Electricity rates could rise by 8% for Nova Scotians

Nova Scotia Power executives are pushing for a customer rate change in 2026-27, and if they’re successful, residents will pay the price.

The utility is asking for the overall electricity rate to increase by four per cent over the next two years. To achieve this, residents would see an increase of eight per cent over that time frame, while some businesses and industrial customers could see a decrease in rates, up to 11.6 per cent lower by January 2027. 

Nova Scotia Power made its case to the Nova Scotia Energy Board over five days, finally adjourning on Tuesday. Customer representatives, government officials, expert witnesses and advocates weighed in on the hearing. 

Both the Nova Scotia Liberal and NDP parties intervened in the proceedings, opposing the rate change. 

“Electricity is an essential service. When the cost of that service rises faster than incomes and inflation, the consequences are real and immediate,” said interim Liberal Leader Iain Rankin in his opening statement on Jan. 7. 

If approved, residential rates will rise by 3.8 per cent immediately and increase again by 4.1 per cent on Jan. 1, 2027. 

Peter Duke, chair of the Affordable Energy Coalition, said this increase will heavily impact those who are already finding it difficult to keep the lights on.

In 2024, 43 per cent of Nova Scotians struggled to pay their energy bills, according to a report from Efficiency Nova Scotia. 

High energy bills force residents to make “untenable and unjust sacrifices of food, medicine, or appropriate living temperatures,” said Duke in his opening statement for the advocacy group on Jan. 7.

This increase comes after a challenging year for Nova Scotia Power, with a cyberattack in April which stole customers’ private information from its database and an incident surrounding inaccurate estimated bills at the end of 2025. 

The utility’s representatives at the hearing said the rate increase was calculated before the incidents, and the revenue needed does not include costs from the attack.  

“We know that there is never a good time to request an increase in electricity rates and that even small increases can have a big impact on families and businesses,” said Blake Williams, the senior director of regulatory affairs at Nova Scotia Power, in his opening statement for the utility on Jan. 7. 

The utility is seeking $4 billion in total revenue from 2026 and 2027. Representatives cited rising costs of service, infrastructure needs and costs related to becoming more reliable as some of the reasons for the overall rate increase. 

“If the increase is approved as requested, Nova Scotia Power’s profits will hit $212 million by 2027 — a 50 per cent increase in just four years,” wrote NDP energy critic Susan Leblanc in a statement after the hearing concluded on Tuesday.

“It’s not okay for people to be unable to afford to heat their homes while corporate profits continue to rise.”

Closing statements will be made by all parties on Jan. 30, with a chance for any party to respond the following Friday, Feb. 6, if needed.