The Consumer Advocate is attributing higher power bills of late to the weather, assuring that it has nothing to do with rates – but the weather.

Many people have seen a sharp rise in their bills, but advocate Dennis Browne says rates have been stable since the seven per cent increase in August.

Browne says his bill spiked as well, but not because of additional usage.

He notes that the month of January wasn’t particularly snow or windy but February was, so bills were generally lower.

Newfoundland Power has posted an explanatory piece on the website, noting that billing cycles can fluctuate between 28-33 days.