RENO, Nevada — Dozens of homeowners and environmental advocates attended two consumer meetings of the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada (PUCN) on Wednesday to speak out against NV Energy’s proposed base rate increase, which is nearly triple the current rate.
NV Energy’s base rate is currently $16.50. The planned rate increase will increase it to $45.30.
The new tariff will “improve the reliable and secure supply of electricity and natural gas to all customers,” the energy company said in a statement.
But environmental activists say the proposed base tariff is much higher than the current one and will provide far less incentive for people to save energy when their bills are already so high regardless of their consumption.
“This rate increase will discourage people from installing solar panels on their roofs because at a base rate of $45, there is no financial gain and we are underusing solar energy here,” said Bill Miller, an energy consumer and environmental activist from Nevada.
Another major concern among taxpayers is that people on fixed incomes, such as pensioners and the disabled, will be disproportionately affected by the new tax rate.
“For someone who is retired and on a fixed income, this is a burden. It’s absurd. It’s cruel that people on fixed incomes who use very little energy now have to pay three times as much, $45, before they even turn on the lights,” Miller said.
NV Energy said the new rate will not increase average customer bills, but many of the speakers at the meeting said the $45 rate is far higher than their monthly bills.
