NV Energy’s Latest Rate Hike, Or

A Generous Offer to Take More of Your Money

In unparalleled generosity, NV Energy has once again approached the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada (PUCN) with a humble request–permission to raise customers’ base rates by up to nine percent. The act of benevolence comes with a heartwarming promise that, despite the increase, customers “should expect to pay less” by the end of 2025.

How, you ask? Why, through the wondrous powers of corporate arithmetic, where up is down, more is less, and a rate hike is a blessing in disguise.

By their calculations, the average residential customer—using 1,151 kilowatt-hours per month—will see an increase of roughly $11. But fear not. NV Energy assures us that if we resist the temptation to use the electricity we are paying more for, we might end up paying less.

A brilliant strategy, indeed.

The company, with the purest of intentions, insists the hike is necessary to fund “investments” in infrastructure. The noble expenditures, including the Reid Gardner battery storage project, will allegedly bring long-term savings despite the immediate and short-term costs. NV Energy CEO Scott Cannon, ever the optimist, assures us that by spending more now, we’ll somehow spend less later—a theory that, coincidentally, never seems to apply to executive salaries or shareholder dividends.

But wait, there’s more.

NV Energy is also introducing three new policies to “help customers save money,” provided customers have patience enough to wait until at least 2026 for relief. Among these proposals–a discount for low-income households, a new billing structure that encourages customers to shift their energy usage, presumably to midnight or during work hours when they aren’t home, and a new solar billing system that NV Energy promises is fair—though notably, fairer for them than for the customers.

Of course, these visionary plans are pending approval from the regulatory body of the PUNC, which historically finds NV Energy’s financial woes more compelling than the plight of ordinary Nevadans just trying to keep the lights on. But take heart—NV Energy’s track record suggests that no matter what happens, they’ll find a way to ensure their bottom line remains bright, even if the rest of us are in the dark.