(ADAM PROSKIW / iNFOnews.ca)
February 22, 2022 - 6:00 AM
Some Lake Country residents have been scratching their heads as their hydro bills have doubled.
Lake Country resident Amanda MacDonald, who lives near Peter Greer Elementary in a three-bedroom house including a suite occupied by tenants, said her B.C. Hydro bill jumped from the typical $430 in the winter to $900. She said other residents are also seeing increasing bills.
READ MORE: Utility says B.C.'s heat, rain and cold in 2021 underscore changing demand for power
“It’s about double and I’m a single mom so that’s a bit of a shocking bill to try and pay on my own. I’m not really sure what’s going on, I know we had that cold snap but our heat was always kept very low and I’m only at my house for half the week so we’re rarely here,” she said.
Her tenants work 10 to 12 hour days so they’re not home often either, she said.
Mary Anne Coules with B.C. Hydro said in this instance with the cold snap in December, the most likely explanation for the increase in bills is the increase in usage because of the temperatures. Another cause could be a change in behaviour among residents.
B.C. Hydro saw temperatures increase across the province in December due to cold temperatures that lasted for days, including -24 Celsius in Lake Country. It even broke a monthly all-time peak hourly record for demand during that month.
While peak usage is still the highest in the winter, summer demand is also increasing due to climate change, according to the Crown corporation.
In 2021, both the winter and summer months set usage records.
B.C. Hydro is encouraging customers to reach out to customer service at 1-800-224-9376 if they have any questions or they’re having trouble paying their bill.
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