500 meters per year.
The next step is a comprehensive review coming from the provincial government, which is expected to be completed by March 2026.
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