Frequently Asked Questions

We are here to help and have flexible, interest-free payment plans.

Equal Billing allows you to roll your current bill balance in with your annual usage for one predictable, interest-free monthly payment. This helps you manage your budget by spreading the cost of your annual electricity use over 12 equal monthly payments. Sign up today >

We have other interest-free payment options available. You can explore payment options using our automated system by calling 1-800-428-6230. There is no need to speak to an agent if one of these options works for you.

We understand that every situation is unique. If you'd like to discuss payment arrangements, please call Customer Care to speak directly with a member of our team.

For break down on everything you’ll find on your bill, and what it all means, visit How to Read Your bill.

It’s easy to sign up for Equal Billing. Just complete our online form or Call our Customer Care team at 1-800-428-6230 to learn more.

If you want to create a new MyAccount profile and go paperless, please give us a call at 1-800-428-6230 to start the process.

Since April 2025, we have not charged late fees on overdue accounts. During that time, we committed to providing customers with at least 60 days' notice before late fees returned to ensure they had time, information, and options to address outstanding balances. On July 15, 2026 we notified customers that late fees on overdue balances will return on October 1, 2026.

When you sign up for MyAccount you are automatically signed up to receive your bills electronically. If you need support registering please visit Create or Manage You Account.

Yes. Visit our Move Power form within MyAccount. Please give us 10 business days to move your connection, and please be advised that a security deposit may be required.

Some municipalities operate their own electric service. If you live in Antigonish, Berwick, Canso, Lunenburg, Mahone Bay or Riverport, please contact your local provider to request service. 

Yes. Visit your bank's website and select Nova Scotia Power as a payee.

More than 70% of Canadian homes and businesses currently use smart meter technology. Our supplier, Itron, has successfully installed more than 80 million CENTRON® meters in North America, including 20 million OpenWay® CENTRON meters without any safety issues. The smart meters installed in Nova Scotia are the latest generation meter in this line called the OpenWay® Riva CENTRON Meter.

Smart meters are tested in accordance with safety standards established by a number of industry standards bodies. Our meters meet or exceed all government regulations and safety standards set by Measurement Canada and Health Canada Safety Code 6.

Smart meters in Nova Scotia also meet Underwriters Laboratories safety standard 2735. This safety standard is a written document that outlines the process in which smart meters are tested to help mitigate risk, injury, or danger. Underwriters Laboratories is an internationally recognized standard-setting organization which combines extensive safety research, scientific expertise, and an uncompromising focus on quality. Our supplier was required to provide us with smart meters approved by Underwriters Laboratories. In October 2018, they received a notice of completion and authorization to apply the Underwriters Laboratories mark, indicating that our meters complied with their safety requirements.

No. Energy use, the weather, and the number of days between meter readings are factors that can increase bills. Like all meters, smart meters measure consumption, but do not affect energy use. Like analogue and digital meters, smart meters are regulated by Measurement Canada and undergo rigorous and regular quality testing to ensure power consumption calculations are accurate.

Learn more about Measurement Canada regulations:

• General information
• Laws and requirements
• Meter accuracy
• Questions and answers on electricity meters, including smart meters  

If your bill seems higher than usual, please contact Customer Care at 1.800.428.6230 and they will be happy to assist.

With more that 95% of homes and business in Nova Scotia now having smart meters – we continue to build the network and transition the meters to remote billing, meaning that in most cases in-person meter reads for billing purposes will no longer be required every two months.

We know some customers like to read their meter occasionally. Here’s how to read your smart meter:

• Smart meters cycle through several screens before they display the kilowatt hours (“kWh”) reading. These screens are normal.
• For residential customers, the screen that shows the kWh usage will appear with a code “d1” to the left. This screen also displays the kWh used.

Not sure if you have a smart meter? As pictured below, smart meters have a digital display, are branded with the name OpenWay® Riva, and in most cases have a blue label. 

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Need help? Our Customer Care centre will be happy to walk you through the process. You can call them at 1.800.428.6230.

Your time-of-day rates will remain the same with a smart meter, plus you’ll have access to all the benefits of smart technology.

TOD customers with an Electric Thermal Storage (“ETS”) unit connected to their meter may require a timer be installed at the same time as their smart meter.

• If you require a timer - you will be contacted by an ETS contractor in your area who will book an appointment at a time that’s convenient for you and arrange to visit your property. It will take the electrician about an hour to install the timer. Once complete, the contractor will notify us, and we’ll schedule your meter upgrade. The upgrade takes less than 15 minutes to complete and you’ll  experience a momentary loss of power.
• If you do not require a timer - our technician will simply remove your current meter and replace it with a new smart meter. This takes less than 15 minutes to complete, and you’ll experience a momentary loss of power. No appointment needed.

The timer being installed is called the OMRON Digital Daily Time Switch (H5F).

Yes! You will require a bi-directional smart meter – one that collects energy use data going into both your premise, and the grid, while also retaining the ability to transmit this information to our data centre. 

All devices that use wireless communication produce radio frequency (“RF”) emissions, also referred to as “RF energy”. This includes everyday use items such as cellular phones, computers and wi-fi routers.

Health Canada’s Safety Code 6 sets the safe exposure limits for RF energy from wireless devices. The code reflects an ongoing review of published scientific studies related to safe human exposure to RF energy, including non-thermal effects. The OpenWay® Riva CENTRON meters installed in Nova Scotia adhere to Safety Code 6. In third-party testing conducted in October of 2020, a single smart meter installed on a detached residential home tested at 100x less than the safe exposure limit set by Health Canada’s Safety Code 6.

Since RF energy exposure levels in smart meters are far below Canadian and international safety limits, Health Canada does not require any precautionary measures to be taken. In cases where multiple smart meters are installed together, as in high-rise buildings, the total exposure levels from multiple smart meters are still far below Health Canada's RF energy exposure limits.

For more information, please visit Government of Canada, Radio Frequency Energy and Safety. This Health Canada website also provides more information about RF energy emitted from smart meters and why they do not pose a health risk.

 

Smart meters transmit energy use information, in an encrypted format, over a private and secure wireless network to our data centre. Smart meters do not transmit personal information. Our smart meters adhere to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Interagency Report 7628 that sets guidelines for smart grid cybersecurity.

We take the privacy of customer information very seriously. We do not sell personal information and only share it with third parties in limited circumstances to provide services to customers.

The steps we take to protect customer information is outlined in our privacy policy.