What is the difference between Fortis and BC Hydro

[menacar]

I've just moved to BC and we get a Foritis bill and a BC Hydro bill.

Really dumb question, but could someone explain to me what is the difference between these two companies and what services they provide to my home?

Thank you

[LANDM]

If you get those two bills, then bc hydro is for electricity and fortis is natural gas.
In some areas fortis does power instead of bc hydro.

[GordonH]

BC Hydro is crown corporation

Fortis is private corporation that is publicly traded, headquartered out of NL.

[Bsuds]

It should say on your bill what they are for as well as did you not ask when signing up for them in the first place.

[menacar]

It should say on your bill what they are for as well as did you not ask when signing up for them in the first place.

To be honest, my husband recently passed away after 30 years of marriage. There has been a bit of a learning curve to get my head around financial matters which is something that he took care of during our time together.

Thank you everyone for your responses, I do appreciate them.

I did have a follow up question. BC Hydro is electricity and Fortis is natural gas.

Which company actually bills me for:

1. My hot and cold water usage
2. My heating

How would I figure that out?

[Bsuds]

I did have a follow up question. BC Hydro is electricity and Fortis is natural gas.

Which company actually bills me for:

1. My hot and cold water usage
2. My heating

How would I figure that out?

Sorry for your loss...

Is your hot water tank gas or electric? That will determine who you pay.

Cold water is billed by the City or irrigation district you live in.

Heating, again do you have a gas forced air furnace or electric or baseboard heaters? That will determine who you are paying.

[Dizzy1]

I think it also depends what City you live in, for example, in one City Fortis is responsible for hydro but in another that's still BC Hydro and Fortis is gas.

[Bsuds]

It can be very difficult when a loved one passes and the person left behind has never been included in the Bill paying and Banking processes. This is a good example of why both should be involved.

[Queen K]

Bsuds, that statement alone could be the basis for an entire thread here.

I hope Mr. M didn't make all the Will making decisions because it's easy to say, "I'm the spouse, I inherit everything anyways" .

Menacer, find out how hard it will be for those who loved ones who come later to have to deal with incomplete legal instructions or a void Will. If you got left out of the billing system, I shudder to think if you got left out of the insurance and Will making decisions.

I hope I've struck a chord here over more than just Fortis and BC Hydro.

[rustled]

Menacar, years ago my mother's husband passed away. Fortunately, she had been involved in much of the decision-making. She was contacted by a local organization to see if she needed help, and instead she became one of the organization's volunteer advocate in her community for other women dealing with practical issues after loss (financial, home maintenance, etc.).

I wonder if you could find similar support in your community? If you have an Access Centre, they may be able to help or point you in the right direction.

[motokelowna1]

Re Fortis and BC Hydro . Yes I also was new here a couple of years ago and with Fortis it is all in the area that you live in that provides electricity. They seem to have divided the areas up . Yet gas is always Fortis and BC is the electricity but Fortis can be the electricity provider as well as i said depends on your location. I know weird. hey.

[GordonH]

Not really all that confusing:

BC has 2 electricity providers (see map) Green BC Hydro… yellow Fortis

Natural gas supplier Fortis (formerly Terasen Gas)

[Auto1]

menacar

I am sorry that you are dealing with so much right now. I hope that everything gets worked out, and you feel like you are in control of everything soon. It can be a lot to deal with when a spouse passes, especially after 30 years.

Things may go up and down for a while - but know that there are people who are there to listen, and to help.

You asked good questions, and I am glad you are looking into things. Smart.

Take care of you.

[menacar]

I wanted to say thank you to everyone for the kind words of support, that was really nice. Everyone knows that death and taxes are two things you can't escape in life, but no one really things about death and all the things that overwhelm the living spouse when their partners die. I think like most people in this world, my husband and I had a good partnership and we divided the work based upon our strengths. I probably should have taken a bigger role in our finances while we were together but people get into a comfort zone. For those that were asking, we did have a will that we made jointly, but here's another area that most (myself included) neglect. Our will wasn't updated in 15 years but really, it was of no consequence in our case but if you haven't looked at your will lately, it is worthwhile doing.

I know I've digressed a bit from my original post, but I did want to take a moment to respond to some of the points that were brought up in this tread.

I've taken a bit of time today to look a bit more carefully at my Fortis and BC Hydro bill. The hydro bill is reasonable, it comes every 2 months I see and it is approximately $60/month which isn't bad for a 2,200 square foot home I figure.

It is however the Fortis bill that seems a bit high at nearly $200/month. I did check and we have hot water and radiant heat that are both gas powered so I suspect these are the biggest reasons for the higher bills in the winter time.

I'm wondering if anyone has managed to make some significant changes to their home to bring down their gas bills and if so, would you have any tips to share?

Thank you again for everyone's concern.

[rustled]

Thought this might be helpful:

Some utilities companies allow you to set up an "equal payment" plan. This really helps avoid the big winter heating bills.

If your utility company does not offer one, you can set it up your own. Find out what cost for (for example) electricity for your home for an entire year, divide that by 11 (not 12), and begin paying that amount when the bills are getting smaller than that amount (for me, it's May). Over the spring, summer and fall, you will build up a nice cushion. Then in the winter, you will continue to pay the same amount, gradually using that cushion up. (My bills always show a "credit" amount and I always get the early-payment discount, which is nice, but what I really like is not having to pay big bills in winter with "huge" bills three months in a row.)

You'll still want to keep an eye on the monthly bills to make sure there's enough of a cushion, but not too big of one, and remember to re-calculate each April. When I divided by 12 I'd usually have to pay a little extra in March or April, but now that I use 11 I can usually reduce my May payment because my cushion is bigger than it needs to be.

I've found this really helps me keep my monthly budget from going sideways over the winter, with the extras associated with the holiday season etc.

If you rent or lease, I'm not sure what happens if you move while you have a cushion, so please check with your utility company about how you'd get a refund. If you decide to sell while your cushion is built up, that amount would be included as a credit to you in your final sale settlement.