Damage to your electric or electronic appliances
Even if the cause of the damage is electrical, this does not mean that Hydro Québec is liable.
Barring gross or intentional fault, Hydro Québec offers no compensation for damage to a device or appliance. We strongly advise you to contact your insurer in a case such as this.
Below are examples of situations where Hydro Québec cannot be held liable for damages:
Gross fault is defined as a fault that demonstrates gross recklessness, gross carelessness or gross negligence.
Civil Code of Québec
- A meteorological event (e.g., a storm)
- Voltage or frequency variations or losses – it is up to you to protect your electrical installation and electronic appliances against such events, for instance with power bars with surge protection
- A service interruption caused by an emergency, an accident, equipment failure or the activation of system protective devices
- A service interruption or non-delivery of electricity due to maintenance, repairs, system modification/management or for reasons of public utility or safety
See sections 12.2 and 12.3 of our Conditions of Service approved by the Régie de l’énergie [PDF 5 MB]
In the event that Hydro-Québec is found liable
The compensation amount provided will be established based on the age and condition of the device or appliance at the time of the event.
In other words, the value of the good on the day the damage occurs will be determined according to the cost of its replacement, minus a deduction for its depreciation, determined mainly by its condition, age, wear and normal service life. You will therefore not receive the full replacement value of the damaged good.
For instance, if it is established that Hydro-Québec is liable for the damage caused to a five-year-old device or appliance, the indemnity paid will correspond to the value of a similar type of device or appliance of the same age or the cost for its repair, whichever is lower.
Ask your insurer if your insurance contract covers total replacement compensation for the damaged belonging.
Loss of food, loss of income or other losses resulting from an outage, work on the system or a planned service interruption
Barring gross or intentional fault, Hydro Québec offers no compensation for losses incurred due to an outage.
Hydro Québec may, at any time, interrupt electricity service for system maintenance or safety reasons. However, in the case of a planned service interruption, we make every effort to inform you in advance (robocalls and telephone notifications).
We advise you to contact your insurer.
See sections 12.1 and 12.2 of our Conditions of Service approved by the Régie de l’énergie [PDF 5 MB]
Damage to a vehicle following a collision
In Québec, under the Direct Compensation Agreement
, you must call your insurer directly in the event of a collision between two or more vehicles. This rule also applies to collisions involving a Hydro-Québec vehicle.
Even if Hydro Québec is liable, your insurer is the one who must contact us, if necessary. In fact, all motorists are directly compensated by their insurer.
When a vehicle collides with a pole or any other Hydro-Québec equipment
If damage is incurred as a result of a collision between your vehicle and a Hydro Québec utility pole or other equipment, you must call your insurer, who will then contact us, if necessary.
Damage caused to your property by Hydro-Québec employees or representatives
If a Hydro Québec employee or representative sees that they have caused damage while working on your property, they will leave a notice to that effect on your door.
- If the notice bears the Hydro Québec logo, we will get in touch with you to remedy the situation.
- If the notice does not bear the Hydro Québec logo, this means the work was carried out by another company. You must contact them directly.
If you believe a Hydro Québec employee or representative has caused damage to your property without leaving you a notice, you may file a claim with us. We do suggest, though, that you start by calling your insurer, who will help you analyze the situation.
A note about work to clear power lines
To maintain the reliability of electricity service, Hydro-Québec must ensure that trees don’t damage the power distribution system. Depending on where trees are and what their function is, the company may prune or cut them down. Work is done in compliance with best practices, and tree waste is disposed of as the situation warrants. Vegetation control work does not constitute property damage, unless an accident occurs.
Find out more about vegetation control measures and how tree waste is disposed of after clearing work.
