LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The Public Utilities Commission of Nevada has approved NV Energy's Offer of Compromise to issue full refunds to customers who were overcharged for decades.
"The Commission finds that NV Energy's Offer of Compromise provides a fair and reasonable outcome for affected customers that will ensure customers are refunded in a timely manner," the document reads in part. "As also explained in the Report, NV Energy's refunds shall be paid by NV Energy shareholders and not NV Energy customers."
WATCH | Public Utilities Commission approves NV Energy 'compromise' for full refunds
The compromise states more than 100,000 customers will be reimbursed more than $63 million, with interest. Current customers will receive refunds in the form of bill credit, while inactive customers will receive a check at their last known address. Any refund that goes unclaimed will go back to the State of Nevada's Unclaimed Property Division.
"We're glad to be here today and to have a resolution for our customers," NV Energy spokesperson Meghin Delaney told me after Tuesday's meeting. "There's still some more work to be done. We'll be getting those refunds out the door as fast as we can for our customers. We do anticipate, and in line with the commission order, that could take 120 to 210 days, but our teams are really going to work to make sure we get those refunds out as fast as we can and make sure they're accurate for our customers because what we know is this is money that they are owed."
That was echoed by NV Energy President and CEO Brandon Barkhuff.
"The resolution reached is an important milestone, and we are pleased to move forward in making customers whole. We know this mistake caused frustration and financial impact for our customers, and I am truly sorry for that," Barkhuff said in a written statement. "Making this right is our responsibility and today's resolution allows us to do that in a way that is fair and thorough. We appreciate the collaboration and dedication of the [PUC] and the Attorney General's Bureau of Consumer Protection in helping us reach a fair and thorough outcome. Our focus has been, and continues to be, ensuring billing accuracy, transparency and trust with our customers."
This all began with a 'Darcy, What's The Deal?' segment from last January. That's when Channel 13 viewer Carlin Dinola contacted me after finding discrepancies in her electric bill.
"That's absolutely not right! Not right at all. How many other people have they done this to?" Dinola questioned at the time.
JANUARY 2025: NV Energy overcharges customers but only gives a partial refund
PUC staff ultimately found that more than 100,000 Nevadans were affected and were overcharged by more than $63 million in a billing scandal dating back to 2002.
"It should never have taken this long. It shouldn't have taken a full regulatory investigation, and it shouldn't have taken the passage of AB452 to require the utility to pay customers back," said Kristee Watson, Executive Director of the Nevada Conservation League. "Customers should never have to discover billing errors themselves or fight to be made whole."
"It's unacceptable that it took NV Energy so long to do the right thing," said Audrey Peral, the Program Director of Chispa Nevada. "If it weren't for NV Energy customers raising the issue with PUCN staff, the public would never know about this."
NV Energy officials said the reason proceedings have dragged out is due to them going through their books and trying to be thorough to identify the full scope of the problem.
"We understand, from our customers' perspective, that it took a really long time to reach a resolution on this investigation but we're glad to be here today and to have a resolution for our customers," Delaney said. "We know this has taken a long time and we appreciate [our customers'] patience and to make sure that we could get this right for them."
Customers also questioned why it took getting media involved for NV Energy to be transparent with the public about what happened.
"This did not come to light because the company voluntarily disclosed the problem. It came to light because customers noticed errors, pushed back against limited refunds, contacted reporters, and refused to be ignored," said Justin Hopson, a clean energy organizer with Faith Organizing Alliance. "Even after NV Energy claimed the issue was fixed, thousands more affected properties were discovered. That reflects a serious failure of transparency and accountability."
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"Thank you Channel 13, said Dr. Mary House of CHR, Inc., who believes our reporting "put pressure [on NV Energy], along with consumers showing up doing consumer comments, talking to the PUC and them having workshops." Before we shined a spotlight on the overcharges, Dr. House believes, "The powers that be were never concerned about what was really going on in their usage and their overcharging, and even the late fees on our utility bills. I think they didn't even care."
Dr. House is also concerned about the word "compromise," fearing that it means there is more wrongdoing that's being swept under the rug.
"It's like a person who commits a crime and then they plead guilty, but they're going to take a lesser charge because they came to an agreement and a compromise," House said. "It didn't take away that they committed that crime, and it didn't take away that somebody's family is affected by that."
"That's not how we take the word compromise," countered NV Energy Spokesperson Meghin Delaney. "We really worked to reach what we think is a fair and thorough resolution. We worked very closely with the Public Utilities Commission and the Bureau of Consumer Protection to open our books, to go through this with them, to make sure that they felt that this was comprehensive and that we had found all of the customers who were impacted, and are giving them the refund that they deserve from this."
As for next steps, the compromise states NV Energy "shall implement a comprehensive consumer communication plan in conjunction with the refunds" and there will be a "customer education program to inform customers about how single-family and multifamily dwellings are classified, and how to determine whether the rates set forth on a customer's bill are single-family or multifamily residential rates."
The PUC will not formally close the overcharge case until NV Energy submits "a report from CBIZ Advisory & Risk Services assessing the reasonableness and accuracy of the measures that NV Energy took to identify all misclassified multifamily residential premises; and an officer's certificate stating that NV Energy has issued bill credits and checks as NV Energy committed to do in the January 20, 2026, Offer."
Other conditions include NV Energy going through third-party audits and discussions about how long NV Energy keeps customer records.
Those issues will be discussed in a separate docket, Docket No. 25-07003, and the public will be allowed to weigh in on those issues. You can send written comments to the PUC using this form.
You can learn more about how consumer participation works by visiting the PUC's website.
You can also follow developments by looking up the docket number listed above by visiting the PUCN Document Search site. In the drop-down menu on the left, change the search type to "PUC - Public Search - Dockets" and type in the number.
While this decision resolves the investigation and provides a clear path for refunds, consumer watchdog groups say oversight must continue.
"This cannot be the end of the story," said Shaunda Johnson, Executive Director of Faith In Action Nevada. "We need strong independent audits, transparent reporting, and clear safeguards to make sure every eligible customer is repaid and that this never happens again."
Faith In Action Nevada also warned against new or increased charges white the utility corrects past billing failures, pointing to the daily demand charge scheduled to take effect on April 1. “When a company has struggled with basic billing accuracy, adding a more complex charge raises serious concerns,” said Johnson.