Latest news with #LoriClark
CBC
25-04-2025
- Business
- CBC
Rate increases, colder temps behind N.B. Power bill spikes, review finds
A spike in New Brunswick energy bills to start the winter was due to higher power costs and freezing temperatures, according to a third-party review. N.B. Power CEO Lori Clark told reporters Friday that she understands the findings may be of little comfort to those who struggled to pay their bills this winter, but she hopes the results will provide some level of confidence in the embattled utility. "Having the trust and confidence of New Brunswickers is important to the utility," Clark said. "It's one of the most important things for the utility. "This report today should give customers confidence that our metering and billing systems are working properly, and that smart meters actually provide a tool for them to help manage their energy usage over time." The assessment of N.B. Power bills by auditing service KPMG found that bills were about 25 per cent higher in December 2024 than the previous year. Of that increase, 13 per cent was based on a rate increase that took effect in April 2024 and 12 per cent was due to consumption. KPMG staff told reporters during a technical briefing that the figures line up with frosty temperatures, which were 11 to 16 per cent colder than the prior December. According to the report, there was a "statistically significant correlation between weather temperatures and power consumption." WATCH | Cold temperatures driving power costs: Cold temps, higher rates behind steep climb in December power bills, review says 32 minutes ago Duration 2:02 Billing periods were also an average of 1.24 days longer than the year before, and there were 68 per cent fewer outage hours than the same period the year prior. Billing cycles have fluctuated from 28 days to 31 days, but the utility says it plans to make them the same in future. Clark said the utility wants to find ways to lessen the burden of recent rate hikes on customers and is launching several initiatives with that aim. "We do know that the results of this will not make it any easier for some of those customers who are struggling to pay their bills to actually pay those bills," Clark said. "We know in New Brunswick that we have some of the lowest rates in Canada, but because of the high dependence on electric heat that our customers have some of the largest bills. So there are certainly some actions that we can take to help customers manage their consumption." Clark reiterated N.B. Power's commitment to applying "time of usage" metering once smart meters are installed across the province, likely next year. "Time of usage" billing will allow customers to opt in to a differential rate structure, where they pay more for power during peak times but a lesser rate outside those periods. 466 accounts got closer look To conduct its review KPMG analyzed 466 customer accounts, comparing December 2024 bills to December 2023 and November 2024. Of those, 275 did not have their meter changed in the last year, 46 had a winter peak in the last five years within 10 per cent of the consumption recorded in December 2024, and 33 had similar consumption levels to their peers following the change in meter. Another 92 customers had consumption levels 30 per cent or more higher than the previous year. KPMG recommended that N.B. Power contact those customers to see if there were other factors to help explain the sudden spike. Overall, the review found that there were 67 million more kWh used in December 2024 than in December 2023. The pre-tax costs to residential customers were $20 million higher, with roughly half being due to higher rates and half due to higher consumption.
Global News
25-04-2025
- Business
- Global News
NB Power says third party report found no significant errors in power bills
NB Power has shared the findings of a third-party report looking into high residential power bills. After many residents filed complaints of a spike this past summer, the report found no significant errors causing high bills. The residential customer assessment was completed by KPMG, a third-party auditing service. It tested a 'statistically significant' sample of 400 meters, as well as 100 meters in a risk-based sample. Only 12 meters in total between the two sample groups showed any signs of inaccurate readings, none of which were smart meters. According to NB Power CEO Lori Clark, those 12 meters were under-reporting power consumption levels. 'This report today should give customers confidence that our metering and billing systems are working properly and that smart meters actually provide a tool for them to help manage their energy usage over time,' said Clark. Story continues below advertisement The analysis attributed the high bills to increased rates, longer billing periods, fewer power outages compared to the previous winter, and colder weather. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'The challenge in New Brunswick is that as customers, we have a high dependence on electric heat,' said Clark. 1:39 Moncton woman joining growing chorus of NB Power bill complaints KPMG laid out several recommendations for NB Power to take in response to the results, including opening their equalized payment plan to customers with arrears up to $1,200, more standardized billing days, and applying to the Energy and Utilities Board to introduce optional time-of-use rates. That last action won't be taken until the rest of the province's smart meters are installed, said Clark. 'Once we get the smart meters rolled out, the next step would be to design or to have those time-of-use rates in front of the Energy and Utilities Board, get those approved and then applied to all customers at the same time.' Story continues below advertisement NB Power will also commit to testing 500 meters per year. The next step is a comprehensive review coming from the provincial government, which is expected to be completed by March 2026.
