LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Community advocates spoke out against an upcoming demand charge on NV Energy power bills at a town hall meeting at the Clark County Library.
Community leaders, advocates and residents came together to discuss how a possible solution could be found to keep bills low. The event was hosted by the Nevada Environmental Justice Coalition.
MORE ON FOX5: NV Energy demand charge delayed again; now pushed to January 2027
Much of the event focused on NV Energy, the Public Utilities Commission and Governor Joe Lombardo. Most people who spoke said energy bills have never been higher due to extreme heat, improper housing and utility maintenance issues.
Concerns about demand charge impact
“I got two kids. So when I go home, we do homework. I start cooking food. I got an electric stove. And then my kid turns on the TV and then the AC is running because it’s 120 degrees outside. I’m getting hit with the demand charge. That’s not right,” one community advocate said.
One resident said the new demand charge is to fill a mistake made by NV Energy years ago when it overcharged customers and has yet to pay the gap back.
“You guys are missing $16 to $85 million. Let’s go ahead and fix that with a new daily demand charge, which is a new fee where no matter how much, how little, or how high you use, any time that you spike in a 15-minute interval, you will be charged $0.14 per kilowatt hour, which sounds like it isn’t a lot, but that’s an additional $30 a month on top of your regular bill,” the resident said.
How the demand charge works
The daily demand charge will be based on the 15 minutes of the day that customers use the most electricity.
NV Energy and the Public Utilities Commission said they expect average power bills to decrease once the demand charge takes effect. But advocates said it will be difficult for customers to track their peak usage and that many power bills are already high.
Organizers of the meeting also criticized the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada’s public meetings.
“And the lack of accessibility is real. These meetings are usually done during working hours. So most people are working. There’s people that don’t have a vehicle to be able to get to these meetings, and there’s no way for them to be able to log in online and maybe even hear these meetings. So if you can’t make it in person, you can’t even participate. And so it doesn’t feel like we’re being heard,” a community advocate said.
Organizers said they are filing a lawsuit against the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada, claiming the demand charge is unlawful.
NV Energy said it expects the average bill to go down once the daily demand charge begins. The utility also said other energy usage rates will be reduced as it implements the demand charge. The daily demand charge is set to take effect in January 2027. For more information on the demand charge, click here.
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