Moncton woman wants accountability from premier, N.B. Power over sky-high electric bills
Susan Martin collected 45 power bills from New Brunswickers, found trend of unexplainable consumption hikes
When Susan Martin checked the latest power bill for a small home she rents out in Moncton, she couldn't believe what she was seeing.
According to N.B. Power, the home consumed 1,700 kilowatts of energy in February of last year, she said.
This February, it was more than triple that amount — closer to 5,200 kilowatts.
Martin's concerns come as N.B. Power is conducting a third-party audit of its smart-meter program, billing system and complaints of high power bills.
"Those are unexplainable variances," said Martin, of the recent bill for her property.
She said in 2024, a family of three were living in the home and did laundry everyday. This year, a single woman is renting the place and does laundry far less regularly.
"I don't know how malicious it is, but I do know there is an issue with the way the meters read and calculate our kilowatt usage related to inflated bills."
Martin said it raises doubt that inflation, longer billing periods, rate hikes and colder winters are to blame for the higher power bills many New Brunswickers are seeing.
She believes it's all about skyrocketing consumption readings.
45 bills collected in 12 hours
N.B. Power CEO Lori Clarke promised the results of a third-party audit at the end of February, but later said the utility needed more time, and that of the 20 bills reviewed so far, there were no issues. She said the report wouldn't be ready until April.
Martin is surprised it's taking so long for the utility to collect and review utility bills because it took her just 12 hours to collect about 45 bills from residential customers, after she posted about it on Facebook.
She accumulated about 30 from people who had been switched to the utility's new smart-meter system, and most of those showed double the kilowatt usage in February compared to the previous year.
One statement showed a jump from 599 kilowatts to 1,542, while another showed a more than 1,200 kilowatt increase, from 3,019 to 4,245.
Martin said the bills she collected from people who have not made the change to a smart meter tell a different story.
She pointed to a bill that went from 1,800 kilowatts last February to 2,300 this year — on a regular meter.
"That aligns with the explainable variance that N.B. Power is talking about," Martin said. "They went from 28 billing days to 30 and it was a little colder."
N.B. Power declined an interview but said in an emailed statement that one of the most common causes for bill increases is extreme weather.
"This winter, New Brunswick temperatures were colder, on average, than last year, which could lead to some customers seeing an increase in their overall energy use," wrote D'Arcy Walsh, a communications officer with the utility.
Ratepayers started pointing out what they say are higher than normal bills in December.
Premier Susan Holt announced earlier this month that all options are on the table as the province looks at ways to curb rising bills.
Most recently, she promised consultations across the province to get New Brunswickers' ideas on the future of the utility. She said her team is also looking at ways to keep power rates more affordable while dealing with the corporation's $5-billion debt.
N.B. Power raised residential rates by 13 per cent this year and has plans to hike them again, by 9 per cent, in April.
Martin said she agrees with rate increases if they lead to better infrastructure and service from the utility.
"What I am not in agreement with is the mysterious usage of kilowatts."
Consumption increased despite efficiency upgrades
Carla Smith of Moncton said her power bill went up by an average of 34 kilowatts per day in February compared to last year, amounting to a difference of $200.
This hike in usage came after she and her husband spent nearly $12,000 in an effort to save money on their power bill.
She said they had their home assessed through N.B. Power's Total Home Energy Savings Program. They also have a smart-meter.
In October, they replaced all of their windows and doors as recommended in the assessment report they received.
"I'd love for them to explain to me how I did all this and I'm using more," she said.
"It doesn't even make sense to me."
'We are pushing people into homelessness'
Martin, who volunteers with several charities in Moncton, including the Karing Kitchen soup kitchen, said she sees how rising power bills are hurting the most vulnerable people.
"I'm watching people struggle as it is," she said. "People on disabilities, war veterans, senior citizens and people who are already on the cusp of homelessness.
"The stress that this would have induced for them over the last four to five months, it must be unreal to deal with on a daily basis, paying just what you can, knowing the snowball is coming from behind you."
Martin, who said she shared the bills she collected with Premier Holt and several MLAs, wants to see the province step in immediately to help.
CBC News reached out to the Premier's Office for comment and was told in an email to direct any questions to N.B. Power.
"The immediate answer is for N.B. Power to be held accountable to their own systems by the government enforcing with them immediately, to revert to historical billing at the higher kilowatt price," Martin said.
"Right now, we are the ones carrying that responsibility instead of the organization."
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