Table of Contents

• Metering Procedures
• Unmetered Service
• The Bill
• Prorating of Bills
• Estimated Billing
• Establishment of Rate Category
• Payment Terms and Late Payment Charges
• Metering Accuracy
• Billing Errors, Rebates and Back Billing
• The Harmonized Sales Tax

Metering Procedures

NB Power does not permit the initiation of a multiple metered Account that sums two or more Metering Points. For all new Customers, each Metering Point is a separate Account. If an existing multiple metered Premises requires a new service, reconnection or upgrade for any reason (including a change in ownership), each meter will be billed as a separate Customer Account.

When new buildings are constructed for services which combine a business operation and a Dwelling, owners must provide for the installation of separate meters. When major alterations are made to buildings or the wiring of buildings already containing combined service, owners must provide for the installation of separate meters.

Unmetered Service

If, in the opinion of NB Power, metering is not practical and usage of electricity is uniform and can be easily estimated, customers may be provided unmetered service. In such cases, no metering device is employed to record either the Demand or Energy.

The Bill

Every bill for metered service will show the last date the meter was read, the number of days in the Billing Period, the number of kilowatt hours (and the demand, if any), and will identify the appropriate Rate Category.

NB Power will assist Customers in checking the amounts indicated on their bills when requested to do so.

Prorating of Bills

If there are changes in NB Power's rate schedules, bills will be prorated over the number of days remaining in the Billing Period during which the change is effective. In succeeding Billing Periods, these changes will be effective for the entire Billing Period.

If a Billing Period is shorter or longer than the normal Billing Period as a result of disconnection, a New connection, or change in the meter reading schedule, the bill (including service charge, demand charge, energy charge, and all Rental Facilities charges) is prorated over the number of days in the Billing Period.

Estimated Billing

NB Power normally reads the Customer's meter every Billing Period. An exception is Residential Service to seasonal Customers, where consumption is estimated at zero for the months in which the meters cannot be read.

An estimated bill may be issued for any Billing Period in which any of the following has occurred:

• NB Power has taken appropriate and reasonable measures to read a Customer's meter but cannot gain access to read the meter;
• The Customer has denied acceptable access to NB Power's representative to read the meter;
• Circumstances beyond NB Power's control make an actual meter reading very difficult.

Estimated bills are payable in all respects as if they were based on actual meter readings.

Establishment of Rate Category

The Customer will inform NB Power regarding the use of the service. Based on this information, NB Power then establishes the applicable Rate Category.

Any customer whose use of service changes such that the Customer is subject to a different Rate Category will notify NB Power of this change. NB Power will then determine the applicable Rate Category and backbill or refund the Customer as appropriate subject to the provisions of the Electricity Act.

Payment Terms and Late Payment Charges

All bills for service are due when rendered and are subject to a late payment charge when payments are received after the date specified on the bill. The late payment charge is calculated on the amount unpaid as of the date of the next billing except for large industrial Customers.

For large industrial Customers, the late payment charge is calculated on any amount unpaid 30 days from the date of issue of the bill and is computed from this issue date to the date of receipt of payment.

Accounts are in arrears if there is other than a zero balance at the date of the next billing. Late payment charges are listed in Section O - Fees and Charges, Late Payment Charges.

Metering Accuracy

If a difference of opinion arises regarding the accuracy of the Metering Equipment, and NB Power and the Customer are not able to resolve the dispute, then either NB Power or the Customer may request that Measurement Canada conduct an accuracy test in accordance with the Electricity and Gas Inspection Act R.S.C. Ch. E-4. If the Customer initiates the request, it will be in writing.

If the test results indicate that meter accuracy is not within allowable limits as set out in the above Act, the Customer's Account will be adjusted in accordance with the provisions of this Act.

If the test results indicate that meter accuracy is within allowable limits and the Customer initiated the request, the Customer will be charged a service call fee specified under Section O - Fees and Charges, Service Call Fees. If the test results indicate that meter accuracy is within allowable limits and NB Power initiated the request, no service call fee will be charged.

Billing Errors, Rebates and Back Billing

The provisions of the Electricity and Gas Inspection Act R.S.C. c. E-4 and Section 104 of the Electricity Act apply in the implementation of backbilling.

If a Customer has been overbilled, NB Power will reimburse the difference between the amount billed and the amount the Customer should have been billed.

Customers will be compensated at the prime rate, as quoted by the Royal Bank of Canada, minus two per cent (2%).

Customers underbilled as a result of their illegal acts or willful damage or interference with equipment used to record the consumption of energy, are backbilled for the full error over the time the error is deemed or determined to have existed. In all other cases the backbilling is limited to six months.

The Harmonized Sales Tax

The Harmonized Sales Tax applies to all rates and charges in sections N, O-1 and O-2 with the exception of Late Payment Charges in section O-1.

The Harmonized Sales Tax applies only to the amount of contribution to be paid by the Customer, based on the rates and charges in sections O-3 and O-4.

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