BC / CANADIAN BUSINESS ELECTRICITY

Commercial electricity in British Columbia

Annual peak demand and annual energy use decide which BC Hydro general service class a business is in.

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In British Columbia, BC Hydro sets a business’s general service rate from its annual peak demand and annual energy use: Small General Service below 35 kW, Medium General Service from 35 to 150 kW, and Large General Service at 150 kW or more. Each class has a different mix of basic, demand and energy charges. The table below names the source for every figure and the date it was checked.

Source: BC Hydro · 2026-10-29

What the official sources say

Checked 2026-10-29. Each row names its source. The publication and your account’s terms control what applies to you.

How the class is set: BC Hydro says the rate a non-residential customer is charged depends on annual peak demand and total annual energy use. Small General Service is for an annual peak demand under 35 kW. Medium General Service is for an annual peak demand of 35 to 150 kW and use under 550,000 kWh a year. Large General Service is for an annual peak demand of at least 150 kW, or use above 550,000 kWh a year.Source: BC Hydro: General service rates
Rate schedules: Small General Service is billed under rate schedules 1300, 1301, 1310 or 1311 of the Electric Tariff, Medium General Service under 1500, 1501, 1510 or 1511, and Large General Service under 1600, 1601, 1610 or 1611.Source: BC Hydro: General service rates
Small General Service charges: A basic charge of 40.89 cents per day and an energy charge of 14.06 cents per kWh, with no demand charge. The minimum charge equals the basic charge.Source: BC Hydro: General service rates
Medium General Service charges: A basic charge of 29.99 cents per day, a demand charge of $6.07 per kW and an energy charge of 10.86 cents per kWh.Source: BC Hydro: General service rates
Large General Service charges: A basic charge of 29.99 cents per day, a demand charge of $13.83 per kW and an energy charge of 6.79 cents per kWh.Source: BC Hydro: General service rates
How demand is measured: BC Hydro’s smart meters measure demand in 15-minute intervals, using three consecutive five-minute sub-intervals. The highest 15-minute demand average recorded in each billing period is used to calculate the demand charge.Source: BC Hydro: General service rates
Minimum charge and power factor: For Medium and Large General Service, the minimum charge is 50% of the highest Demand Charge during the previous November 1 to March 31 period, and it replaces the basic, energy and demand charges if their sum is less than that amount. A power factor surcharge applies to business customers whose power factor drops below 90%.Source: BC Hydro: General service rates
Discounts: All three classes get a 1.5% discount on the entire bill if electricity is metered at primary potential, and $0.25 per kW if the customer supplies transformation from a primary to a secondary potential. If a customer is eligible for both, the 1.5% discount is applied first.Source: BC Hydro: General service rates
About these figures: BC Hydro’s page lists these charges without an effective date. We read the page on October 29, 2026. Your bill shows the rates that apply to your account.Source: BC Hydro: General service rates

What matters for a business account

BC Hydro classifies most business accounts by two measures: annual peak demand and total annual energy use. The same type of business can therefore sit in different classes at different sizes. Moving between classes changes the shape of the bill: Small General Service has no demand charge and the highest energy charge, while Medium and Large General Service add a demand charge per kW and lower the energy charge.

The demand charge is set by the single highest 15-minute average demand in the billing period, so one short peak can set the charge for the whole month. For Medium and Large General Service, BC Hydro also applies a minimum charge based on the highest demand charge from the previous winter (November 1 to March 31), and a power factor surcharge when power factor falls below 90%.

Check that BC Hydro is the utility named on your own bill before using its schedules. Before adding fleet charging, refrigeration or a new production line, ask BC Hydro how the added load could change the account’s class and demand charges. BC Hydro also lists two optional Fleet Electrification Rates.

Your British Columbia bill-review checklist

Find your class: Small General Service (rate schedules in the 1300 series), Medium (1500 series) or Large (1600 series).
Compare your annual peak demand with the 35 kW and 150 kW thresholds, and your annual energy use with 550,000 kWh, rather than the latest month.
Find the billed kW and the 15-minute interval that set the demand charge.
Check whether a minimum charge or a power factor surcharge appears on the bill.
If the premises are metered at primary potential, or you own the transformation, ask BC Hydro whether the 1.5% or $0.25 per kW discount applies.

Turn the statement into a useful calculation

Record the billing period and electricity consumption in kWh. Use the billed demand from the statement where a demand charge applies; do not assume average consumption identifies the peak. Enter the fixed and variable components in their published units, and identify which adjustments are already included.

The Canadian calculator lets you declare energy blocks, billed demand, any included demand allowance, fixed charges and a tax assumption. Its subtotal is a model of those entries. It does not select your tariff, decide whether a business qualifies, reproduce every rider or certify a billing error.

When comparing two periods, record changes in operating hours, production, occupancy, heating and equipment. Those observations help explain a movement in consumption without inventing a market price or assuming an error. Keep the actual account and source documents privately with your business records.

Open the Canadian bill calculator →

Read the original source

BC Hydro ↗

The publication and the account’s terms control applicability. A provider directory is not a province-wide offer or a guarantee that the same tariff applies to another meter.

Questions business owners ask

Is there one business electricity rate for all of British Columbia?

No. The serving utility, customer class, demand, energy consumption and applicable tariff determine the charges. A provincial label alone is insufficient.

Which BC Hydro general service class is my business in?

BC Hydro sets the class from annual peak demand and annual energy use. Small General Service is under 35 kW, Medium General Service is 35 to 150 kW and under 550,000 kWh a year, and Large General Service is at least 150 kW or above 550,000 kWh a year. BC Hydro can confirm the class for your account.

How does BC Hydro measure demand?

Its smart meters measure demand in 15-minute intervals, and the highest 15-minute average recorded in each billing period is used for the demand charge.

What are BC Hydro’s general service charges?

BC Hydro lists 40.89 cents per day and 14.06 cents per kWh for Small General Service; 29.99 cents per day, $6.07 per kW and 10.86 cents per kWh for Medium; and 29.99 cents per day, $13.83 per kW and 6.79 cents per kWh for Large. The page shows no effective date, so check your bill.

Are these business tariffs or residential examples?

This guide is written for commercial bill review. Actual eligibility and charge inputs must come from the account’s business schedule. Residential examples and U.S. state averages are not substituted for it.