CTV News
25-04-2025
- Business
- CTV News
No link between NB Power smart meters and higher utility bills: review
A highly anticipated review of NB Power smart meters is reporting no link between the devices and higher utility bills. Results from the review, conducted by KPMG, were released Friday afternoon at NB Power's headquarters in Fredericton. In its report, KPMG said there were no power consumption increases for customers who changed to a smart meter from December 2023 to December 2024 that can be attributed to the meters. The KPMG review said the cause of higher-than-expected bills in December 2024 were due to: increased power prices higher power consumption levels due to cold weather temperatures longer billing periods fewer power outages compared to December 2023 NB Power gave the same explanation for higher power bills to customers before the provincial government ordered the review in January. The review was prompted by customer outrage over power bills, which in some cases were double or more compared to the previous year. According to the KPMG review released Friday, a random test of 400 meters (181 conventional meters and 219 smart meters) found none were overstating residential power use. A review of 40 additional meters – selected by NB Power in February – also found no discrepancies, according to the utility. KPMG said it tested 100 residential meters, where utility bills increased more than 30 per cent, and found no signs of overstated power use connected to the meters. KPMG said all the meters tested met the Measurement Canada dispute guidelines of three per cent accuracy. NB Power update on smart meters NB Power President and CEO Lori Clark and NB Power Vice-president of Operations Nicole Poirier speak to reporters in Fredericton on April 25, 2025. (Nick Moore/CTV Atlantic) 'We do know that the results from this review will not make it any easier for some of those customers who are struggling to pay their bills,' Lori Clark, president and CEO of NB Power, told reporters on Friday. 'It was very important for us to have an independent third-party review to have that validation from third parties, whether it be Environment Canada, Measurement Canada, KPMG, those groups, to validate the information that customers had on their bill, the billing process, as well that the meters are working properly. 'New Brunswickers should rest comfortably knowing that the audit was done by an independent group and also that in other jurisdictions, whether it's Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, or P.E.I., similar results were found when their reviews were done in those provinces as well.' In a statement, Energy Minister René Legacy said he had given 'a cursory look at the report and its findings, which should help to give New Brunswickers a level of confidence that the equipment and billing processes that NB Power is using is trustworthy.' Legacy said he'd be looking at the report more fully in the days to come. Green Party Leader David Coon said the review was disappointing because the explanations for higher utility bills still remained unclear. 'There are still a sizeable number of consumers, NB Power customers, who have unexplained, significant increases in their power consumption that gave them extremely high power bills,' said Coon. 'And they didn't answer that question.' NB Power says the rollout of smart meters to all residential dwellings should be finished by the end of 2025, totalling 375,000 devices across the province. A full copy of the KPMG report can be found online. More to come... For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
CBC
01-04-2025
- Business
- CBC
Advocates call for energy-poverty strategy as N.B. Power rates increase
A small group of protesters gathered outside N.B. Power's headquarters in downtown Fredericton on Tuesday, reciting poems and waving signs, calling for the April 1 hike to power bills to be put on hold. Nichola Taylor, provincial co-ordinator for the advocacy group ACORN, said the 9.6 per cent increase in residential rates is more than the province's most vulnerable can bear. "We just cannot afford it. We cannot afford these high energy rates," she said. "It's at the cost of low- to moderate-income people who are really struggling right now with high grocery prices and the increases in rent." Rates have shot up by about 30 per cent over the last three years as N.B. Power has struggled to balance its budget and meet government-mandated debt reduction targets N.B. Power CEO Lori Clark has assured lawmakers and the public that the utility has been trying to trim its expenses, but that ultimately, the only way it can increase the revenue necessary to meet its operational obligations is to increase rates. "The challenges that the utility has with debt today, we cannot cut our way out of," Clark told a legislative committee in February. "Cutting our way out of those challenges will result in us not being able to operate