A new report claims more than a third of New Brunswickers who use electricity for heat struggle to pay their electric bills.
The report from the Human Development Council says high energy prices make people choose between necessities like power, food and rent.
NB Power plans to ask the Energy and Utilities Board for a rate hike of 9.8 per cent in 2024 and another of 9.8 per cent in 2025.
“The Human Development Council has intervenor status in the hearing and will advocate for the interests of low-income residential ratepayers,” the council wrote in a news release.
About 13 per cent of residential NB Power customers missed payments as of March 2023. The average amount owed was $254.71, according to the news release.
A lot of people in New Brunswick deal with energy poverty, which is defined as spending more than 6 per cent of after-tax income on energy.
About 36 per cent of people who rely on electricity for heating were experiencing energy poverty, based on pre-pandemic numbers, the report said.
And about 15.7 per cent of power customers in the province were both low-income and experiencing energy poverty, which was also based on pre-pandemic numbers.
They say the solution is to create a rebate program for low-income power customers or to revise debt management, which would help people manage their payments to power companies.
“The data underscores the need for targeted interventions to address energy affordability and challenges in the province,” the council wrote.
