Nova Scotia Power (NSP) says they are on track to fully restore their automatic billing system by March 31 after a major cyberattack earlier last year.
Hackers had access to personal information of roughly 280,000 customers during a breach last year.
The company explained that while meters kept tracking energy use, the network connection used to read that information went down during the incident.
By the end of January, 84 per cent of customer bills reflected accurate readings, and 75 percent of smart meters are communicating with the network properly.
NSP says once the system is back to full capacity, customers with balances owing will have the option to roll any leftover debt into an equal billing plan spread out over 12 months which will remain interest-free.
“They’ll have predictable payments every month moving forward to help take care of any available balance,” says Director of Customer Care, Chris Lanteigne.
Lanteigne says it’s unlikely that customers will see any refunds as most people were given estimates lower than their actual usage.
“What we’re seeing right now is the situation where the customer actually has a balance owing with us,” he explains. “That’s why we want them to reach out and talk to us, so that we can help them with a solution.”
Despite the challenges, the company emphasized their commitment to accurate billing and customer support.
Province urges energy board to reject rate hike
Novs Scotia Power has applied for a rate hike of 8.1 per cent over two years.
The province says they continue to urge the energy board to reject the submission after the utility submitted its closing response to intervenors, Friday.
Premier Tim Houston says electricity is a basic right and residents are struggling to pay their bills.
“This out‑of‑touch request for a residential rate increase should be denied,” says Houston in a statement.
He adds, Nova Scotia Power needs to show greater transparency and better performance before asking customers to pay more.
-with files from Caitlin Snow
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