Bedford residential customers Kevin Lepage and Ann Leslie-Thorne appeal a DRO billing decision to the NSEB, presenting new evidence of potential smart meter overcounting since 2021 and a rate code discrepancy on identical neighbouring meters.

M12942 · NSPI DRO Appeal - Billing Issues - Kevin Lepage

AI summary

Appellants appeal DRO Don Farmer's June 24, 2026 Final Written Decision (Reference #260703001), which found NS Power had appropriately billed the account under Board Regulation 5.1 based on the self-reconciling nature of cumulative meters; appellants argue this logic fails if the physical meter is itself overcounting (L-3, Part 6).
New evidence obtained June 29, 2026 — after the DRO decision — shows subject meter #2047502 (Itron Centron OpenWay Riva, serial 2047502) has accumulated 151,066 kWh cumulative versus ~49,565 kWh on the consecutively-serialled, identically-specified neighbouring meter #2047503, a ratio of approximately 3:1, despite the neighbouring household having more occupants, more appliances, and operational air conditioning (L-3, Part 1; Smart Meter Comparison Report).
Appellants document a billing anomaly beginning in 2021 — daily usage approximately doubled from ~24 kWh/day in 2020 to ~48 kWh/day in 2021 with no new appliances or electric vehicle — predating both the first EV acquisition (2024) and the March 19, 2025 NS Power cyberattack; the 2025 billing year recorded the highest-ever usage despite a non-functional central air conditioning unit from May 16 to September 12, 2025 (confirmed by contractor records from MacDow Mechanical Ltd. and Quinn Electric & Energy) and one fewer EV (L-3, Parts 2–3; Attachment 4).
A rate code discrepancy is identified between the subject account (rate code 03B, upper-tier rate $0.19128/kWh) and the identical neighbouring account (rate code 02B, upper-tier rate $0.18187/kWh), both classified as standard residential Domestic Service; on the February 2026 bill alone (8,451 kWh), appellants calculate a $79.60 differential attributable solely to the rate code difference (L-3, Part 4; Attachment 7).
Appellants request, among other remedies: independent meter accuracy testing of #2047502 by Measurement Canada rather than NS Power's own accredited shop; recalculation of all bills since 2021 if overcounting is confirmed; Board resolution of an inconsistency between NS Power's June 23, 2026 Customer Relations email (identifying October 2025 and February 2026 as the true reconciliation reads) and the DRO decision (which references April 2025, October 2025, and February 2026 as actual reads); and an explanation of the rate code difference with cumulative financial impact since 2019 (L-3, Parts 6–7).

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What was filed

Documents filed on this day

L-1 DRO Notice of Appeal - Redacted exhibits
L-2 DRO Decision - Redacted exhibits
L-3 Appellant's Supporting Documentation - Redacted exhibits