Billing Process

Billing Process

We are continuing to work on restoring all regular services to our customers following the recent cyber incident.

While meters continue to accurately record energy usage, we are not currently able to retrieve this information and apply it to your bill. As a result, we are continuing to provide billing in two ways: physical meter reads and estimated bills.

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Meter Reading

We will attempt to get physical meter reads for most customers and provide a bill based on actual energy use. We have hired meter readers who are gathering energy use data from residential and business meters across the province. Reading a meter takes only minutes and you do not need to be home for your meter to be read.

Our meter readers wear Nova Scotia Power branded clothing and have a Nova Scotia Power identification badge with the word "Contractor" in the blue stripe at the bottom of the badge. Our contractor often uses rental vehicles for their work. These vehicles may have license plates from other provinces depending on the inventory that was available when the vehicle was secured.

If meter readers are unable to access your meter due to vegetation, pets, fencing, timing, or other circumstances, you will receive an estimated bill.

 

Estimated Bills

Estimated bills are based on an average of the previous energy used at your property during a similar time of year. When we are able to retrieve your current energy usage from your meter, your bill will be adjusted to reflect your actual usage.

We want to assure our customers that they will never pay for power they do not use. Any differences between estimated and actual usage will be addressed and accurately reflected in a future bill. We are not applying late charges or penalties on any outstanding balances, and we will communicate with customers before reintroducing any late fees on unpaid amounts. We do recommend paying the estimated amount, or close to it, to help manage account balances.

 

Customers wanting to know if their bill was estimated can look here on their bill:

Bill featuring estimate message

 

You may want to consider our Equal Billing plan for a predictable monthly payment that is based on your annual electricity usage. You can also learn more by calling our Customer Care team at 1-800-428-6230.

 

Meter Read Bills

If a meter reader is able to take a physical read of your meter, your next bill will be adjusted to remove any estimated usage. In this case, your bill will look different from your typical statement and will have a number of adjustments on it. Rest assured the charges are for your actual energy usage. You will never pay for power you did not use.

We are continuing to restore all services impacted by the cyber incident as quickly as possible. We are sincerely sorry and appreciate your patience. We're here to work with you and encourage customers with concerns to call us at 1-800-428-6230 to discuss options.

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The login experience looks different but the MyAccount dashboard remains the same. You can view your bills and make payments.

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Consider Equal Billing

Our Equal Billing Plan can help you manage your budget by spreading the cost of your annual electricity use over 12 equal monthly payments.

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Reset Your MyAccount Password

You can change your MyAccount password by clicking the "Forgot or want to change your password?" link on the login page. We recommend updating your password to help keep your account safe.

Frequently Asked Questions

Bills

How will you determine my bill amount?

We are continuing to provide billing to customers in two ways: physical meter reads and estimated bills. A meter read will provide you with a bill based on your actual energy use. If meter readers are unable to access your meter due to vegetation, pets, fencing, timing, or other circumstances, you will receive an estimated bill. Estimated bills are based on an average of the previous energy used at your property during a similar time of year.

What happens if you estimate my bill higher or lower than it’s supposed to be?

When we are able to retrieve your current energy use from your meter, your bill and account will be adjusted to reflect your accurate usage. Customers will never pay for power they do not use.

If the estimate is based on last year, my bill won’t be accurate. I have since installed a heat pump, bought an electric vehicle, etc.

Estimates will be based on last year's same time period usage and it may not reflect changes that have been made since then. When we are able to retrieve your current energy use from your meter, your bill and account will be adjusted to reflect your accurate usage. If you would like to discuss your bill, please call our Customer Care team at 1-800-428-6230.

How will I know if my bill was estimated?

At the top of your bill, there will be a note to confirm that your usage has been estimated for the billing period. Learn more about how to read your bill here >

Bill featuring estimate message

Are you charging late fees penalties?

We are not applying late charges or penalties on any outstanding balances, and we will communicate with customers before reintroducing any late fees on unpaid amounts.

I'm not comfortable paying an estimated bill. What are the other options?

Equal Billing remains an option for our customers. By signing up for Equal Billing, customers can spread out the cost of their annual bill over equal monthly payments. Making regular payments will help keep your bill balance from growing. We’re here to support you. Please talk to us if you have questions or would like to discuss payment options.

How long are you going to be estimating my bill?

