Fortis bills to go up by 3.47% in January

FortisBC Inc. got the go-ahead from the BC Utilities Commission to raise its 2022 electricity rate by 3.47 per cent as of Jan. 1, 2022.

As a result, a residential customer with an average use of approximately 1,100 kilowatt hours per month of electricity would see their monthly bills increase by about $5.36 per month.

“We strive to operate efficiently and keep rates as low as possible, while still making the necessary system improvements and long-term investments that ensure our customers will always have the power they need, when they need it,” Diane Roy, vice-president of Regulatory Affairs, FortisBC said in a press release.

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“B.C.’s hydroelectricity is a key enabler of the province’s CleanBC Roadmap, and maintaining and improving our electric system helps make this possible.”

As a regulated, privately-owned utility, FortisBC applies to the BCUC each year to set rates for the following year.

This annual review and approval process ensures electric rates reflect the actual cost of providing safe, reliable service, from generating and purchasing the power through to maintaining and improving the electricity grid that delivers energy to homes and businesses.

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2022 is also the final year of the gradual phase-out of the two-tier residential electricity rates which will be transitioned to a single rate as of 2023.

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