What Riverport Electric Light Commission does (and what Nova Scotia Power does instead)

Riverport is one of five Nova Scotia communities that still run their own electricity utility. Riverport Electric Light Commission is the local electric service: it owns the distribution wires, transformers, service drops and meters inside its service area, and it is also the entity that bills you. As one of the smallest electric utilities in North America, the Commission shares its day-to-day operations and staff with the neighbouring Mahone Bay Electric Utility from a single office at 493 Main Street, Mahone Bay.

The electricity itself, the bulk power flowing into Riverport, comes from Nova Scotia Power. Nova Scotia Power's grid delivers power to the Commission's network under a wholesale arrangement, and the Commission then distributes it across its own lines to your meter. Two utilities, one bill, one outage number.

Where Riverport Electric Light Commission delivers power

If your address is inside the Commission's service area in the community of Riverport, the Commission is your distributor. Beyond that small footprint in Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia Power is the wires owner. The service area is among the most compact of any electric utility on the continent.

How Riverport's charges appear on your bill

A residential Riverport Electric Light Commission bill carries a fixed monthly Base Charge plus a per-kWh Energy Charge, set through the Commission'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 Commission pays Nova Scotia Power for bulk power plus its own distribution and operating costs.

Contact details

After-hours emergency line
902-543-2502

Outages, downed wires, anything dangerous. For an immediate hazard, call 911 first.
Shared office (business hours)
902-624-8327

Shared office hours, Monday to Friday (Atlantic time); after-hours emergency line evenings, weekends and holidays

Report a power outage

If your power is out, call the after-hours emergency line at 902-543-2502, staffed evenings, weekends and holidays. The Commission'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 service area, you deal with Riverport Electric Light Commission. Call 902-624-8327, the shared office it runs with Mahone Bay, or visit https://www.riverportelectric.com/. 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 service area, call Riverport Electric Light Commission: the Commission 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 area, you will close the Commission account and open a new one with Nova Scotia Power at the new address.

Meters, meter reading and accuracy

Riverport Electric Light Commission owns the meter at your address. If you suspect a fault, request an accuracy test: the Commission 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 Commission's tariff rate.

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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 Riverport Electric Light Commission, 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

Riverport Electric Light Commission answers to its commissioners, who approve 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 Commission directly, you can escalate to the shared customer service team and, ultimately, to the Nova Scotia Energy Board.

Selectra energy expert answers

Is Riverport Electric Light Commission the same as Nova Scotia Power?
No. Riverport Electric Light Commission is the community-owned electric utility for Riverport. It runs the local distribution wires inside its small service area and is the entity that bills you. Nova Scotia Power generates the electricity and delivers it wholesale to the Commission's network. Two organisations: the Commission handles the wires-to-meter side and the bill, Nova Scotia Power supplies the bulk power.

The power is out in Riverport. Which number do I call?
The after-hours emergency line is 902-543-2502, covering evenings, weekends and holidays. If you see a downed live wire or any immediate hazard, call 911 first. The Commission's crews restore faults on the local distribution network; an upstream transmission fault is handled by Nova Scotia Power.

Is Riverport really one of the smallest utilities in North America?
Yes. Riverport Electric Light Commission serves only the small community of Riverport in Lunenburg County and is regularly described as one of the smallest electric utilities in North America. To stay viable at that size, its day-to-day operations and staff are shared with the neighbouring Mahone Bay Electric Utility from a single office at 493 Main Street, Mahone Bay. It is one of five town-owned electric utilities left in Nova Scotia, alongside Antigonish, Berwick, Lunenburg and Mahone Bay.

Who arranges a new connection in Riverport?
The Commission, for any address inside its service area: call 902-624-8327 or visit https://www.riverportelectric.com/. The same shared office that runs Mahone Bay Electric Utility handles the request. For an address outside the service area, Nova Scotia Power is the wires owner.

Can I pick a cheaper electricity supplier in Riverport?
No. Inside the service area, the Commission is the only entity allowed to distribute and retail electricity, and Nova Scotia has no retail competition. The way to lower a bill here is reducing usage, not switching supplier.