Add your name to our petition on Electricity Affordability

Principles

WE BELIEVE the following principles should guide government decision-making about the province’s electricity system and the operation of NB Power:

• Demonstrates NB Power is frugal and controls its own costs before asking for a raise through rate increases;
• Shows NB Power is trustworthy because it is honest and transparent;
• Displays accountability by reporting on key performance indicators, issues report cards;
• Creates fair, balanced and equitable outcomes for all ratepayers (e.g., industry pays its fair share, not just households);
• Ensures electricity is accessible to all that need it;
• Operates with citizens’ best interests at heart;
• Commits to progressive policy changes and not staying with the status quo; and
• Consider the social effects its policies have on New Brunswickers.

Goals

WE BELIEVE the following goals should guide government decision-making about the province’s electricity system and the operation of NB Power:

• Affordable for all ratepayers (e.g., low- to moderate-income households);
• Reliable and safe;
• Low-carbon and sustainable from an environmental, social and economic point of view;
• Includes potential for cooperative models (citizen-owned and community-owned projects); and
• Includes decentralized options (e.g., mix of distributed energy sources).

Electricity Strategy

WE BELIEVE the province’s electricity strategy should be based on the following policies:

• Builds a shared electricity vision through public engagement;
• Protects our publicly-owned electricity system;
• Builds an electricity system that is only as big as it needs to be;
• Creates an integrated electricity system (regionally and nationally) for reliability and to support more renewable and non-polluting energy (e.g., wind, solar, geothermal, hydro, biogas);
• Strengthens institutions like the Energy & Utilities Board (e.g., for accountability and transparency);
• Reforms the Electricity Act to eliminate government interference and provide public oversight to ensure evidence-based decisions (e.g., technically- and financially-sound decisions that take
  into account social and environmental effects);
• Reforms incentives (e.g., net metering and taxation of solar, policies);
• Builds a system that maximizes energy efficiency from generation to consumption;
• Provides transition support for workers to train for employment within the new electricity system;
• Pursues rate design that ensures:
• Base electricity is the cheapest possible rate;
  • Electricity bills are tax-free because it is necessary for modern life;
  • Tiered rates so that the more you use, the more you pay—particularly for industry; and
  • Consideration of time-of-day use rates in response to electrification and to reduce peak loads;
• Strengthens building codes; and
• Ensures an energy-literate population, with energy education as a priority.

Programs

WE BELIEVE the following programs should be included in the province’s electricity strategy:

• Expand the Enhanced Energy Savings Program eligibility requirements to include moderate to middle income:
  • Expand eligibility for people who are using a different source of heating (e.g., oil);
  • Remove barriers that make participation difficult;
  • Increase funding to service more homes each year;
• Explore the use of building energy labeling (e.g., following a model used in the U.K.);
• Target landlord energy efficiency to:
  • Provide more power to renters to request efficiency upgrades;
  • Prevent rent increases when upgrades are performed;
• Expand EV, Hybrid and EV charger rebates to make them more accessible:
  • Add micro-electric vehicles to the rebate program (e.g., electric bikes, trikes, cargo carriers);
• Transition towards electric vehicles for public and school transportation (buses, trains); and
• Ensure solar panels are affordable for households (e.g., reducing the upfront costs):
  • Establish a competitive buyback program for households to sell excess energy to the grid;
  • Eliminate tax on excess energy generated by home solar panels;
  • Create bulk-buy solar panel programs for communities;
• Explore the potential of electricity bonds to fund the electricity system transition (solar farm bonds
• or wind farm bonds) to encourage citizens to buy into the transition; and
• Recognize that rural communities have different program needs than urban communities.