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Providing good customer service, as well as a safe and reliable supply of electricity at the lowest reasonable cost, is a priority for us. On December 4, a Castanet reader raised concern in a letter about the fixed fee on his FortisBC electricity bill. FortisBC recognizes that the cost of electricity is an important consideration for customers. We would like to take this opportunity to clarify how rates are set and what customers pay for.
FortisBC is regulated by the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC). Through transparent, public proceedings, the BCUC approves the overall revenue we collect from our customers to cover the cost of providing service. The BCUC also approves the rate structure that appears on customers’ bills.
The rates have both a fixed and variable component. The variable amount is tied to customers’ usage. The fixed amount, including the basic customer charge, ensures each customer, independent of usage, contributes to the costs of providing service, such as reading and maintaining the meter, infrastructure maintenance and delivering the billing statement, among other activities.
Our rates are designed to balance these two components, so that in combination, we collect the approved amount of revenue. A change to the fixed portion would result in a change to the variable rate that customers pay for usage.
We seek to keep costs low while generating and delivering electricity through our system, safely and reliably. We are also evaluating the way our business operates to more efficiently meet our customers’ service expectations and are committed to building long-term, cooperative relationships with them. Customers are invited to see for themselves what it takes to deliver their electricity on our website.
Those with questions about their billing statements can call us toll free at 1-866-436-7847, Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. or visit us online at fortisbc.com.
Roger Dall’Antonia,
Executive Vice President, Customer Service & Regulatory Affairs, FortisBC
