For the many British Columbians faced with the balancing act of managing their household finances, the winter season can be especially challenging. Cooler-than-average temperatures lead to higher-than-average electricity bills, especially for those using electric heat (about 40% of British Columbians).

In December 2017, about 90,000 residential customers paid their BC Hydro bill late. Since 2010, an average of between 10% and 15% of customers have paid their bills late each month.

On Feb. 9, 2018, BC Hydro announced enhanced measures to help its customers manage electricity costs:

Winter Payment Plan:

• BC Hydro is launching the Winter Payment Plan, giving customers the option to spread bill payments over a six-month period.
• The winter billing period runs from Dec. 1, 2017, to March 31, 2018.
• This plan was successfully piloted last winter, with more than 4,000 customers signing up.
• Customers who would like participate this year can call 1 800 BCHYDRO to set up individual payment arrangements.

Low-income conservation programs:

• Over the next three years, BC Hydro will spend $10 million – an increase of $2.2 million – on low-income conservation programs to help customers in need.
• These programs include:
  • The Energy Conservation Assistance Program, in partnership with FortisBC, provides free energy assessments and energy-saving products, such as new ENERGY STAR refrigerators and insulation upgrades. Over 13,000 customers have participated, including more than 3,600 First Nations’ homes in 90 communities.
  • Energy-savings kits, which include a number of simple, easy-to-install products, such as energy-efficient LED light bulbs and weather stripping, have been distributed to more than 100,000 customers since 2008. These kits has resulted in over $4 million in annual electricity cost savings to BC Hydro’s low-income customers.
  • More than 20% of BC Hydro’s residential customers qualify for low-income assistance. This is the result of increasing the income point for low-income qualification from $44,000 to $57,000.

BC Hydro offers existing payment options, conservation programs and online tools that have helped hundreds of thousands of customers reduce their electricity use and save on their bills, including:

Equal Payment Plan:

• BC Hydro offers an Equal Payment Plan that can be set up anytime.
• The plan takes usage from the most-recent 12 months and divides it into equal monthly payments, helping to make monthly budgeting easier.
• Over 440,000 BC Hydro customers are on an Equal Payment Plan.
• Customers can set up a plan by calling 1 800 BCHYDRO.

Online electricity tracking tools:

• Customers can set up an online MyHydro account at bchydro.com and access free electricity tracking tools to get a better understanding of how they are using electricity and look for ways to save.
• These tools allow customers to see their electricity use per hour, and to compare their electricity use:
  • to similar homes nearby;
  • to last year’s use; and
  • to the average outside temperature.

Team Power Smart:

• Customers can join Team Power Smart and start the Reduction Challenge, committing to reducing their household's electricity use by 10% over the next 12 months.
• After 365 days, customers will receive a $50 reward if they are successful in meeting their goal.
• Over 135,000 customers are participating in Team Power Smart.