Knowing how to read your BC Hydro residential customer bill is a good way to monitor your exact electricity usage and see how conservation efforts can reduce your expenses.

Select the links below for a section-by-section explanation of what's on your bill and why, plus links to more information.

Click on bill to enlarge image.

Prepared For (Billing and Service Address) Invoice Number Meter Reading Information Next meter reading kWh Daily Average Usage Take action Page Remittance stub Billing Date Pay By Account Number(s) Please Pay Customer Service Previous Bill Electric Charges Residential Conservation Rate Usage Charge Rate Rider Innovative Clean Energy Fund Levy Regional Transit Levy GST Total Step Usage Graph Step 1 Threshold Summary of taxes Bill Summary Amount Paid

1. Prepared For:

Billing and service address for account.

2. Invoice Number:

Unique number identifying this particular bill.

3. Meter Reading Information:

Information here includes:

• unique meter number
• meter reading from your last bill
• most recent meter reading
• number of days in billing period, and
• total kilowatt hours (kWh) used

4. Next meter reading:

Approximate date meter will be read again.

5. kWh Daily Average Usage:

Average electricity use per day during previous billing periods. This provides a snapshot of your seasonal consumption.

Under the Conservation Rate customers pay a lower price for the first amount of electricity used (Step 1) in the billing period and a higher price for the remainder of consumption after that (Step 2).

Because the graph in this section shows your average daily consumption, it provides a general indication of whether your consumption will move into Step 2.

The threshold between steps is 1,350 kWh per average two-month billing cycle. This translates to 22.1918 kWh per day (which is the 1,350 kWh multiplied by six bi-monthly billing periods per year, divided by 365 days in the year).

You can get a rough idea whether your consumption will move into Step 2, since each bar on the graph shows average daily consumption per billing period.

• If average daily consumption is below 22.1918 kWh per day, you will only pay the Step 1 price.
• If average daily consumption is more than 22.1918 kWh per day, you will pay the Step 2 price for a portion of electricity consumed.

Get more information on the Conservation Rate.

6. Take action:

BC Hydro has a team of energy conservation advisors available by phone or via the Internet who can help you save electricity and money.

When you call, you can speak with an agent who will look at your consumption, talk with you about how you use electricity at home, and fill you in about tips and programs specific to your situation.

7. Page:

Total pages in bill.

8. Remittance stub:

If paying by mail, detach this portion and include it with your payment.

Be sure the return address shows through the envelope window.

9. Billing Date:

Date account was billed.

10. Pay By:

Late payment charges will apply after the 'Pay By' date.

Please allow enough time for mail, bank, or electronic processing to avoid a late charge of 1.5% per month on unpaid amounts of $30 or more.

NOTE: Pre-Authorized Payment customers will see Pre-authorized Payment instead and area will be blank if there is a credit on the account.

11. Account Number(s):

BC Hydro account number(s).

For customers with more than one service location (e.g. a summer cabin), each location will have a separate account number that will appear.

Please have this number handy when you call Customer Service. You will also need it when paying through a financial institution, at the ATM, by phone, or over the Internet.

If paying by cheque, write your account number on the front of your cheque.

12. Please Pay:

Total amount due by 'Pay By' date.

13. Customer Service:

If you have questions please call Customer Service at 1 800 224 9376.

To report a power outage, call 1 888 769 3766.

You can mail us at BC Hydro, PO Box 9501 Stn Terminal, Vancouver, B.C. V6B 4N1.

You can also send an online question by using the form at www.bchydro.com/contact.

14. Previous Bill:

Amount of your previous bill, payments made since, and any difference.

15. Electric Charges:

Details of your electricity consumption and charges, plus fees and levies used to calculate your entire bill.

These charges are explained in sections 16-21.

16. Basic charge:

Days billed under the basic charge of 12.64 cents per day, and the total charge.

• The basic charge partially recovers fixed costs of providing service, whether or not any electricity is used during the billing period.

17. Usage Charge:

This has two components. Step 1 is consumption up to the Step 1 threshold amount. Step 2 is consumption above the threshold.

• Your Step 1 threshold is prorated based on the number of days in your billing period multiplied by 22.1918 kWh, which is the daily equivalent of the 1,350 kWh threshold for the average two-month billing period.
• You only pay the Step 2 price on remaining electricity consumed over the threshold.
• Prices are 5.91 cents/kWh for Step 1 electricity and 8.27 cents/kWh for Step 2 electricity.

Step 1: Amount of electricity consumed in Step 1 and your total for this consumption.
Step 2: Amount of electricity consumed in Step 2 and your total for this consumption.

• If your total consumption is below your Step 1 threshold, your bill will show zero consumption and a zero charge on the Step 2 line.

Get more information on the Conservation Rate.

18. Rate Rider:

1.00 per cent is applied to the total of all charges, before taxes and levies, used to pay down BC Hydro's deferral accounts. Deferral accounts are used to record unexpected costs and prevent sudden rate fluctuations that could result, for example, from higher-than-forecast market prices for energy.

19. Innovative Clean Energy Fund Levy
A provincial government levy of 0.4 per cent applied to all basic, energy and energy-related charges, before taxes and levies. It is not applied to the Regional Transit Levy, GST, Miscellaneous Charges such as LPC, Meter Rental Charge, Account Charge (Move In Fee), Non-energy Charges (for example reconnect charges), or the Meter Reading Charge. Funds collected are neither retained nor used by BC Hydro. More information on the fund is available on the B.C. Government's website

20. Regional Transit Levy
In the Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD), BC Hydro collects a transit levy on behalf of TransLink. This levy is not set nor are any funds retained by BC Hydro. If you have any questions about the regional transit levy, please contact TransLink Revenue Dept. at 1700 - 4720 Kingsway, Burnaby, B.C. V5H 4N2.

21. GST:
Goods and Services Tax of 5% collected on all items marked with an asterisk.

22. Total:
Sum of charges, levies, and taxes.

23. Step Usage Graph:
This graph shows how much electricity you consumed below and above the Step 1 threshold, and the cost per kWh of that electricity.

24. Step 1 Threshold:
Explanation of how the threshold between the lower-priced Step 1 and higher-priced Step 2 is determined.

Get more information on the Conservation Rate.

25. Summary of taxes:

Details on GST owing on bill.

26. Bill Summary:

Same information about billing date, due date, account number, and amount due that appears at top of bill.

27. Amount Paid:

Please fill in the amount of payment under "Amount Paid" and return with payment.