late fees returning to nova scotia power bills starting oct. 1
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chris lanteigne, nova scotia power's director of customer care, answers questions during an interview inside his office at the company's headquarters on thursday, april 16, 2026.
ryan taplin - the chronicle herald
ryan taplin
nova scotia power will once again charge late fees on unpaid accounts starting in the fall, over a year after a freeze on fees was put in place.
chris lanteigne, the utility’s director of customer care, said wednesday that late fees will be reintroduced to bills starting oct. 1. the fees had been removed in april 2025 following a cyberattack that affected billing systems.
lanteigne said fees will not be charged retroactively on any balance accumulated before the deadline and will only be applied to unpaid bills from oct. 1 onward.
“we have previously communicated that we did want to provide notice, at least two months’ notice,” lanteigne said, adding that customers have time to contact the utility to avoid fees.
one of the ways he said customers can do that is by signing up for a repayment program. this includes rolling outstanding balances together for equal billing over a period of 12 months, or interest-free payment plans lasting up to 24 months.
“we have lots of options . . . for customers if they need help,” lanteigne said. “we encourage them to call us because we do have interest-free payment options, which allows customers to maintain interest-free help on those balances beyond october 1.”
nova scotia power’s current late fee is about 1.5 per cent per month to an annual maximum of 19.56 per cent per year, according to lanteigne.
late bills still high
according to the utility, around nine per cent of customers have overdue balances. this number sat around 4.5 per cent before the cyberattack. lanteigne said that, on average, the outstanding amount owed is around $1,300.
when asked about potential criticism from customers who may say they are being punished for issues caused by the cyberattack, lanteigne said the utility has reached a point where late fees can be reinstated.
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“we’ve worked really hard to ensure that the billing experience returned to normal. meters were reconnected with the first bills being issued back in december,” he said.
“so we feel we’re at a point where this continued return to normal operations is an important step for us.”
new fund announced
nova scotia power also announced a new community energy fund through its grassroots grants program. the $500,000 fund will provide matching financial aid to those who are eligible and already receiving support from community groups or charities.
according to nsp, the program will be funded by its parent company, emera, not ratepayers, and it will launch in the fall following consultation with the affordable energy coalition and other low-income advocates to work out details for how the program will function.
“we’re very proud of the new community energy fund. . . . we do know that we have a higher rate of customers with outstanding balances than we have seen in the past,” lanteigne said.
“we do believe that it will help customers who need it. but we’re always looking for ways to better support customers.”
the utility also unveiled an 18-month extension for a pilot program implemented last year that waived late interest fees for eligible low-income customers receiving support through recognized charity organizations.
“when customers call about their power bills, that they have questions, our team is here to help with these interest repayment options and plans,” lanteigne said.
“it’s important that customers do reach out to us and talk to us.”
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