We will attempt to get physical meter reads for most customers and provide a bill based on actual energy use. If meter readers are unable to access your meter due to vegetation, pets, fencing, timing, or other circumstances, you will receive an estimated bill. We will continue to provide further updates as more information on timing becomes available.

How many days are included in my bill?

In most cases, bills will be based on a similar ~60 day billing cycle that customers are used to seeing. There may be some exceptions. Please refer to your bill for more details.

Why are there adjustments on my bill. What do they mean?

When we resumed billing, we provided an estimated bill. For many customers, we are now able to provide a bill based on actual usage through a physical meter read. An adjustment for the actual power used will be reflected on your latest bill. Details on the billing period and charges for usage in kilowatt hours are outlined on your statement. Your adjustment also accounts for taxes and the provincial energy rebate.

I’m on Equal Billing. How does this affect me?

Customers on Equal Billing will continue to be billed their current monthly amount. The regular mid-year review of your account that we do to verify if your monthly equal billing payment is in line with your actual usage will be delayed.

I’m a Time-of-Day, Time-of-Use, or Critical Peak Pricing customer. What does this mean for me?

Bills will be estimated based on your energy usage from the same time period in 2024.

How do I sign up for Equal Billing?

It’s easy to sign up for Equal Billing. Call our Customer Care team at 1-800-428-6230 to learn more.

Can I switch to paperless or create a new MyAccount?

If you want to create a new MyAccount profile and go paperless, please give us a call at 1-800-428-6230 to start the process.

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Payments

Did you get my payment?

Payments made through MyAccount, or your bank, will be applied to your account and reflected on your MyAccount dashboard and on your next bill. You may also confirm a recent payment by calling 1-800-428-6230 and using our self-service menu. Please have your account number ready to use this option.

Will my future automated payments be processed on time?

Yes. All payments moving forward will be processed as expected.

Can I cancel my pre-authorized debit arrangement?

Yes, if you wish to cancel or modify your payment method, please contact Customer Care. If you make automated payments through MyAccount, you have full control over your payments. Just login to MyAccount to view or adjust your scheduled payments or make changes to your payment preferences.

Should I trust Nova Scotia Power with my bank account information on payments?

We are working hard to continue strengthening the security of our systems by implementing additional safeguards to help prevent similar incidents in the future. There are numerous options to pay your Nova Scotia Power bill including through your bank via online banking.

MyAccount looks different! Should I trust my online MyAccount?

Yes, you can trust MyAccount. While the login experience looks different, the dashboard remains the same. MyAccount is safe and reliable, keeping your information protected.

It has been safely relaunched following the recent cyber incident to restore access and provide you with a secure and reliable billing experience as quickly as possible.

How do I change my MyAccount password?

You can change your MyAccount password by clicking the "Forgot or want to change your password?" link on the login page. We recommend updating your password to help keep your account safe.

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Meters & Data

Why is my meter saying “noSynch”?

Meters have continued to work and measure usage accurately throughout the cyber incident. The meters are not yet able to communicate the data to our systems and that is why the meter display may say "noSynch".

When my meter starts providing usage data again how will you know it's accurate?

Meters have continued to work and measure usage accurately throughout the cyber incident. The issue is with the sending of the data to our internal systems. When meters are once again able to communicate with our systems the data will transfer from the meter to us.

Will you be hiring meter readers to do physical meter reads?

Yes. To provide customers with a bill based on their actual energy use, we have hired meter readers who will be gathering energy use data from residential and business meters beginning in July 2025.

What should I expect if a meter reader is coming to my property?

Reading a meter takes only minutes and you don’t have to be home to have your meter read. In most cases our meter readers will access your meter through your property.

What happens if a meter reader can’t access the meter on my property?

If vegetation, pets, fencing or anything else is blocking access to your meter, you will receive an estimated bill based on an average of the previous energy used at your property during a similar time of year.

Where is MyEnergy Insights?

MyEnergy Insights remains unavailable. We continue working to restore access to MyEnergy Insights. We appreciate your patience as we work to restore all services following the cyber incident.

Do the hackers have access to my meter information?

The types of impacted personal information varied by individual customer and may have included your customer account history, such as power consumption, service requests, payments, billing and credit history, and customer correspondence.

I have opted out of smart meters and have an analog/digital meter. How does this affect me?

Your meter will continue to be read as part of the same process that has been in place for opt-out customers.

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