What Lunenburg Electric Utility does (and what Nova Scotia Power does instead)
Lunenburg is one of five Nova Scotia towns that still run their own electricity utility. Lunenburg Electric Utility is the Town's electric service: it owns the distribution wires, transformers, service drops and meters across its service area, and it is also the utility that bills you. Its parent is the Town of Lunenburg.
The electricity itself, the bulk power flowing into Lunenburg, comes from Nova Scotia Power. Nova Scotia Power's grid delivers power to the Town's network under a wholesale arrangement, and the Town then distributes it across its own lines to your meter. Two utilities, one bill, one outage number.
Where Lunenburg Electric Utility delivers power
If your address is inside the Town of Lunenburg service area, the Town is your distributor, and the network also reaches several surrounding communities such as Garden Lots, Blue Rocks, First Peninsula, Stonehurst, Mason's Beach and Lilydale. Beyond that footprint on the South Shore, Nova Scotia Power is the wires owner. The Town's lines cover Old Town Lunenburg, the harbourfront and the adjacent peninsulas.
How Lunenburg's charges appear on your bill
A residential Lunenburg Electric Utility bill carries a fixed monthly Base Charge plus a per-kWh Energy Charge, set through the Town's rate schedule. Nova Scotia applies 15 % HST, but the provincial 10 % portion on residential home electricity is rebated at the till through the Your Energy Rebate Program, so households effectively pay only the 5 % federal portion. The cost stack reflects what the Town pays Nova Scotia Power for bulk power plus its own distribution and operating costs.
Contact details
Report a power outage
If your power is out, call the 24/7 after-hours power-outage dispatch at 902-527-0150. The Town's crews handle outages on the local distribution network; if the cause is upstream on Nova Scotia Power's transmission grid, restoration depends on Nova Scotia Power's crews.
New connection or service upgrade
For a new build, a service upgrade or any work that changes the wires or meter inside the Town's service area, you deal with Lunenburg Electric Utility. Call 902-634-4410 or visit https://www.townoflunenburg.ca/electric-utility.html. You will need the civic address, a site sketch, the service amperage signed off by your electrician, and the relevant Nova Scotia electrical permit.
Moving home, transferring or closing a service
For a move within the Town's service area, call Lunenburg Electric Utility: the Town closes the old billing account and opens the new one. Allow a couple of business days for a standard move, and a little more around month-end. If you are moving outside the service boundary, you will close the Lunenburg account and open a new one with Nova Scotia Power at the new address.
Meters, meter reading and accuracy
Lunenburg Electric Utility owns the meter at your address. If you suspect a fault, request an accuracy test: the Town arranges for the meter to be tested against Measurement Canada tolerances. If the meter reads outside tolerance, the test is free and you receive a billing adjustment; if it passes, the test fee is charged to you at the Town's tariff rate.
What do you need to do with Lunenburg Electric Utility?
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Note: under AUC Rule 002, Alberta distributors are not required to pay automatic compensation for outages. Damage claims are evaluated case-by-case on negligence.
Compensation and damage claims
Nova Scotia has no statutory automatic-compensation scheme for individual outages. You can file a damage claim with Lunenburg Electric Utility, evaluated case-by-case on negligence. Losses from weather, third-party contact, wildlife or planned outages are routinely denied. For most residential losses, home insurance is faster and more likely to pay out.
Regulator and complaint escalation
Lunenburg Electric Utility answers to Lunenburg Town Council, which approves its rate schedule, and is regulated as a municipal electric utility by the Nova Scotia Energy Board (NSEB), formerly the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board (NSUARB). If a billing or service dispute cannot be resolved with the Town directly, you can escalate to the Town's customer service team and, ultimately, to the Nova Scotia Energy Board.