A highly anticipated review of NB Power smart meters is reporting no link between the devices and higher utility bills.
Results from the review, conducted by KPMG, were released Friday afternoon at NB Power’s headquarters in Fredericton.
In its report, KPMG said there were no power consumption increases for customers who changed to a smart meter from December 2023 to December 2024 that can be attributed to the meters.
The KPMG review said the cause of higher-than-expected bills in December 2024 were due to:
- increased power prices (new rates on April 1, 2024 made bills about 13 per cent higher)
- higher power consumption levels due to cold weather temperatures (11 per cent to 16 per cent colder in December 2024 than in December 2023)
- longer billing periods (most bills covered 1.24 more days in December 2024 than in December 2023)
- fewer power outages (68 per cent fewer outages in December 2024 compared to December 2023)
NB Power gave the same general explanation for higher power bills to customers before the provincial government ordered the review in January.
The review was prompted by customer outrage over power bills, which in some cases were double or more compared to the previous year.
Review and results
According to the KPMG review, a random test of 400 meters (181 conventional meters and 219 smart meters) found none were overstating residential power consumption. Of the 400 meters ultimately tested, KPMG said 12 were rejected with all showing an underreporting of kWh being consumed.
A review of 40 additional meters – selected by NB Power in February – found no discrepancies, according to the utility.
KPMG said it selected 100 residential meters (54 conventional meters and 46 smart meters) where energy consumption increased more than 30 per cent between December 2023 and December 2024, and found no signs of overstated power consumption connected to the meters. Of the 100 meters tested, KPMG said three were rejected with all showing an underreporting of power being consumed.
According to KPMG, all the meters tested met the Measurement Canada dispute guidelines of three per cent accuracy.
KPMG said it conducted a test of 466 customers who were identified as having the largest increases in power consumption between December 2023 and December 2024, and found:
- 275 customers had no change in their meter between December 2023 and December 2024
- 46 customers experienced a winter month in the last five years with either a higher level of power consumption compared to December 2024 or power consumption within 10 per cent of the power consumption recorded in December 2024
- 33 customers experienced similar power consumption as compared to their peers in the three months following their change in meter
- 20 customers had either no bill following the change in meter or had disconnected their meter shortly after it was changed
- 92 customers were recommended for follow up by NB Power to identify other factors that could explain their increase in power consumption
KPMG noted 47 per cent of residential customers changed from a conventional meter to smart meter between the end of the December 2023 billing period and the beginning of the December 2024 billing period. NB Power said the rollout of smart meters to all residential dwellings should be finished by the end of 2025, totalling 375,000 devices across the province.
A full copy of the KPMG report can be found online.
NB Power, political reaction
There were 3,649 customer inquiries to NB Power about higher bills in January 2025, compared to 532 similar calls in January 2024.
NB Power president and CEO Lori Clark acknowledged the report’s finding on Friday wouldn’t likely satisfy all concerns.
“We do know that the results from this review will not make it any easier for some of those customers who are struggling to pay their bills,” Clark told reporters on Friday.
Clark said the report validates that NB Power’s billing process and meters are working properly.
“New Brunswickers should rest comfortably knowing that the audit was done by an independent group and also that in other jurisdictions, whether it’s Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, or P.E.I., similar results were found when their reviews were done in those provinces as well,” said Clark.
In a statement, Energy Minister René Legacy said he had “given a cursory look at the report and its findings, which should help to give New Brunswickers a level of confidence that the equipment and billing processes that NB Power is using is trustworthy.”
Legacy said he’d be looking at the report more fully in the days to come.
Interim Progressive Conservative Leader Glen Savoie said he was concerned about the 92 NB Power customers who required further follow up for why their power consumption increased.
“I recognize on NB Power’s side that there are a lot of variables for them to cover, but I think New Brunswickers were expecting more out of this report,” said Savoie. “I think that’s where the dissatisfaction is going to come in.”
Green Party Leader David Coon said the review was disappointing because the explanation provided for higher utility bills still left plenty unclear.
“There are still a sizable number of consumers, NB Power customers, who have unexplained, significant increases in their power consumption that gave them extremely high power bills,” said Coon. “And they didn’t answer that question.”
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