our system, not be able to maintain our assets, not be able to do vegetation management." Tuesday's rate increase is expected to generate between $160 million and $170 million in revenue this year. The most recent quarterly results available show an operating loss of $12 million. A spike in consumption over the winter increased scrutiny on N.B. Power and spurred the government to order an external audit of the billing system, which is expected to be released this month. The government fulfilled an election promise in January with a 10 per cent rebate on bills for residential customers, but complaints over high energy costs have persisted. And advocates want to see a comprehensive energy poverty strategy put into place. "The government has to step in," Taylor said. "They need to help out people." Premier Susan Holt told reporters last week that the government did look into stopping Tuesday's rate hike, but couldn't find a mechanism to do so. She said the government is planning a public review process of the utility with the goal of finding a sustainable path forward. "We want to be able to pay our power bills, we want to be able to develop out industry, we want to do so in a way that's environmentally friendly, we want to do so in a way that's affordable and sustainable in the long-term," Holt said. "We need a solution that's acceptable to New Brunswickers." Herb Emery, the Vaughan chair in regional economics at the University of New Brunswick, told CBC News there aren't any easy answers to the challenges faced by the utility. "In the short run, N.B. Power has to operate and price to meet the requirements they have under legislation," he said in an email. "On the other side, all [the government] can do is do some sort of rebate or cash transfer to relieve households and businesses." In the meantime, Taylor said those in the province who are struggling will be worse off today than they were the day before.
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Yahoo
Arlington, WA residents warned of group selling fake gold jewelry, stealing
The Brief Arlington police are asking the public to be extra vigilant after receiving reports of an organized crime ring targeting and scamming people across the city. Police said the group is selling fake gold jewelry and swindling people out of their money. ARLINGTON, Wash. - Arlington police are asking the public to be extra vigilant after they've received reports of an organized crime ring targeting people across the city and scamming them. Police said the group is selling fake gold jewelry and swindling people out of their money. It's happening up and down the I-5 corridor, outside of stores like Safeway and Walmart, as well as the Pilot Travel Center. "I don't like it, I think they need to be arrested or kicked out of here," Lori Clark said. The FBI identified the group as part of Romanian criminal organizations, according to Arlington police. They added, these individuals enter stores in groups, distract people, then steal things. They also pose as stranded drivers faking medical emergencies, or using children in a ploy to sell fake gold jewelry. What they're saying "They'll take whatever they can get, they'll take $20, $100, $1000," said Jimmy Metz, co-owner of Lizzy's Jewelry. "I feel like if people are buying gold from a parking lot that's probably not legitimate," Amanda O'Malley said. At Lizzy's Jewelry, it's their business to spot the real from the fake. "We can see that it's fake, and the customer really believes it's real, and it's worth $1,000, and it's not worth anything," Metz said. Metz told FOX 13 this is something they've been dealing with on and off again for five years. "Sometimes we'll see like five people a day for a week or two," Metz said. The group plays on people's emotions. The innocent shoppers will buy the fake jewelry, then come into their store to sell it. "They don't care about jewelry, they didn't really want the ring, they don't care about a necklace, they were doing it because they wanted to help these people get to the next town or whatever their story is," Metz said. Police are now urging people who live in Arlington to stay alert. "Please tell all of your friends and family members," Metz said. "Don't get sucked into the scam," he added. Arlington police say if you see any suspicious activity, always report it and call 911. The Source Information in this story is from Arlington Police and original FOX 13 Seattle reporting and interviews. Thieves steal 60 guns from South Hill, WA storage units FBI urges public to delete WA Good to Go text scam messages Best time to see the UW cherry blossoms in Seattle Seattle Seahawks reach deal with WR Cooper Kupp Flushing illegal contraband behind bars; WA youth facility leader says it's 'OK' To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter. Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national coverage, plus 24/7 streaming coverage from across the nation.
