Show All Answers

1. How do Nelson Hydro Rates compare to other areas of Canada?

View the comparison chart (PDF)

For more information, please call 250-352-8206.

2. Moving in, moving out: what do I do?

To have the electrical service at the address you are moving into transferred into your name, to have your account transferred from your existing location to the new location, or to close your account call a Nelson Hydro Customer Service Representative at 250-352-8206 Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and apply to, or you can come directly to City Hall.

If terminating an account, please allow three working days' notice in advance of the date you want the service to cease. If the termination of service needs to involve removing electrical lines from a mobile home or building, please advise Nelson Hydro (the process may take longer).

Please note: An account is automatically terminated when an application for a new account is received from a new customer for that address. The registered customer is liable for all outstanding charges until the account is terminated. For more information, please call 250-352-8206.

3. How much advance notice do I need to open, close or transfer an account?

Please provide as much advance notice as possible so that a meter reader can take readings at your old and new addresses and your closing and opening bills will accurately reflect your usage. Premises may be assumed to be vacant and subject to disconnection if we have not received an application for service. For more information, please call 250-352-8206.

4. New house construction or electrical service upgrade: where do I start?

Contact Nelson Hydro at 250-352-8240, Monday to Friday 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. to apply for a new service or an upgrade. You will need to enlist the services of a licensed electrical contractor. Your contractor can call Nelson Hydro on your behalf, or you can call directly. All required permits and payments must be received by Nelson Hydro before connection can occur.

For first-time electrical service to a vacant lot, a site visit is necessary. Before any construction can begin, all permits, payments and required easements or rights-of-way must be in place.

Please note: Your legal land description can be found in the land title, mortgage papers or tax assessment information. If you rent the property, this information can be found on your lease agreement. Contact your landlord or check with City Hall if you are unable to find your legal land description.

For more information, please visit Applications.

5. How often am I billed, and how do I pay?

There are three simple ways to pay your bill:

• Pre-Authorized Payment (PAP) from your bank account on the first or fifteenth of each month, customers can make payments based on actual usage, or an amount based on an average of consumption over the last twelve months
• Through regular online banking
• In person at City Hall

Don’t be left in the dark! If payments are not received on time, penalties will be applied. If your payment is not received within 30 days, you will receive an Overdue Notice with a penalty. If a payment has not been received after 45 days from the initial bill, a Disconnect Final Notice will be sent, which allows for payment to be made within 5 days. If payment is still not received at this point, service will be disconnected.

All City of Nelson Hydro meters are read bimonthly. With close to 10,000 meters in the city, the reading of the meters is done in cycles. The number of days in your billing period may vary based on these cycles. Each billing period will be roughly 60 days and you will receive your bill approximately one week after your reading has been taken. If you believe that there may be issues with your reading, please contact a Nelson Hydro Customer Service Representative at 250-352-8206, Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

6. How can I keep my bills low?

All bills are based on consumption, whether estimated or actual. The time of year, daylight hours, weather conditions, the efficiency of appliances and the hot water temperature setting in your home calm all affect your bill. Being energy-savvy keeps cost down! Billing period can range from 30 to 60 days, depending on a number of factors. For more information, please call 250-352-8206.

7. What causes power outages, and will I be notified?

Power outages may be planned for upgrades or repairs. planned power outages, Nelson Hydro makes every effort to notify customers through by telephone or door tag notifications.

Power outages may be caused by other circumstances, including wind and weather, animals, fire, or motor vehicle accidents. we are unable to notify customers in instances where the outage is out of our control. Flickering lights may be caused by close proximity if trees to power lines. If concerned, call Nelson Hydro.

Heat waves and other times of unusually high power demand can overload our equipment and cause an outage. Conserving energy at peak times is a great way to help!

For more information, please call 250-352-8206.

8. What do I do if the power goes out?

First, verify that your whole house is out of power. You may have only blown a fuse or tripped a circuit breaker and need to check your service panel. Check to see if nearby streetlights are off, or find out if your neighbours are out of power.

If you have verified that the outage is not related to your own power source, turn off or disconnect any appliances you were using when the outage occurred. Leave one light on so you will know when power has been restored.

To learn more contact Nelson Hydro 24-hour toll-free at 877-324-9376 (877-32-HYDRO) for status updates.

9. What do I need to know about trees, branches, and power?

Trees sometimes pose a danger to power lines and to our customers, and Nelson Hydro maintains a three-metre clearance from primary distribution power lines for public safety by removing or trimming trees as necessary.

Nelson Hydro does not trim around service lines to homes, which is the customer’s responsibility. You can hire a licensed arborist, or you can do the work yourself. You must contact Nelson Hydro and communications companies (such as phone and cable) to drop the service lines while the work is being done. Contact Nelson Hydro 250-352-8240 between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m.

10. Electrical emergency and safety: what should I know?

Downed or Dangling Lines

Stay at least 10 metres away from the downed power line. Watch for conductive materials like fences and secure the area. Do not touch or go near the wire; even if it is on the ground, it may still be live and could kill you. Contact Nelson Hydro (24-hour toll-free) at 877-324-9376 (877-32-HYDRO).

Electrical Substations & Warning Signs

Those warning signs are real! Nelson Hydro Substations contain high voltage equipment of up to 63,000 volts. Even much lower voltages can jump through the air and reach you. Contact with high voltage electricity can result in injury or death.

11. I want to locate the buried wires and electrical cables on my property. What should I do?

Anyone planning to excavate is required to contact BC One Call  at least three working days before the excavation begins.  This must be done before contacting anyone at Nelson Hydro.

12. What should I do if I damaged an electrical cable while I was working in my yard?

Never touch the cable even if you think you have not caused any damage. Contact Nelson Hydro immediately (24-hour toll-free) at 877-324-9376 (877-32-HYDRO).