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Masset family may move due to sky-high hydro bills

“We could have used that money to buy a windmill,” said Robert Watt.

Rayne and Robert Watts have a very costly mystery to solve.

Until last April, the priciest two-month hydro bill they ever got for their family home on Teal Boulevard in Masset was about $600.

But in April, it suddenly rose to $986. They paid it down, and the next bill was normal.

In August, it shot to $1,900, and it went that high again this February. At the start of this month, they got a bill for a whopping $2,100.

“It’s like we’re running a bakery or a laundromat or something, but it’s just our TV, washer-dryer, freezer, fridge, and stove,” said Rayne.

The couple moved into the home five years ago and had no trouble with the power until last spring. They’ve made no major changes that would draw more power in that time.

A local electrician recently checked the voltage coming into the house and found it was fine.

It took over a year, a bake-sale fundraiser and two abrupt moves in with extended family while their power was off, but when BC Hydro recently looked the SmartMeter on the house it also appeared to check out.

Robert said they’ve tried everything, including a BC Hydro Energy Saver kit and flipping every unused switch on the home’s breaker box.

But after spending more than $7,000 on power bills in just nine months, they’re thinking of moving out.

“We could have used that money to buy a windmill,” said Robert.