Learn more about 2024 residential rates and what it means for your bill
We are regulated by the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board (NSUARB)—they are responsible for ensuring customers receive power at fair rates. The NSURB uses a “cost of service” method which ensures that rates are set at a level that will allow us to recover costs plus a reasonable profit. Without a reasonable return, investors would not be willing to invest in the utility.
A full breakdown of how rates are set by the NSUARB can be found on their website.
Residential and business customers have two charges on their bills: a base charge and an energy rate. The base charge is a set charge for the cost of delivering and maintaining electricity service. The energy charge is the price per kWh of energy used, which changes based on energy use habits for that period. The energy charge includes costs associated with the fuel used to make electricity and energy efficiency programs.
Demand customers—which are primarily commercial or industrial customers with higher peak power demand periods—also have a demand charge. Demand billing is a standard practice used throughout North America to fairly recover costs from some business customers who use more than a specified amount of electricity during peak periods. Demand bills have two components: the total amount of electricity used (the energy charge), and the highest amount used within a 15-minute interval at any time during the customer’s billing period (the demand charge).
Fuel is an important part of generating electricity. It’s why a portion of our power rates relate to the cost of the fuel we need to purchase to make electricity. Many different forms of fuel are used to produce electricity, including coal, oil, natural gas, biomass, wind, and hydro.
The Fuel Adjustment Mechanism is a program regulated by the NSUARB. It ensures your bill accurately reflects the true costs of producing electricity. Every year, we forecast the fuel costs of producing electricity. It’s an estimate and like any estimate, it may turn out to be too high or too low. When we tally up the actual fuel costs of producing power for the year, we use these numbers to calculate a new energy rate. Your rate may go down or it may go up.
More information on FAM and fuel costs can be found here.
Our customers are categorized as residential, commercial, and industrial. Use the chart below to find the rates that apply to you.
Consumption of a private residence for domestic or household use
Domestic Service Tariff
Domestic Service Time-of-Day Tariff
Annual consumption is less than 32,000 kWh
Annual consumption is 32,000 kWh or greater and the regular billing demand is less than 2,000 kVA or 1,800 kW
Consumption for any use except industrial, where the regular billing demand is 2,000 kVA or 1,800 kW and over
Consumption for industrial use, including farming and processing, where the regular billing demand is less than 250 kVA or 225 kW
Consumption for any industrial customer having a regular billing demand greater than 249 kVA (224 kW), but less than 2,000 kVA (1,800 kW)
Consumption at the low voltage side of the bulk power transformer by any industrial customer having a regular billing demand of 2,000 kVA or 1,800 kW and over
Large Industrial TariffInterruptible Rider
Available to customers who have loads of 2,000 kVA or 1,800 kW and over
Where none of Nova Scotia Power's standard tariffs apply (e.g., a customer is not centralized in one location, metering is impractical, seasonal lighting, etc.)
Unmetered Rate Request Forms:
Street and Area Lighting
Miscellaneous Lighting and Small Loads
Businesses that qualify as a charitable or non-profit organization
Fuel Adjustment Mechanism (FAM)
This schedule is a mandatory rider to electric rate schedules, except for the following tariffs: Generation Replacement and Load Following, Extra High Voltage Time-of-Use Real Time Pricing, High Voltage Time-of-Use Real Time Pricing, and Distribution Voltage Time-of-Use Real Time Pricing