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Nevada Regulators Uphold NV Energy’s Mandatory Demand Charge With April 1 Start

Regulators rejected the consumer bureau’s challenge, citing net-metering cost shifts that they say the daily peak-based fee helps address.

Overview

  • After an hour of public comment, the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada on Tuesday denied the Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Protection petition and reaffirmed its approval.
  • The charge uses a flat 14 cents per kilowatt rate calculated from each day’s highest 15-minute usage interval, tallied monthly, and solar net-metering credits cannot offset it.
  • PUCN called the measure an imperfect solution but said it counters a documented cost shift, with NV Energy citing $424 million borne by non-solar customers from 2018 to 2024.
  • Regulators say most non-solar customers should see little change or a small decrease as volumetric rates drop about 2 cents per kWh and the basic charge falls by 50 cents, while rooftop solar customers face roughly $12 more per month on average.
  • Clean energy groups are weighing a court challenge, and NV Energy is poised to be the first investor‑owned utility in the U.S. to impose a mandatory residential demand charge when it takes effect.