Household Utilities

Whether you live in your own home or you rent an apartment, you will be responsible for a number of expenses other than your mortgage or rent. These expenses are called "utilities" or household expenses.

Canadians are, per capita, among the biggest users of communications in the world. We are a large country with a small population, so we need to be able to talk to each other over huge distances. This has given us one of the world’s best communications systems, including telephone, television & radio, and the Internet.

Water
If you live in a city, water is provided to households through underground water pipes. Water costs are calculated throughout Nova Scotia by the amount of water you use.

If you live in a rural area, your water may be supplied by a private well that the homeowner would have dug. When you have a well you do not pay additional costs to your municipal government, and the homeowner is responsible for maintaining the water system.

Electricity
Electricity in Nova Scotia is provided by a privately owned utility company called Nova Scotia Power. While they use environmentally friendly power sources such as wind power and North America’s only modern tidal power plant, most electricity is generated by oil and coal. The commercial and consumer cost of electricity is regulated by a government-run review board and all prices must be approved by this board.

Home Heating
In Nova Scotia, most homes are heated by either electricity or oil-fired furnace, although many people augment their home heating with passive or active solar energy or wood-burning stoves and fireplaces. Electricity prices are regulated by a review board and recently, the government has also begun regulating the price of gasoline and heating oil as well.

Telephone Service
The main telephone companies charge a fee for the installation of a telephone line into your house or apartment, and they charge a monthly fee for the use of this telephone line. Similarily there are charges associated with some mobile or cellular telephone accounts.

For service providers, search for "Nova Scotia telephone service" and "Nova Scotia telephone cellular service" in a search engine such as google or yahoo.

Television
In Nova Scotia, you’ll have a wide variety of options when choosing the type of television service you would like. Depending on your lifestyle and wants, finding a connection you like will not be hard.

Some of the many options to choose from are: broadcast, basic cable, extended cable, satellite, and digital cable connections. They vary from as little as 4 channels (broadcast) to over 200, depending on how much you are willing to pay.

For service providers, search for "Nova Scotia Cable digital satellite television" in a search engine such as google or yahoo.

Internet
In Nova Scotia, the Internet is a very important part of life in Nova Scotia. You can get Internet access at schools, cafes, work, home computers, the library, and government sponsored C@P sites and more. It is a valuable resource for people of all ages.

For service providers, search for "Nova Scotia Internet service" in a search engine such as google or yahoo.