LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — NV Energy is once again asking the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada for permission to raise the base rate it charges customers.
The company made the request last week in a regulatory filing with the PUCN, which governs utility providers throughout Nevada.
This time, the utility provider argues its ask to increase general rates comes with a silver lining for its energy customers: Even with the proposed increase, NV Energy says Southern Nevada customers "should expect to pay less for energy by the end of 2025 than they did in 2024."
How much could your bill go up?
NV Energy is asking the Public Utilities Commission to raise customers' base rates up to 9%.
By our calculations, a residential customer using 1,151 kilowatt hours of energy per month would see their bill go up by approximately $11.
But the company says if your overall energy use doesn't spike, you should still see a lower average bill by the end of 2025 than you did in 2024.
"Bills are expected to be far below the peak of 2023 and lower than the end of 2022," an NV Energy spokesperson wrote.
How is that possible?
NV Energy is touting ongoing investments in its own infrastructure, which it says will make prices cheaper for Nevadans in the long run.
According to the release we received, NV Energy says those investments will pay off "because we can produce energy from our own generating plants less expensively than buying energy from the market during peak hours."
In its latest PUCN filing, NV Energy is asking to recover the cost from some of those investments, including the Reid Gardner battery storage project. Speaking with climate reporter Geneva Zoltek about that project, NV Energy CEO Scott Cannon said "[by] replacing market purchases, a project like this, an investment like this will actually lower customers' bills."
WATCH: Geneva Zoltek explains why NV Energy says projects like the Reid Gardner battery storage make energy cheaper for customers
NV Energy adds these investments "were crucial in meeting customer demand during last summer's record-breaking heatwave."
What else would NV Energy's proposal do?
As part of its request, NV Energy is also proposing three new policies it says would help customers save money. Here's how the company said those would work:
Removing the fixed basic service charge for low-income customers
NV Energy says this would allow customers with an income at or below 150% of the federal poverty level to save "almost $20" on their monthly bill. If approved, the earliest that rate would be available is April 2026.
Adding a residential and small commercial demand charge
NV Energy is asking to restructure bills by incorporating "a third component that encourages customers to spread energy usage of high-demand appliances...throughout the day." The soonest this proposal would be reflected on customers' bills, if approved, would be April 1, 2026.
A 15-minute private solar credit for new rooftop customers
NV Energy says this proposal would improve how solar customers are billed by moving them to a cycle that measures energy usage every 15 minutes, rather than monthly.
"This proposal allows for more accurate billing and is an improvement over current private solar credit policy — which is unfair for customers who cannot afford rooftop solar systems but subsidize those who can," NV Energy stated. "This proposal would grandfather in existing solar customers."
What happens next?
The PUCN still has to approve this proposal. If it's approved, NV Energy says initial changes would take effect on Oct. 1, "while others have been requested to be implemented in April 2026."
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