I am writing to alert residents to NV Energy’s proposed rate increase for Northern Nevada. The proposed near tripling of the base rate (from $16.50 to $44.40, a 169% increase) for electricity discriminates against consumers who have spent time and money to reduce their energy consumption, including residents who have installed solar or wind energy systems to augment their home.
Any change to the rate structure should be designed to achieve the following:
1. Keep the utility financially sound
2. Promote energy conservation
3. Be fair and equitable
4. Make development pay its own way (i.e. not subsidized by existing users)
NV Energy uses a misleading “analysis” that describes the increased cost to the “typical customer” (defined as 759 KWH/month) as only a “$9.84 per month increase.”
This hides the fact that those who conserve energy (my typical usage is about 250 KWH/month for a 2,200 square foot home) will face a near DOUBLING of their monthly bill.
The proposed plan forces conservative users to subsidize others who don’t conserve.
To make matters worse, NV Energy plans to decrease the per KWH rate, so big users pay even less! Tripling the base rate is unfair and inequitable, and the PUCN should reject NV Energy’s proposal.
A new proposal of a 10% increase in the base rate ($16.50 to $18.50), along with a progressively higher per KWH rate (i.e. those who use more, pay more) would be a fair and equitable proposal that would also help encourage energy conservation and renewable energy systems.
Mary Siders
Carson City