Following overcharging investigation, CEO resignation, the utility monopoly asks for rate increases and demand charges
LAS VEGAS – Over a hundred Nevadans protested against a 9% rate increase by NV Energy on Wednesday, June 4, at 6 p.m. at the Clark County Government Center, 500 S. Grand Central Pkwy, during the Public Utility Commission of Nevada (PUCN) General Rate Consumer Session.
People also spoke out against NV Energy’s efforts to implement a Daily Demand Charge and change solar rules.
Nevadans already face some of the highest energy costs in the country, and 1 in 4 families in Las Vegas spend over 13% of their income on energy, with many skipping meals, medicine, or cooling their homes just to keep the lights on. NV Energy’s plan will raise bills by an estimated $17 a month, making things worse for families.
This is the third year that NV Energy is seeking to raise rates on Nevada families. If the PUC approves this request, the utility monopoly’s annual profit would increase by $216 million.
Despite the PUCN investigating the utility monopoly’s overcharging 80,000 Nevadans $17 million and NV Energy’s CEO resigning shortly after, it is asking to implement Daily Demand Pricing, that will complicate bills further.
Currently, customers are charged mostly based on how much electricity they use over a month. But under a Daily Demand Charge, Nevadans would also be charged on their highest 15-minute usage daily. For example, if a family cleans their home on a Saturday afternoon — running the dishwasher, vacuuming, doing laundry, and has the A/C on — their bill would reflect that spike even if their overall energy consumption was low.
Daily Demand Pricing would add confusion and unpredictability to bills, punishing normal energy use while doing little to help families save and adding an estimated $20 to $40 to Southern Nevadan bills.
General Rate Case Consumer Sessions are a part of an approximately 200-day process to approve rate increases hosted by the PUCN when utility monopolies like NV Energy ask for increases in rates.
The decision will be made on Sept. 17, and the rates will go into effect on Oct. 1.
“My family and I have been NV Energy consumers since 1989. With rising rent, raised grocery prices, and stagnant wages, a 9% rate increase proposed for 2026 unduly burdens working people and families across Nevada,” Rosalie Miletich, member of the Nevada Conservation League and a renewable energy expert, said. “NV Energy’s claim that the proposed rate increase is necessary to cover grid resiliency measures is inaccurate. Parent company, Berkshire Hathaway, has the means to invest in utility infrastructure upgrades and even enact energy storage demand response programs, without passing the cost onto everyday Nevadans.”
“This increase places financial hardship on many people, and disgraces many people, particularly those already struggling with rising costs of living,” Clyde Jimenez, a member of the Nevada Conservation League, said. “While reliability and sustainability are important, the company must explore alternative solutions that do not disproportionately impact ratepayers.”
“We all deserve financial security. The utility should help the public, not exploit us,” Malcolm Greer, a member of the Nevada Conservation League, said. “This means high bills for working families like mine, that’s not because they’re using more, but because the utility wants a higher return for its shareholders.”
“NV Energy cannot raise people’s rates…You must be transparent, you must tell them the truth, and there must be oversight in what they do, and that’s what I want to see from this company,” Mike Leavin, member of the Nevada Conservation League and veteran, said. “I served my time in the military, and now I serve the little people who need help to pay their bills.”
“I grew up in a low-income household in East Las Vegas, where my family had to choose between the energy bill and the doctor. I got my first job at 16 just to help keep the lights on. Today, I’m still facing those same struggles, only now it’s my daughter I’m protecting from that reality,” Yesenia Castro, the Southern Nevada communications organizer for NCL, said. “NV Energy is asking to raise rates for the third year in a row, another $17 a month. That may not sound like much to you, but for families like mine, it’s the difference between stability and survival. In West Las Vegas, where I live now, the heat hits harder and the bills run higher. Families are skipping meals and sweating through triple-digit days without A/C. NV Energy’s decisions are making that harder, not easier. Families like mine deserve support, not higher bills, confusing charges, and fewer options. I urge you to stand with us and reject this rate hike.”
“NV Energy asked for a 9% rate increase to raise the profits for their shareholders. They asked for Daily Demand Pricing that will charge us for our highest 15-minute usage each day, even if we are the textbook definition of energy efficiency the rest of the day. They did this when we already face some of the highest energy costs in the country, when we’ve heard countless stories from Nevadans who struggle with bills so high that they cut back on groceries or pawn cherished jewlery, when our families have pleaded for relief,” Camalot Todd, the communications director of NCL, said. “There’s a single thread that runs through all of these stories — that NV Energy’s greed is insatiable and it’s time we said enough.”
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The Nevada Conservation League is the independent voice of Nevada’s conservation community. NCL works to maintain and enhance the natural character of Nevada and the quality of life for Nevadans through effective advocacy, the election of pro-conservation candidates, and building collaboration.