Newfoundland electricity bills to rise, even though rates are going down
Residential electricity rates for customers across Newfoundland are set to go down by nearly five per cent later this week — but customers will still pay more with the removal of the residential energy rebate.
Some customers in Labrador will also see changes in their bills for the rest of the year, depending on where they live.
The eight per cent rebate, which is equivalent to the provincial portion of the HST, will be removed from all bills for Newfoundland-based customers on July 1, as outlined in the 2015 budget.
The rate decrease of 4.9 per cent, which has been approved by the Newfoundland and Labrador Board of Commissioners of Public Utilities, happens to coincide with the loss of the energy rebate.
Beginning Wednesday, customers on the island can expect to see an increase of 3.1 per cent on their bills.
Meanwhile, a 2.3 per cent decrease has been approved for customers in isolated parts of Labrador and a 4.1 per cent decrease for L'Anse au Loup customers.
Those customers will still see an overall increase, when the HST is applied to the bills starting Wednesday.