LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The utility accountability bill that Gov. Lombardo signed into law earlier this month ensures full refunds with interest for customers who are wrongly billed by any utility.
The bill was introduced in the wake of a Channel 13 investigation where I exposed how NV Energy was only giving partial reimbursements to customers it had overcharged.
So does the new law mean every overcharged customer will now get all their money back?
WATCH: PUC to investigate NV Energy? Here’s how you can make your voice heard.
PUC to investigate NV Energy? Here’s how you can make your voice heard.
The Utility Accountability Act is a critical step toward protecting Nevadans from overcharges and unchecked bills. It takes effect on July 1 amid an ongoing investigation by the state Public Utilities Commission into NV Energy’s overcharging practices, which affected tens of thousands of customers, involved tens of millions of dollars, and contributed to the resignation of the utility’s CEO.
In response to the new law, last week, a utility watchdog group launched a statewide digital campaign using these ads to thank Gov. Lombardo and state lawmakers for holding NV Energy accountable.
Utility Information Alliance
Utility Information Alliance
Here’s how it all began.
When Carlin Dinola was only refunded $96 after being overbilled by more than $1,100, she turned to Channel 13 to ask “Darcy, What’s The Deal?”
NV Energy had mistakenly charged her the wrong rate for her property type for six years.
“I was robbed. That’s what it feels like,” Dinola told me. “They were going to. reimburse me for six months worth of overcharging.”
CHANNEL 13 ARCHIVES: Here’s what we learned when we asked “What’s the Deal?” with Carlin Dinola’s power bill:
NV Energy overcharges customers but only gives a partial refund
With the corporate monopoly utility keeping the rest of the money, Carlin never should have. had. to pay in the first place.
Several months after we aired Carlin’s story, we learned it was just the tip of the iceberg.
In May, the Public Utilities Commission Regulatory Operations Staff filed a petition requesting a full commission investigation after finding for up to 23 years, that NV Energy overcharged more than 80,000 customers over $17 million and that “for the customers who received them, NV Energy capped refunds to six months, amounting to less than $2 million.”
You can read that petition below.
“What they did for 23 years is absurd. This wasn’t just a casual mistake,” said Camalot Todd from the Nevada Conservation League. “It felt like a betrayal! It was shocking to see the amount of people, the amount of money, and how long it’s been going on.”
The PUC filing states NV Energy chose “not to disclose its misconduct to the Commission” and staff only learned of it “through consumer complaints of insufficient refunds.”
The new law requires full refunds plus interest for overcharged customers.
“It’s simple. It’s a matter of fairness,” said Kristee Watson from the Nevada Conservation League. “Everyday Nevadans are having this moment where they have some mechanism, some levers to pull, to hold billionaire corporations accountable.”
I asked the PUC if the new law would apply retroactively to anyone who the commission determines has been overcharged or just to people who are found to be overcharged after July 1, when the law takes effect. I also asked if customers have to separately apply to the commission for a determination or if the PUC staff’s findings already cover that.
In response, the PUC sent me an email saying because of their quasi-judicial oversight role, they have no comment.
They wrote that their “independent Regulatory Operations Staff continues to investigation billing errors” and “staff understands consumer frustration with the issue and is working diligently to determine how the classifications occurred, which customers are affected, and a resolution to the matter.”
However, they added that “this process will take some time.”
While all of this plays out, the Utility Information Alliance, the same group running the ads thanking lawmakers, is also running these digital ads urging the PUC to launch a full, formal investigation and calling on regulators to force refunds for all wrongful overcharges.
Utility Information Alliance
Utility Information Alliance
The PUC is set to hear the matter on Monday in a public meeting.
The commission’s general counsel has recommended opening a full investigation. If you’d like to go to the meeting, you can attend in person or watch the livestream. Public comments will be accepted.
You can read all of those details below.
NV Energy says that if the commission does open an investigation, it’s committed to fully addressing the allegations while continuing to review customer accounts, correct misclassified properties and work to prevent such errors moving forward.
