Commercial electricity in Nova Scotia

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 tariff is chosen

Nova Scotia Power says business rates are based on the relative size of the business and the amount of power typically required to run that type of business. It lists its rates as updated as of May 1, 2026.Source: Nova Scotia Power: Business rates

Small General, Rate 10

For businesses with annual usage under 45,000 kWh. A $22.00 base charge a month, 19.804 cents per kWh for the first 200 kWh a month and 17.997 cents for all additional kWh. The minimum monthly charge is $22.00. A customer must make a written request to take service under the Small General tariff where the General tariff would otherwise apply.Source: Nova Scotia Power: Business rates

General Demand, Rate 11

For businesses with annual consumption of 32,000 kWh or more and regular billing demand under 2,000 kVA or 1,800 kW. A demand charge of $9.809 per kW of maximum demand a month, then 15.738 cents per kWh for the first 200 kWh a month per kW of maximum demand and 12.674 cents for all additional kWh. The maximum charge per kWh is that for a 10% load factor, and the minimum monthly bill is $22.00.Source: Nova Scotia Power: Business rates

Large General, Rate 12

For larger businesses, other than industrial, with regular billing demand of 2,000 kVA or 1,800 kW and over. A demand charge of $11.174 per kVA of maximum demand a month and an energy charge of 11.78 cents per kWh.Source: Nova Scotia Power: Business rates

Switching and seasonal service

Customers can switch rate classes twice in a 24-month period and, after switching, must stay on the tariff for at least six months, subject to meeting the load criteria. Seasonal commercial service has a May 1 to October 31 contract period, is available only under the Small General rate, and is for self-contained seasonal businesses such as campgrounds and ice cream barns.Source: Nova Scotia Power: Business rates

Fuel and efficiency charges

The Fuel Adjustment Mechanism and the Demand Side Management Cost Recovery Rider apply as charges or credits in cents per kWh, and Nova Scotia Power says they are accounted for within the energy charge on the bill.Source: Nova Scotia Power: Business rates

Sample bills

Nova Scotia Power’s sample Small General bills, excluding taxes, are $70.60 for 250 kWh, $115.59 for 500 kWh, $160.58 for 750 kWh and $205.58 for 1,000 kWh in a month. Its General Demand sample shows 22.55 cents per kWh at a 20% load factor and 15.44 cents at 80%.Source: Nova Scotia Power: Business rates

Official tariff

Nova Scotia Power says the tariffs, rates and descriptors on the page are for information only, and that the official tariffs are the Nova Scotia Energy Board approved Rates and Regulations schedules.Source: Nova Scotia Power: Business rates

What matters for a business account

Nova Scotia Power sets the commercial tariff from the size of the business and the power it typically needs: Small General, General Demand and Large General. The thresholds overlap, with under 45,000 kWh a year for Small General and 32,000 kWh or more for General Demand, and a customer who qualifies for both must ask in writing for the Small General tariff.

Small General has no demand charge but a high energy price on the first 200 kWh a month. General Demand charges $9.809 per kW and prices energy in blocks per kW of demand, so the average cost per kWh depends on load factor: the company’s own General Demand sample shows 22.55 cents per kWh at a 20% load factor and 15.44 cents at 80%, excluding taxes.

Moving between tariffs is limited to twice in 24 months, with a six-month minimum stay after a switch, so a change should rest on a full year of use. Seasonal service is a tariff condition, not a description of slow months: it is available only under the Small General rate and only where Nova Scotia Power is satisfied that the service is used seasonally.

Your Nova Scotia bill-review checklist

1. Read the exact tariff on the bill: Small General (Rate 10), General Demand (Rate 11) or Large General (Rate 12).
2. Compare annual consumption with the 45,000 kWh and 32,000 kWh thresholds, and billing demand with 2,000 kVA or 1,800 kW.
3. Check how the fuel and demand side management adjustments appear within the energy charge.
4. Before asking for a change of tariff, note the twice-in-24-months and six-month rules.
5. If the operation is seasonal, confirm with Nova Scotia Power that seasonal commercial service 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.

Read the original source

Nova Scotia Power ↗

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