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Oct. 20, 2007
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Power gripes dominate at valley consumer session

Cost of electricity a primary concern

By JOHN G. EDWARDS
REVIEW-JOURNAL

People crowd a consumer session Friday at the Henderson Convention Center. Tony Sanchez, senior vice president of Sierra Pacific Resources, ,second from right, studies papers while Alaina Burtenshaw, Public Utilities Commission staff counsel, far right, listens.
Photo by Sara Tramiel/Review-Journal

A valley resident brought first-hand evidence of the rising cost of electric power to a public meeting on Friday.

The resident, Grady Prestwood, a Henderson retiree who helped build a power plants, pulled out a Nevada Power Co. bill from the 1980s for $97. About the same amount of power last month cost him $268, Prestwood told about 100 people attending a utilities commission session at the Henderson Convention Center. The rate per kilowatt hour increased to 12.5 cents from 4.7 cents over 25 years.

Prestwood, however, was most annoyed about alleged mistakes by Nevada Power meter readers over the last three years. The customer said he has been waiting for 36 days since he informed Nevada Power about an 1,100 kilowatt hour mistake.

"I still have not heard from Nevada Power, and I have not gotten an new (corrected) bill," he said.

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    • Other consumers complained about natural gas lamps that operate continuously, lack of power company assistance with energy conservation and the $3.8 billion coal-fired power plant the electric utility is developing in Ely. But meeting participants focused on the cost of power.

    Robert Young, a retiree from Henderson, repeated the advice he gives to Californians who want to relocate to Nevada: "If you want to live in Nevada, you've got to get a second job to pay your utility (bills)."

    Jo Ann Kelly, chairwoman of the Public Utilities Commission, said power rates are lower in Nevada than in California but said Southern Nevada needs more air conditioning than most parts of California.

    Nevada Power charges customers 11.6 cents a kilowatt hour, said Anne-Marie Cuneo, a utilities commission analyst. She blamed most of the rate increases in recent years of climbing prices for natural gas, which is used to generate 80 percent of Nevada Power's electricity.

    Cuneo estimated that the $3.8 billion Ely Energy Center, a giant coal-fired plant that Nevada Power wants to build near Ely, will increase to 12 or 13 cents a kilowatt hour by the time the plant is completed in 2013.

    Richard Lozo of Las Vegas complained that Nevada Power had not sent a notice that "we paid off the big goof" in wholesale power purchasing during the Western energy crisis of 2000 and 2001.

    "Did anybody get a reduction?," he asked. "I didn't."

    Several representatives of homeowner associations said they were encountering problems replacing natural gas lamps that burn around the clock. The homeowner groups typically want to disconnect the gas and use the poles for solar electric or low-voltage power lamps.

    A Southwest Gas representative later explained that the utility will disconnect the lamps for no charge but requires a minimum charge of $240 typically for "abandonment" of each gas lamp. Abandonment ensures electrical current cannot cause leaking gas to explode. Kelly said the commission will open a case to investigate the gas lamp issue.

    Contact reporter John G. Edwards at jedwards@reviewjournal.com or (702) 383-0420.



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    douglas wrote on October 20, 2007 07:49 PM: if you like federal managed, regulated businesses, then you must like:

    usps over ups, fedex, or dhl

    public school graduate achievement over that of private schools

    walter reed hospital health care over any for profit facility

    government efficiency at the dmv

    north korea's prosperity over that of south korea

    southwest airlines frequent 50-100 dollar flight costs rather than those much higher when under federal price fixing

    and mebbe dozens more if one might cogitate on it


    Who to Blame wrote on October 20, 2007 02:51 PM: Want someone to blame for the current high rates? Senator Randolph Townsend. He championed the effort to deregulate the power industry. How? Nevada Power and Sierra Power were to become end providers. Were required to sell their generating facilities and buy power on the wholesale market. That's how the Enron debacle started. Contact Townsend and tell him to find another job-- or to go back to living off of the money his rich parents left to him!


    douglas wrote on October 20, 2007 08:57 AM: as long as harry reid and his "progressive" ilk continue to oppose utilizing all energy resources in this country, the costs to consumers absolutely have to rise. the more u.s. resources are restricted, the more reliance on the international crude oil auctions. his latest spin to alternative generation is a lot more sizzle than steak.

    worse could be if captain nemo kennedy's gasoline tax hike came to play. years ago he proposed first a 50 cent, then a dollar a gallon increase. those tax hikes to discourage consumer use. that oughta do it. crude oil, diesel oil, natural gas, and gasoline are all a part of the energy shortfall dilemma.

    "time of day" use, electric meters save some of us on the electric bill.

    others might visit the non profit, "solar nv" organization which has mostly monthly meetings, email newsletters, and occasionally "home tours". the self-drive tours are to full and partially solar powered, las vegas homes and small commercial/governmental buildings. my experience is that on those tours, the property owners were most enthusiastic, showing their energy cost savings. several showed detailed print-outs of their energy consumption.

    as to meter readings, one can easily do that themselves.

    in another jurisdiction, the local electric/natural gas utility company offered free "energy audits". leastwise for commercial buildings. i was amazed at the thoroughness of the inspection and the detailed, printed report later sent.

    coolest was the innovative, out of the box thinking of the then c.e.o.

    one program was free, high efficiency installation of those 8 foot fluorescent tubes. parts and labor, free. another was almost free, compact fluorescent bulbs for residential consumers. it seems that the net cost to the utility was far less than siting, getting licensed, and constructing a new generating facility.


    maryse wrote on October 20, 2007 06:30 AM: Talk about bad readings from meter readers, July"s bill was $389, August's was $219 and Sept.'s was $380 and the only explanation we got was the reader must have made a mistake, my husbands disabled and I work retail and these electric bills are killing us. I know we are paying for Enron and we didn't even live here then, how screwed is that!