KELOWNA — Turning on the lights will be a little more costly in the new year — if you buy electricity from FortisBC.
The utility has been given approval by the BC Utilities Commission to bump up rates by 3.5 per cent effective January 1st.
FortisBC says the increased revenues will go towards bulk electricity purchases, infrastructure maintenance and improvements and other operating costs.
It says it’s an ‘interim’ rate increase, meaning it could change.
“An interim rate increase means it’s temporary or subject to change depending on review by the BC Utilities Commission,” says spokesman, Neal Pobran. “So it’s set at 3.5% but we are going to go through another regulatory review with the Commission in the new year and that’s when it will be determined what the new rate will be. It could go up or down but if it changes we do credit customer bills and make those changes accordingly.”
Pobran says the average FortisBC residential customer will see their electricity bill increase by about $50 a year.
FortisBC serves some 130,000 homes and businesses in the Southern Interior.
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