Renewable to Retail

Renewable to Retail

What is Renewable to Retail?

The provincial government made changes to the Electricity Act in 2013 to enable residential, commercial, and industrial power customers to purchase renewable electricity generated in the province from a Licensed Retail Supplier (LRS), rather than Nova Scotia Power. The Nova Scotia Energy Board (previously the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board) awarded the first license to a company in 2021.

 

How does Licensed Retail Supply work in Nova Scotia?

Nova Scotia's "Renewable to Retail" model separates electricity generation from grid delivery. Customers can either stay on Nova Scotia Power's bundled service (generation and delivery), or contract with a Licensed Retail Supplier for the generation portion of their electricity. In this case, the Licensed Retail Supplier will bill customers for the electricity they use but most other services including service connections, outage information, storm restoration, meters, and ongoing maintenance (e.g., tree trimming and removal, line extensions, etc.) will continue to be provided by Nova Scotia Power.

     

    Are there any Licensed Retail Suppliers in Nova Scotia at this time?

    Renewall Energy Inc. is currently the only Licensed Retail Supplier in Nova Scotia.

     

    What will the experience be for Licensed Retail customers?

    The Licensed Retail Supplier will use Nova Scotia Power’s infrastructure to deliver electricity to its customers and will bill customers directly. While customers will no longer receive a bill from Nova Scotia Power, other services including service connections, outage information, storm restoration, meters, and ongoing maintenance (e.g., tree trimming and removal, line extensions, etc.) will continue to be provided by Nova Scotia Power. Renewable to Retail customers will contact their Licensed Retail Supplier for billing inquiries but will continue to contact Nova Scotia Power for things like service connection, meter services, outage assistance, and maintenance inquiries.

     

    How do customers switch to a Licensed Retail Supplier?

    Customers will need to contact the Licensed Retail Supplier directly and provide their Nova Scotia Power account number and meter number. They will be asked to complete a “consent to switch” form which will be filled out with the Licensed Retail Supplier. The Licensed Retail Supplier will then forward the consent to switch form to Nova Scotia Power. Nova Scotia Power will then confirm eligibility to switch by checking that any outstanding bill amounts have been resolved. Once confirmed, the process to transfer the customer may commence.

    Prior to requesting the transfer, the Licensed Retailer may contact Nova Scotia Power to request customer usage information and the customer’s most recent power bill. The Licensed Retail Supplier requires usage information for billing purposes and Nova Scotia Power will share that with the Licensed Retailer on an ongoing basis through secure data transfer. 

    Nova Scotia Power customer accounts remain active when customers switch.   This ensures that both the Licensed Retail Supplier and Nova Scotia Power have the ability to respond to customer needs based on the services they are each providing. To learn more about the information that Nova Scotia Power will collect and retain when customers switch, please visit our Privacy Policy.

    Customers are under no obligation to switch. Staying with Nova Scotia Power’s bundled service continues with no action required.

    Please note: Customers with outstanding balances are not eligible to switch to a Licensed Retailer until the account balance is resolved.

     

    Do customers need new equipment to switch to a Licensed Retail Supplier?

    Customers will need to have a fully functioning smart meter with over the air communication capabilities turned on so that Nova Scotia Power can measure the LRS customer hourly consumption and reconcile with LRS hourly generation. If a smart meter is already in place and has communication capabilities over the air, there is no equipment change required to switch service to a Licensed Retailer Supplier. Nova Scotia Power will still own and read the meters of Licensed Retail Supplier customers.

     

    Do Licensed Retail Suppliers have lower rates?

    Licensed Retail Suppliers are not public utilities, so their rates are not regulated by the Nova Scotia Energy Board. Each Retail Supplier will have their own rates as well as terms and conditions outlined in their customer contracts. Customers should take the time to review and understand rates, what is included, and the terms in the contracts.

    While a customer may purchase electricity supply from a Licensed Retail Supplier, Nova Scotia Power continues to provide certain regulated services, including transmission, distribution, metering, and other applicable services. The Licensed Retail Supplier bills customers for these Nova Scotia Power services, and the Board-approved tariffs and associated rates for those services continue to apply.

    The Licensed Retail Supplier is legally required to provide customers with a Rate Comparison showing (a) the contract rate offered, (b) the total rate the customer would pay, and (c) Nova Scotia Power's current regulated rate side-by-side. For questions about Nova Scotia Power’s current rates or charges, please contact Nova Scotia Power directly. For questions about a Licensed Retail Supplier’s rates, terms, conditions, or contract, contact the supplier for more information.

     

    Do Licensed Retail customers pay Nova Scotia Power for use of the grid?

    The Licensed Retail Supplier manages the billing and collection of grid-use charges. Fees associated with the use of the grid would be provided to Nova Scotia Power by the Licensed Retail Supplier, under the terms of the agreement approved by the NS Energy Board. 

     

    How does the Licensed Retail Supplier supply energy when the wind isn’t blowing?

    If a Licensed Retail Supplier’s renewable source (like wind or solar) isn't generating enough energy at any given moment, Nova Scotia Power makes up the difference as part of its obligations to customers under the tariff structure that has been approved by the Nova Scotia Energy Board.

    If the Licensed Retail Supplier has a major supply disruption (like an extended outage) or simply can’t continue serving its customers, those customers will revert to Nova Scotia Power’s bundled service and Nova Scotia Power will provide power and service to those customers. 

     

    Will Licensed Retail customers have access to Nova Scotia Power billing and payment programs?

    When customers switch to a Licensed Retailer, Nova Scotia Power will no longer bill customers so they will not have access to Nova Scotia Power billing and payment programs like equal billing and time varying pricing.

     

    What is the process for issues or escalations?

    Complaints about Licensed Retail Supplier conduct are handled first directly with the retailer, then escalate to the Nova Scotia Energy Board (NSEB) for formal dispute resolution or investigation under the Board's Electricity Retailers Regulations. 

     

    Will Licensed Retail customers have access to Nova Scotia Power programs?

    Single customer accounts/meters cannot legally be served by both a Licensed Retail Supplier and Nova Scotia Power. Customers serviced by a Licensed Retailer are therefore not eligible to be enrolled in Nova Scotia Power programs like the Time Varying Pricing Rate Pilot Program, the Solar Garden Pilot Rate Rider, the Community Solar Program, the Green Choice Program, and Nova Scotia Power’s legislated net metering options - Commercial Net Metering Program and Self-generating Option.

    Note that any customer enrolled in a legacy net metering program that switches to a Licensed Retail Supplier will not be reinstated in a legacy program because those programs were closed to new participants following April 2022 amendments to the Electricity Act. Existing participants were grandfathered, but re-entry is not permitted after leaving the program. Upon returning, the customer would be enrolled under the current regulatory framework, either as a Self-Generation customer or under Community Net Metering (CNM), depending on the size and configuration of their generation facility.

    If the customer's generating system exceeds the sizing limits permitted under the Electricity Act and applicable program requirements, the system would need to be either:

    • Derated so that its capacity complies with the applicable sizing requirements; or
    • Converted to a configuration that meets the requirements of the program under which the customer becomes eligible.

    Customers should carefully consider these implications before leaving a legacy program, as eligibility cannot be restored upon their return to Nova Scotia Power service.

    For more information, including regulations and code of conduct, visit the Nova Scotia Energy Board Renewable to Retail webpage.