Arthur Milnes
Northern News Services

NNSL (Jan 20/99) - A Yellowknife couple says Northland Utilities is charging them way too much for electricity services for their two-bedroom trailer.

Jim and Yvonne Kovacs purchased their 976-square-foot trailer, located in Northlands Trailer Park, in September, 1997.

Since then, they've faced electricity bills for their oil-heated home as high as $454 a month. Their lowest bill was in August of 1998 when it cost them $194.76 to power their home.

As the bills started to add up, they began to make their home more energy-efficient, saying they've purchased a new dryer, water heater, range and other items. They also said they rarely allow appliances to run long. Candles have also become a common thing in their home.

"We don't plug in our cars," Jim Kovacs, a handyman, said on Monday. "We sit in here with candles, we don't have heat-tape on.... It doesn't matter what we do."

His wife Yvonne agreed.

"We've done everything," the NorthwesTel employee said. "Who else sits in their house with candles (burning to save power) and not use their range?"

Before Christmas, the pair started to refuse to pay their bills, believing the high costs are caused by Northlands Utilities equipment.

Not so, is how the company's manager, Jerome Babyn, responded in an interview with the Yellowknifer.

He pointed out his company has replaced the Kovacs' power meter twice and had two linemen visit the residence to ensure there is no problems with Northlands' equipment at the site. Nothing has been found wrong with the meters.

"The situation is no different than you or I going to the gas station and filling up with gas and then not getting the gas mileage you want," Babyn said. "At the end of the day, you still have to pay for the gas."

As of Jan. 13, Babyn told the Kovacs the most recently-installed metre showed a consumption level comparable to those reported by the last two metres.

Babyn said the problem is simply consumption. The more you use, the more you pay.

"There are some trailers in the community who use more (electricity) and there are some who use less," he said.

As of last week, the Kovacs owed almost $1,000 in back bills to Northlands. They are threatening to either terminate the couple's electricity service or install a current-limiting device if a payment plan is not followed.

"In closing we wish you well in working on reducing your energy usage, however, from Northlands' perspective we have been more than diligent in assisting and will strongly enforce the arrangements outlined in this letter," Babyn said in a communication sent to the Kovacs last week.

The Kovacs hired a local company, J/T Electric, to examine voltage and current at their home for a one-day period. They reported back -- stressing that a truly accurate study would take a month -- that levels on the day in question were similar to those in other homes this size. Their report said it looks like the Kovacs' had a normal current draw.

As for the couple in question, Jim Kovacs said he is currently searching for a suitable generator so he can bypass Northlands altogether.