Electric & Water Accounts

There are two ways you can apply for your utilities service. This includes:

1. Apply in person at the Electric & Water counter at City Hall. Please be aware staff will request two pieces of identification upon application, and in the case of tenant accounts, a copy of your lease signed by both landlords and tenants.
2. Complete the Application for Service form and email it along with scans of two pieces of identification to utilities@penticton.ca (include a scan of your lease agreement if applicable as well). 

Please apply at least two business days in advance of your desired date of connection to ensure a reduced application fee, and be aware that dates of connection must fall on regular business days.

You may wish to review the full Customer Service Policy involving payments, new accounts and other policies.

Disconnecting your service can be completed one of two ways:

In person at the Electric & Water counter at City Hall. Please be aware staff will request two pieces of identification to verify your identity and protect your account.

Complete the Application for Disconnection form and email it along with scans of two pieces of identification to utilities@penticton.ca. Final reads and closing of accounts require at least two business days’ advance notice, and be aware that dates of disconnection must fall on regular business days.

Until notification of cancellation is received by the Utility Department and a final meter reading is obtained, you are responsible for all charges incurred. Private arrangements will not be recognized. Please ensure you close your account when moving.

The City offers the following payment options to customers:

• Pre-authorized Payment Plan; a convenient way to have your utility bill withdrawn from your bank account each month Pre-Authorized Payment Plan Application form or Pre-Authorized Payment Plan change / cancel form.
• Pay online using our MyPayments service.
• Telephone or internet banking (sign up with your financial institution).
• Payment by mail or courier.
• In Person to the cashiers at City Hall (9:00 AM - 4:00 PM Monday - Friday, except holidays).
• City Hall External Drop Box (24 hours/day, 7 days per week).
• Self managed Equal Payments.

The City accepts cash, cheques, debit cards, money orders, bank drafts, travellers' cheques and electronic bank transfers. When paying in person, please present the entire bill to the City Hall cashier. If paying by mail, courier or drop boxes, please write your account number on your cheque or money order and include the payment stub portion of the bill with your remittance.

Please note that payments are applied firstly to any arrears owing and secondly to current charges. The due date shown on your bill is the date when Current Charges are due. Any arrears should be paid as soon as you receive your bill.

Read more about your Payment Options for all city services.

City Utility bills are mailed monthly with electric and water accounts read or estimated each month. If there appears to be an error on your bill, please contact us at 250-490-2489 within five days of receipt of your bill.

Help conserve the environment and save money by registering for e-billing services through MyCity! Full instructions are available in the E-Billing Instructions brochure.

Take control of your bills and reduce waste by using these handy Electric Savings tips.

Current rate schedules are available by viewing our Fees & Charges Bylaw or at the Electric & Water counter in City Hall.

Review the full Billing Policy regarding Bed and Breakfast Facilities, Cycle and Walk Sequence Assignments, Estimated Billings, Final Billings, and Meter Readings and Billings.

Sewer fees are a water consumption-based charge on your Utility Bill. The charge for residential services is a variable amount from November – March based off the monthly water consumption at the property.  From April – October, it’s a flat fee based on the size of the water meter. This is to accommodate for extra watering being done by residents in summer.

Commercial services have a full 12-month flat and variable fee.

Beginning in 2021, penalty interest will be applied at the rate of two percent (2%) per bill for current charge amounts remaining unpaid after the due date denoted on the bill.

For more information about the penalty please click here.

1 day after due date

• Arrears balances of any amount are viewable on registered MyCity tax account properties.

3 days after due date

• All account holders with an arrears balance greater than $75.00 and a valid phone number in the utility system will receive an automated phone call advising them they have missed payment.
• For tenant accounts, all property owners or their designates with a valid email address in the utility system will receive an automated email advising the account has entered an arrears status with an arrears balance greater than $75.00.

6 days after due date

• Any account holder with an arrears balance greater than $75.00 is printed a Blue Notice advising of payment due to avoid having the account up for possible disconnection and having the account officially referred to the property owner for review or transferred to property taxes at the end of the year.

7-9 days after due date

• A further warning notice of arrears is printed on the next month’s billing.

