Customers Doug Fulljames and Karen Ward appeal DRO billing decision to NSEB, arguing a $2,131.97 bill for a seasonal cabin is physically impossible given the property's minimal connected load.

M12915 · NSPI DRO Appeal - Billing Issues - Doug Fulljames and Karen Ward

AI summary

The appellants dispute a May 26, 2026 bill of $2,131.97 for 10,811 kWh over 240 days (45.0 kWh/day) at a seasonal cabin whose sole electrical load is a refrigerator and chest freezer; a verified 15-day post-period reading showed actual consumption of only 4.26 kWh/day (F-1, Section II).
DRO Don Farmer, P.Eng. issued a Final Written Decision on June 25, 2026 upholding Nova Scotia Power's billing under Billing Procedures Regulation 5.1, finding the meter tested within prescribed accuracy limits and that cumulative billing methodology was correctly applied (F-2).
The appellants argue the DRO conflated two distinct questions — meter accuracy versus whether the recorded consumption is physically plausible — and that the accuracy test does not address whether the September 2025 estimated reading was reasonable for a seasonal account with a known minimal load profile (F-1, Section IV).
NS Power's own billing history printed on the disputed bill shows consistent actual readings of 2.0–2.5 kWh/day at this property, and a pattern where anomalously high reconciliation bills appear only in May following extended estimated-read periods (May 2025: 13.8 kWh/day; May 2026: 45.0 kWh/day), suggesting compounding estimation error (F-3, billing history table).
The appellants request the Board order NS Power to disclose its September 2025 estimation methodology, issue a billing adjustment based on the verified 2.0–2.5 kWh/day baseline, and review whether NS Power's estimation practices for seasonal accounts constitute a systemic issue; a Measurement Canada independent meter test under Regulation 5.5(c) is also pending (F-1, Section V).

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What was filed

Documents filed on this day

F-1 NSPI DRO Appeal - Redacted exhibits
F-2 NSPI DRO Decision with Attachments - Redacted exhibits
F-3 Appellants' Supporting Documentation - Redacted exhibits