Nova Scotia Power is facing mounting frustration from customers after some received estimated electricity bills hundreds — and in some cases thousands — of dollars higher than usual following a cyberattack earlier this year. Jim Harpell, a longtime resident of Shortts Lake, N.S., says he was stunned to receive an estimated bill of $2,755.78 for electricity used between July and September. The amount stands in stark contrast to his earlier statements: $110.42 for May to July, and $304.31 for service spanning September 2024 to May 2025. “It’s just obvious highway robbery,” Harpell said, questioning how such a figure could go unnoticed by the utility. Nova Scotia Power has been issuing estimated bills since a cybersecurity breach in March disrupted its ability to communicate with smart meters. In a report submitted to the province’s energy board on Dec. 23, the utility said it relies on historical usage data to calculate estimates and acknowledged that roughly 375,000 customers were affected by the breach. According to the report, the billing system reverted to a contingency model that estimates electricity use based on seasonal averages. The year is divided into warm months, from May to October, and cold months, from November to April, with usage calculated using average daily consumption from the previous 12 months of the same season. While Nova Scotia Power said this approach can shield customers from sudden weather-related spikes, it also conceded the method can lead to significant discrepancies during seasonal transitions.
For Harpell, the explanation falls short. His bill shows energy usage for September 2025 estimated at 13,367 kilowatt-hours, compared with just 343 kilowatt-hours recorded for September 2024. “How can anyone look at that and think it’s plausible?” he said. Similar concerns were raised by Daniel Duplisea, who owns a cottage near Shelburne, N.S. He received a $1,305 bill in July — nearly double his typical annual electricity costs — followed by another bill exceeding $1,300 in September, despite his usual monthly charges hovering around $100 when the cottage is occupied. Nova Scotia Power reported that more than 75 per cent of customers were on estimated billing by May, rising to over 80 per cent in June. Prior to the cyberattack, just 0.54 per cent of bills were estimated.
The utility says about 70 per cent of smart meters have now been reconnected, with full restoration expected by March 2026. Since the breach, more than 1.35 million bills — over 56 per cent — have been estimated. Harpell finally received his first meter-read bill since March in November. The total came to just $40.26 — reinforcing his belief that the earlier estimates were wildly inaccurate. Nova Scotia Power declined an interview request but said it remains committed to rebuilding customer trust and improving billing accuracy as systems are restored.