14-21 days after due date

• In the case of tenant accounts, an official notice will be mailed to the property owner or their designate advising of the continued unpaid status of the account for arrears balances greater than $75.00.
• In the case of owner accounts, owners are considered duly notified of the consequences of non-payment via Blue Notice and warning notice received prior.
• The account becomes eligible for disconnection if the City determines the account is in an irregular or extreme non-payment situation.

End of year

• Unpaid account balances are transferred to property taxes and begin accruing interest as per Community Charter Section 258 (1) & (2).

The City of Penticton will continue to disconnect or refuse new services for non-payment of delinquent accounts. By definition, delinquent accounts are any previously finalized and closed utility account with a balance left outstanding by the account holder. The City will not knowingly provide further services to a customer if that customer owes on a previous account.

You may wish to review the full Collections/Disconnections Policy regarding Cold Weather Policies, Delinquent Accounts, Accounts in Arrears, Returned Cheques, Transfer to Taxes, and Unpaid Final Accounts.

This option is currently the most popular practice of landlords and provides the least amount of control and information for the landlord. As required by provincial legislature, the only information that can be released by the City is the amount in arrears, the service address, and the utility customer account number. If this option is chosen, it is recommended that the landlord take the following steps in order manage their risk:

• Register the property tax account with MyCity in order to gain access to tenant account arrears information that is updated daily (see Owner-Landlord Information brochure for instructions).
• Register for the Landlord Utility Arrears Notification in order to receive regular notifications of tenant utility arrears.
• Prior to signing a new rental agreement, require prospective tenant to purchase a City of Penticton Utility Credit Reference Request at the tenant’s expense. If the tenant is moving from out-of-city, their previous utility provider will have a similar service and will be able to provide them with the same reference.  This will assist you to make a more fully informed decision before signing an agreement with a prospective tenant.
• Ensure all parties that will be living at the rental property are listed on the tenancy agreement. This will allow the Utilities Department to actively monitor each tenant and collect any amounts left outstanding on the property after the tenancy ends from any of the tenants listed. The City monitors new applications for any amounts left outstanding to prior landlords for a time period of six years plus current and will collect and refund those monies owed to landlords before providing any further services to the delinquent customer.

Keep the utilities in the landlord or property manager’s name and present the bill to the tenant for payment to the city or repayment to the landlord.

This option provides the greatest amount of control and information for the landlord. All information regarding consumption and transaction history is available to the landlord, and the landlord can ensure that payment is made on time to avoid the penalty.

Using this option, the landlord also has the ability to treat unpaid utilities as unpaid rent under the Residential Tenancy Branch. It is extremely important when using this option that you provide a copy of the utility bill to the tenant and document on what date the bill was provided to them.

This option provides the landlord with similar control and information as Option 2, but with specific operational differences on the part of the landlord. Month-to-month tracking of collection of amounts owed by the tenant is easier as it is one payment of the agreed rental amount. However, if a tenant is consuming higher than average utilities the landlord will see a reduction in profit for the property as the rent would not necessarily compensate for the utilities. 

Increases in rent are strictly regulated by the Residential Tenancy Branch and the allowable increase may not be enough to recover unexpected utility consumption by the tenant. The benefit of this option over accounts in tenants’ names is that landlords are always fully informed of utility costs for which they may ultimately become responsible.

• Application for Service
• Application for Disconnection
• Pre-Authorized Payment Plan Application Form
• Pre-Authorized Payment Plan Change / Cancel Form
• Landlord Utility Arrears Notification
• Leave on Authorization Form
• Credit Reference Request Form

• Billing Policy
• Collections - Disconnections Policy
• Customer Service Policy

• E-Billing Instructions
• Owner-Landlord Information
• Customer Monitored Equal Payments

Utilities (Electric & Water) Billing Inquiries
250-490-2489 or utilities@penticton.ca
Mail: The City of Penticton c/o Utilities Staff
171 Main Street, Penticton, BC
V2A 5A9

Electrical Service Inquiries
Contact the Electric Utility at 250-490-2535 or electric.utility@penticton.ca

Report An Outage
Business Hours: Monday - Friday, 7:30 a.m. - 3:15 p.m.
250-490-2539 or electric.utility@penticton.ca
After Hours: 250-490-2324