Could El Niño save you money? How your utility bills may be impacted
El Niño is here, but what does that mean for your bills?
You're probably aware by now that we're expecting an El Niño to shape the next few seasons here in Canada, but you may still be wondering how this will impact your day-to-day life. So, let's explore some of the possibilities, starting with your utility bill.
If you have a furnace heating your home, El Niño may actually bring some cost relief, as it tends to bring warmer-than-normal weather in the cooler months. We see this across much of the country with El Niños, but especially in Western Canada.
In fact, during the 2015/2016 El Niño, winter on the Prairies was over five degrees above average. Officials in Saskatchewan estimated that the warm winter lowered heating bills by as much as $50.
Even a super El Niño can't completely hold off our classic deep-freeze Canadian winters, though, so experts still recommend that you get your furnaces and HVAC systems inspected ahead of the colder months.
RELATED: How to winterize your furnace with tips from a professional
On the other hand, El Niño can also create more costs for those relying on hydro power.
For example, following 2023's record-breaking heat, an El Niño winter brought further warmth, dryness, and a low snowpack to Western Canada. With less water available across the landscape, hydro power generation decreased in both Manitoba and British Columbia in 2024.
Both provinces ended up citing dry weather as their reason for raising utility prices more than expected in 2025.
Despite El Niño's strong certainty, though, it is important to keep in mind that exactly how it will impact us is far from determined.
Copyedited by Anika Beaudry, a digital journalist at The Weather Network.
Thumbnail image created using file photos from Canva.