How BC's regulated electricity market works

BC kept its electricity market vertically integrated rather than deregulating it the way Alberta did in the late 1990s. The result is simpler for customers: one utility, one bill, one regulator. The utility that owns the wires at your address is also the company that generates or buys the energy and sends you the bill. There is no separate retailer to switch to, no fixed-vs-variable plan to compare. Rates are approved by the BC Utilities Commission (BCUC) after public hearings.

One utility per address
Vertically integrated
  • Owns the wires, poles, transformers, meter
  • Generates or buys the energy you consume
  • Sends a single combined bill each month
  • Rates approved by BCUC, fixed by address
No retail choice
Different from Alberta and Ontario
  • ×No competitive electricity retailers in BC
  • ×No fixed-rate vs variable-rate plans to compare
  • ×No Rate of Last Resort or default supplier confusion
  • ×The only way to a different utility is to move

All 9 BC electricity utilities

Click any card for the full contact, outage, rates and territory page.

BC Hydro
BC Hydro
Vancouver

Crown corporation (provincially owned)

Customers: approximately 2 million customer accounts (residential, commercial, industrial)
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FortisBC (Electric)
FortisBC (Electric)
Kelowna

Investor-owned electricity distributor

Customers: approximately 178,000 customers
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City of Penticton Electric Utility
City of Penticton Electric Utility
Penticton

Municipally-owned electric utility

Customers: approximately 16,000 customer accounts
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District of Summerland Electric Utility
District of Summerland Electric Utility
Summerland

Municipally-owned electric utility

Customers: approximately 6,500 customer accounts
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Nelson Hydro
Nelson Hydro
Nelson

Municipally-owned electric utility with own generation

Customers: approximately 10,800 customer accounts
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New Westminster Electrical Utility
New Westminster Electrical Utility
New Westminster

Municipally-owned electric utility

Customers: approximately 33,000 customer accounts
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City of Grand Forks Electric Utility
City of Grand Forks Electric Utility
Grand Forks

Municipally-owned electric utility

Customers: approximately 2,200 customer accounts
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Sonoma Pines Electric
Sonoma Pines Electric
West Kelowna

Private electric utility serving a master-planned community

Customers: small private development (a few hundred customer accounts)
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Sun Rivers Electric
Sun Rivers Electric
Kamloops

Private electric utility serving a master-planned community

Customers: small private development (a few hundred customer accounts)
View utility

How to find your electricity utility in 60 seconds

1
Check your bill

The utility name and logo appear at the top of every BC electricity bill alongside your account number. There is only one company billing you.

2
Look up your address

BC Hydro and FortisBC both have address lookups on their websites. Outside their territories, you are on a municipal or community utility.

3
Ask your landlord or strata

In rental and condo settings, the building manager will confirm which utility services the address. Useful when you move in mid-month.

Frequently asked questions

How many electricity utilities operate in British Columbia?
Nine residential electricity utilities operate in BC. BC Hydro (Crown corporation) serves about 95 % of the province. FortisBC Electric (investor-owned) serves the Southern Interior. Five municipal utilities (Penticton, Summerland, Nelson Hydro, New Westminster, Grand Forks) serve their respective city limits, and two small private community utilities (Sonoma Pines in West Kelowna, Sun Rivers in Kamloops) serve specific master-planned developments. All are regulated by the BC Utilities Commission (BCUC).

Can I choose my electricity supplier in BC?
No. Unlike Alberta or Ontario, BC kept a regulated, vertically integrated electricity market. Each address has a single utility that owns the wires, generates or buys the energy and bills you. You only switch utilities by moving into a different service area.

How do I find out which utility serves my address?
Check your most recent electricity bill, or look up your address on the utility websites: bchydro.com for most of BC, fortisbc.com for the Southern Interior. Inside Penticton, Summerland, Nelson, New Westminster or Grand Forks city limits, you are on that city's municipal utility.

Who regulates electricity utilities in BC?
The BC Utilities Commission (BCUC) approves rates, reviews revenue requirement applications, approves capital projects and oversees service-quality reporting. Public hearings; full document registry at bcuc.com. Municipal utilities also have their service standards set by council bylaw.

Who do I call for a power outage?
Always your distributor, never a third party. Save these 24/7 numbers: BC Hydro 1-888-769-3766, FortisBC 1-866-436-7847. For municipal utilities: City of Penticton 250-490-2500, District of Summerland 250-494-6451, Nelson Hydro 250-352-3098, New Westminster 604-526-1515, City of Grand Forks 250-442-8266. For a downed live wire, call 911 first.

Why are BC electricity rates lower than Alberta or Ontario?
BC's grid runs mostly on legacy publicly-owned hydroelectric generation (the Peace, Columbia and Bridge river projects), which has very low operating cost. The BCUC sets BC Hydro and FortisBC rates on a cost-of-service basis, not a market price. The trade-off is no retail choice and limited variation between providers.