BC Hydro ordered to pay hundreds after accidentally cutting power to customer
A case between BC Hydro and a customer ended up at the Civil Resolution Tribunal after the customer lost power, and the utility company was determined to be at fault.
According to the decision, the British Columbia Safety Authority, doing business as Technical Safety BC (TSBC), asked BC Hydro to disconnect a 200-amp electrical line running to the customer’s (R.L.) property.
According to R.L., BC Hydro disconnected the wrong line, taking his home offline. The customer said he paid $400 to an electrician to fix the problem and an additional $80 in gas to travel to and from his property.
“TSBC and BC Hydro agree that BC Hydro disconnected the wrong electrical line. BC Hydro says it followed TSBC’s instructions,” the tribunal said. However, TSBC said it never instructed BC Hydro to disconnect the power to the customer’s home.
The decision states that the customer had three separate lines running to his home, including a “200 amp line running to his home, a 200 amp line running to a partly built shed, and a 20 amp line running to a well.”
In November 2023, the customer was informed that the electrical line running to his shed was an electrical hazard.
The BC Hydro crew’s instructions involved disconnecting a 200-amp line on the customer’s property. No specific instructions were provided beyond that to differentiate the various lines, except for one note that seemed to be ignored.
Long story short, the line to his home, not the shed, ended up being disconnected.
Among the instructions was a note that stated that the line that was supposed to be disconnected ran to a pole. That instruction wasn’t followed.
“I find that the wrong line was disconnected because of BC Hydro’s error,” the tribunal said.
The tribunal found that BC Hydro owed the customer a duty of care, and that duty was breached.
“I allow the $400 electrician’s charge as damages, which are directly related to BC Hydro’s breach,” the tribunal said.
The tribunal mentioned that the customer provided an invoice for the electrician’s payment, but did not offer an invoice for his claim of damages for gas. Ultimately, the tribunal awarded the customer $525, including damages and tribunal fees.
We’ve contacted BC Hydro for comment.
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