Both rural and urban Nelson residents will see their utility bills rise in the new year as city council adopts its hydro rate increases and approves the first three readings of its water, wastewater and resource recovery fees for 2026.
Hydro
Rural Nelson Hydro customers are set to see the largest increase, with council approving a 15.98 per cent hike for 2026.
For a typical household using 100 kilowatt hours of power per month, the rural increase would equal about $11 more per month in 2026.
Nelson Hydro said the rural jump is largely tied to regulatory and cost-of-service requirements that are beyond the utility’s control.
Urban customers will see a smaller increase of 7.83 per cent.
For a typical household using 100 kilowatt hours of power per month, the rural increase would equal about $10.78 per month more per month in 2026.
Council adopted both hydro rate changes on Tuesday, Dec. 2. They’ll take effect in January.
Water, sewage and garbage fees
Council also signed off on increases to water, wastewater and resource recovery, approving the first three readings of the bylaw.
The changes include a $25 hike to the annual resource recovery fee, raising it from $150 to $175.
Water rates will rise by five per cent to reflect inflationary costs, along with an additional three per cent increase to support infrastructure upgrades.
For a single-family dwelling, the annual water bill will increase from $423.90 to $458.10, a $34.20 jump.
Wastewater fees follow a similar pattern: a 2.2 per cent inflationary increase and an additional three per cent to fund major capital work identified in the city’s liquid waste management plan.
For the average single-family home, that works out to an annual increase of $40.50, from $786.60 to $827.10.
Altogether, the total bill for water, wastewater and resource recovery for a typical household will rise from $1,360.50 to $1,460.20 after discount, a $99.70 increase, or about $8.31 per month.
These rates will return to council for adoption at a later meeting.
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