LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — NV Energy's overcharge scandal has ballooned to nearly $65.5 million, according to documents filed with the Nevada Public Utilities Commission (PUC) that reveal the full scope of how much money customers paid but didn't owe.
The latest findings represent a significant expansion of the state's investigation into NV Energy overcharging Nevada residents for the last two decades by assessing the wrong rate for their property type.
Following my "Darcy What's the Deal" report in January, regulators initially discovered the monopoly utility had overcharged more than 100,000 Nevadans more than $17 million. However, that figure only covered eight years of billing records.
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NV Energy claimed they could only issue refunds back to June 2017 because they don't have records prior to that date. But the overcharges stretch back as far as 2001.
PUC investigators ordered NV Energy to estimate the overcharges that occurred from 2001-2017. The company calculated $27.4 million in additional overcharges, bringing the total for the full 23 years to just under $65.5 million, not including interest.
NV Energy claims their estimate likely overstates the actual amount of overcharges that occurred.
The Nevada Conservation League, who continue to call for more transparency of utility companies, released their statement following Thursday's announcement.
“The overcharge scandal is just one example of NV Energy's pattern of bad behavior — the utility monopoly has also asked for incessant rate increases, tried to pass excessive and lavish expenses like limo services on to customers, as well as pass a controversial daily demand charge in Southern Nevada, and changes to net-metering in Northern Nevada,” said Kristee Watson, the executive director of the Nevada Conservation League.
“As we’ve seen through this investigation, when the public speaks up, there’s accountability. But families shouldn’t have to fight to be treated fairly. We need affordable, reliable, and clean energy that lowers costs and improves transparency, not more confusing charges from a company that has failed to earn the public’s trust.”
New state law passed in the wake of the reporting requires a full refund with interest. The Nevada Attorney General's Bureau of Consumer Protection is asking the PUC to require NV Energy to keep all customer billing records indefinitely to ensure data is available for accurate investigations of any customer complaint in the future.
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