As a British Columbia publicly owned utility company, BC Hydro’s mission is to provide reliable and affordable electricity to residential and business customers. The company satisfies the needs of over 1.8 million customers.
BC Hydro is a company that cares about the environment and it is involved in a number of clean-energy initiatives including buying power from renewable-energy independent power producers. Another BC Hydro policy is to not pursue nuclear power.
Their website has a good self-help type page where customers can get all the information they need regarding accounts and billing. BC Hydro also offers real-time updates on power outages in their network. If you want to know how you can submit a report or how you can get in touch with their customer support, the following article can guide you through it.
How to check outage reports
BC Hydro takes outage reports seriously. As their customer, you can check a map of all reported outages by going here or clicking the outage tab from BC Hydro’s contact page. Once on that page, you have three options for filtering the reports.
- Near me
If you are logged in to your account and have filled the address information, the app will automatically show the outages near you
- Address
This option lets you check for outages at a specific address
- List
This option lets you view all current outages reported to BC Hydro
You can report an outage from the same page if you are logged in. You can also call 1 800 BCHYDRO (1 800 224-9376) to report an outage.
Opening a new BC Hydro account or moving services
This page offers both business and residential customers all the necessary information about moving or changing services. The guide has step-by-step instructions on how you should proceed and a list of fees associated with moving.
On the same page, you will find directions on how you can open a new account or add a new electrical connection. Instructions are made available for residential and business customers.
When to call BC Hydro customer support
There are three specific issues that can only be solved over the phone. If you find yourself in the following situations, you need to call BC Hydro’s customer support line in order to get assistance.
- Request a payment arrangement for your bill
- Get your electrical service reconnected in the case of missing payments
- Change the mailing address for your bill
All of the above-mentioned problems can be fixed by calling 1 800 BCHYDRO (1 800 224-9376) or the number for the Lower Mainland 604 224-9376. The hours of operation for both phone lines are between 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. on weekdays and between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on Saturdays.
Contacting BC Hydro customer support via social media
BC Hydro’s website may not be the easiest to get around on a smartphone. When you have to browse through many articles on a small screen to get your answer, it can take longer than necessary. Fortunately, BC Hydro offers support through two social media profiles.
Contacting a BC Hydro representative via @bchydro may be more convenient for customers who are active on Facebook. Although a reply may take up to a couple of hours, a private message on Facebook is not a bad idea for discussing non-urgent matters.
BC Hydro’s Twitter feed is always providing information regarding promotions, outages, and general information regarding the electrical grid. You can also use the page to send a private message with a general inquiry.
BC Hydro’s get help page
By accessing this page you get access to a self-help collection of articles. The most common questions are answered for the following topics.
- Paying your bill
If you have trouble understanding all the information on your bill, this section has guides that can clarify that for you. Common credit card-related information and pre-authorized-payments are also available in the articles
- Move-in, move-out
Everything you need to know about having multiple accounts, canceling or moving the service is covered in the move-in, move-out section
- Billing and rates
This section deals with information regarding billing history, reducing your bill and understanding changes over time. There is also an article that explains how to set-up online billing
- Power outages
Articles in this category offer information on how to report outages and how to prepare and protect your house or business from a power outage. There are also estimates given on how long it would take for the power to come back on in certain situations.
If you can’t find the answer to your question in the already displayed article links, you can use the search feature. It is recommended that you search by typing in full sentences. The more specific your question is, the better the chances of your results being accurate.
On BC Hydro’s “get help” page you also have the option to quickly view a list of current outages or to report an outage. The links are highlighted on the right side of the page under the phrase “Is your power out?”
Offline ways to contact BC Hydro
If you wish to personally go to one of the BC Hydro offices, here are some locations that you can visit.
- Vancouver (corporate head office)
333 Dunsmuir St. The office is open from Monday to Friday between 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- Burnaby
6911 Southpoint Dr. You can visit this office on weekdays between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
- Vernon
1401 Kalamalka Lake Rd. This office is open on weekdays between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
- Prince George
3333 22nd Ave. This is office is open from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on weekdays.
You should be able to find customer service agents at every BC Hydro office. They are all trained and experienced individuals and should be able to assist with general inquiries, billing information, and more. All of the above offices are closed on weekends and national holidays.
If you want to send feedback or a complaint letter you can use the following address:
P.O. Box 8910
Vancouver, BC V68 4N1
We have one business location that we rent and the power was disconnected, We have made arrangements to pay the bill satisfactory to them. We keep calling for the reconnection and they keep saying it has been dispatched. They cannot confirm a date, even into the future.
One stare across the board.
We are still waiting, waiting and waiting.
Today I had the pleasure to talk with a BC Hydro high voltage line electrician. He was repairing a downed hydro line that a crane truck had struck an hour earlier on Gratton Street while delivering building supplies. When the lineman was finished the repair I asked him who I should contact to have a non working street light fixed that was next to the power pole he was working on. He stated that since he was here he would take a look to see what could be done. Ten minutes later and the light was working. Wow………what service. This gentleman, should be complimented. His first name was Randy, and he was driving truck #7990 on Dec. 11th, in the afternoon. When you get great service like this with such politeness, it is much easier to pay your Hydro bill with a smile. Well done BC Hydro.