British Columbians are already reeling under the impact of large price increases by B.C. Hydro, but one group who bought into Hydro’s E-Plus program in the 1980s might be seeing additional increases of up to 130 per cent on the cost of electricity used to heat their homes.
E-Plus was a program that was heavily promoted by Hydro and was based on increasing sales and profit by selling “surplus” power at a reduced rate for home heating. To qualify, homeowners spent thousands to meet strict requirements of energy efficiency and to install the backup heating systems that were prescribed.
Hydro now has many options for sales of surplus power, and claims the E-Plus rates are costing it money, so has advised users that it is considering asking the B.C. Utilities Commission for approval to phase out the rate.
Most E-Plus customers are now in their senior years, so if and when the program is eliminated, the added power cost will hit them hard.
This should not be a big issue for B.C. Hydro, as there are only about 10,000 households remaining on the program. Those numbers are shrinking steadily as users move on (the rate is not transferable to new homeowners) or are unable to keep up the requirements to qualify for the rate, so it would seem to make sense to let the program continue until it dies a natural death.
E-Plus customers who would like to work with others who oppose the elimination of the rate can contact the E-Plus Homeowners Group at eplusbcgroup@gmail.com.
Gary McCaig
Port Alberni
