NV Energy June Bill Dispute and Complaint

October 30, 2014 detailed NV Energy June Bill Complaint

October 30, 2014

Nevada Public Utility Commission

Attn:  Ericka Hernandez

Dear Ms. Hernandez:

The following represents my formal complaint regarding our NV Energy Bill of June 2014.

This letter contains the following attachments:

    1)      NV Energy Bill representing June 4^th through July 1 2014                PDF file

    2)      NV Energy Bill representing June 4^th through August 7 2013           PDF File

    3)      Monthly Solar Energy Production Report for June  2014                  PDF File

    4)      Daily Solar Energy Production From June 1 through July 1 2014      PDF File

Complaint:

Upon getting the NV Energy bill (item 1 above) it was easy to tell this bill made no sense and was virtually incomprehensible.  

I placed a call to NV Energy and talked with a representative that, in a friendly and nice manner, tried to explain to me how it was correct.  After agreeing to disagree, I advised the representative that I would file a complaint with the NVPUC and at that point I was given a telephone number within NV Energy to escalate the call.  

This new number was within the NV Energy organization.  This number connected with Mary Hardin.  Ms. Hardin was also the person that took my call a few weeks earlier when I decided it was in my best interest to get away from TOU (Time Of Use) and return to regular billing.  

When I got this bill it was painfully evident my decision was the correct one.  At one point in our conversation Ms. Hardin told me I should have never gotten this bill and we mutually agreed to wait until next month to see if any of this mess straightened itself out.  

The next bill carried the balance from the previous month with no adjustments or modifications, plus the current month’s bill.

In order to avoid a possible power shut down I paid $45 on the June bill along with the full current bill.  I also advised NV Energy I would be filling a complaint with the NV PUC. 

The following month I paid all of the outstanding balance in full and opted on the NV PUC involvement to help resolve the current situation.

The main problem with item #1 above is the amount of power which was billed for ON PEAK CONSUMPTION (PRIOR RATE)  Line item 1 on page 2 of bill.  Keeping in mind that approx. 40% of my solar energy is generated between 1 and 7 PM, that type of usage is an impossibility.   The second largest user of electricity is my pool pump, which is turned off between those hours.  The biggest electric user is the air conditioner which would only run about 2 hours daily during peak time.  That type of usage would in no way add up to those numbers.  

In addition, note page two the bottom section where the energy usage graph is located.  It states to the left of the graph that during the 27 day billing period I used 91.4 kWh per day.  My records of past bills show my highest previous usage HAS NEVER EXCEEDED 54 kWh per day.   The question becomes, how in one month did I consume an additional 37 kWh PER DAY  when that has NEVER happened in the past?

In seeking relief, it is my understanding NV Energy has admitted a billing error and opted to use the bill from the prior year to arrive at a compensation of a $35 credit.  

I find this unacceptable for the following reasons:

      1)       Item #2 attached is the bill from the previous year.  NV Energy made an error on that bill and
             billed me  for two consecutive months.  Using that bill is an unequal comparison and should not be
             permitted.

     2)      As a retired meteorologist, other meteorological factors enter into the price one pays for electricity. 
            In order to use a prior bill for calculations the temperature would have to be equal on a daily
            basis.  Failing  to have that as criteria negates the use of the bill.

     3)      The same applies to humidity.

     4)      Using the previous year’s bill is unjust because it does not account for cloud cover during solar   

            production.  

Attachments 3 & 4 will illustrate how much solar energy was generated by my system and my calculations indicate my bill for the period in question should have been in the $45.00 area. 

It should also be noted NV Energy made no move to advance or resolve this complaint until the NV PUC became involved.

RESOLUTION:

In trying to be equal and just, based on the information supplied, I feel an additional $65 credit (for a total credit of $100) is due me. 

Thank you,

Terry Kniess

NOTE - -  For those following this on my blog:  The June bill in question is posted on the first page of the blog.  The previous years incorrect bill and PDF files 3 & 4 are only relevant to the NV PUC and NV Energy, so I didn't waste time posting them here. 

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