The Nevada Independent reports on the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada's (PUCN) unanimous vote that denies NV Energy to raise the basic service charge for its Northern Nevada customers by 175 percent, instead awarding the utility just a fraction of its requested amount. The article quotes United's Emilie Olson, who praised the PUCN's decision to implement a modest rate increase, highlighting its commitment to consumer affordability and protection for Northern Nevadan ratepayers.
Nevada utility regulators have unanimously denied a request by NV Energy to raise the basic service charge for its Northern Nevada customers by 175 percent, instead on Tuesday awarding the utility just a fraction of its requested amount.
NV Energy, the state’s largest electric utility, had sought to increase the basic service charge — the flat rate customers pay just to have electric service — by $28.80 per month for single-family residential users, while simultaneously lowering how much customers pay for actual energy use.
The request would have increased Northern Nevada’s basic service charge from $16.50 to $45.30 per month and made it the highest in the United States “by a considerable margin,” according to the state’s Bureau of Consumer Protection.
NV Energy, which serves nearly 328,000 customers throughout Northern Nevada, had argued that the pricing change would guarantee more stable monthly electric bills. The utility also said it would simultaneously halve the cost customers pay per kilowatt hour for electricity, a move the utility said would result in no net increase in average customer bills but opponents said would penalize those who conserve energy or utilize solar.
The proposed rate increase garnered substantial public protest — more than 250 people offered fiery comments during multiple consumer sessions hosted by utility regulators, and groups ranging from the Nevada Conservation League to Solar United Neighbors offered vocal opposition.
Instead, the three-member Public Utilities Commission of Nevada approved a $2 per month increase, or 12 percent, for Northern Nevada single family residential users. The new monthly charge, set to go into effect in October, will put Northern Nevada customers on an equal footing with the basic service charge paid by their Southern Nevada counterparts.
According to Advanced Energy United, a nationwide industry association focused on clean energy, the highest fixed charge in the nation for investor-owned utilities is $34.71, in Mississippi. The national average is $11.66 across 170 other investor-owned utilities.
“Today’s decision not only prevents a disastrous rate hike for households, but also shows that the PUCN listened to consumers’ concerns,” Advanced Energy United’s Nevada lead Emilie Olson said in an email. “Opting for a modest increase instead, the PUCN’s vote demonstrates a commitment to prioritizing affordability for all consumers, safeguarding Northern Nevadan ratepayers from unfair monthly rate hikes, and setting a positive precedent that will help prevent similarly onerous basic service charge increases for consumers in Southern Nevada as well.”
Read the full article here.