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Utilities in BRITISH COLUMBIA

Utilities in British Columbia

Most electricity and natural gas utilities in British Columbia are natural monopolies, meaning that when it comes to selecting energy utilities, residents typically have a single, stable, regulated option, called a Public Energy Utility. B.C.'s regulated approach aims to protect residents from market volatility.

This is true for electricity, while one natural gas exception is the Customer Choice Program, which allows homeowners to choose between Public Energy Utilities and Independent Gas Marketers. The option to purchase your natural gas through Independent Gas Marketers may or may not be available depending on where you live. Further dependent on your location is water; you may receive water through a public or private utility, but this varies from one municipality to the next.

Public Energy Utilities

The primary option for natural gas in B.C. is FortisBC, a regulated Public Energy Utility. With FortisBC, the rates you pay per unit of energy are variable and may change every three months, according to the review and approval of the British Columbia Utilities Commision (BCUC). These variable charges reflect current market prices. This means that the amount you pay will fluctuate based on various conditions, such as natural disasters that could impact the price of certain resources. Sometimes, you'll save money on your energy bills. Other times, you'll end up paying more. The BCUC also reviews and adjusts delivery charges every year.
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BC Hydro provides electricity to all but five municipalities: Nelson, New Westminster, Grand Forks, Penticton, and Summerland. These communities sell electricity directly to their residents..
With a Public Energy Utility
There are no fixed contracts
Marketing costs are not built into the rate
You won't pay early exit fees for cancelling your services
If rates drop, you share in the savings
The regulated rate reflects current market prices

Find Public Energy Utilities for residential electricity and natural gas in B.C. by visiting the British Columbia Utilities Commission.

British Columbia Utilities Commission

Independent Gas Marketers

The Customer Choice Program allows residents in certain parts of B.C. to purchase natural gas from an Independent Gas Marketer instead of Public Energy Utilities. If you choose an Independent Gas Marketer, you will enter a contract for an agreed upon price and length of time. During this time, your energy rates will be fixed.
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With a fixed rate, your bills will still vary each month but the price you pay per unit of energy (per kilowatt-hour per gigajoule (GJ) of natural gas) will remain the same, or "fixed". If you select a fixed rate, your utility company is guaranteeing that your utility rate will stay the same for a specified period of time.
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It is important to note that, even if you choose an Independent Gas Marketer, you may still be billed by a Public Energy Utility, as they deliver the service.

Potential benefits of an Independent Gas Marketer

Potential risks of an Independent Gas Marketer

Find licensed Independent Gas Marketers through the Customer Choice Program by visiting the British Columbia Utilities Commission.

British Columbia Utilities Commission

Water and sewage services

Depending on whether you live in an urban or rural community, water and sewage services will be provided by either your municipality (if you live in an urban center) or by a private utility (for rural communities).

For more information, visit your local municipality's website.

Copyright © 2023 Kambo Energy Group Inc.

Kambo Energy Group respectfully acknowledges the unceded Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Territories, on which many of our team live and work. We also gratefully acknowledge the traditional territories of the people of the Treaty 7 region in Southern Alberta, which includes the Blackfoot Confederacy (comprising the Siksika, Piikani, and Kainai First Nations), as well as the Tsuut’ina First Nation, and the Stoney Nakoda (including the Chiniki, Bearspaw, and Wesley First Nations), on which our team also lives and works.