Electrical Residential Conservation Rate is Discriminatory

Honourable Christy Clark, Honourable Bill Bennett, Honourable Norm Letnick, British Columbia Utilities Commission, BC Ombudsperson, Vancouver Province, Castanet:

British Columbia’s Electrical Residential Conservation Rate is Discriminatory

As a Fortis BC customer located in within the city limits Kelowna, I find the two tier residential conservation rate is discriminatory in a number of ways.

It discriminates against those who live in an area where natural gas is not available as a second source of energy.

It discriminates against those who live in an area of British Columbia where the climate is not moderate.

(ie: Kelowna with highs of 36C and lows of -15C)

It discriminates against Families, as a family of four has to do four times the cooking, four times the laundry, and uses four times the hot water.

I have a high efficiency electric furnace, with a heat pump and air conditioning. I would be able to lower my electrical bill considerably by having a natural gas furnace, hot water heater, range, and clothes dryer. As natural gas is not available, I have no choice but to use electricity. 1100 watts (1.1kwh) per hour is hardly adequate to sustain an average detached home.

Thank You

Mike StClair