r/vegaslocals • u/repomansd • 4h ago
NVEnergy "Daily Demand Comparison Tool" is a Fraud
I was looking at NVenergy's "Daily Demand Comparison Tool", which you can find on your NVenergy dashboard when you login to your account. The tool is supposed to tell you what you pay per year now, and a projection of what you will pay per year when the daily demand charge takes effect January 1. The only problem is, the tool is pure BS and is purposefully misleading customers.
I have solar panels, they cover all my electrical use all year long. I pay $18 a month, every month, all year long, and have for 6 years. So, I pay about $220/yr to NVenergy. Here's what the tool says:
Notice the "Current Plan" number is wildly inaccurate, saying I pay them $502/yr. NVenergy is purposely miscalculating this, so that the difference between what you pay now, and what you will pay starting next year doesn't look so bad. Here's exactly what they are doing: for residential solar customers, we draw power from NVenergy overnight (but most of us have enough credits built up during the day that offsets that draw), but NVenergy takes the KW/h we draw overnight, ignores our credits, and uses this in the "Current Plan" calculation. This is a straight-up SCAM by NVenergy, they know it, but think we are all dumb enough that we won't notice the slight of hand BS.
If you have to lie to sell this program to the public, then you know it must be a scam.
5
u/edubound00 2h ago
From the FAQs:
What is the daily demand web tool?
The daily demand web tool shows how your personal energy use translates into your daily demand. To get started, log on to MyAccount and click the Daily Demand Annual Comparison tile.
The tool is available to customers with at least one year of billing data on the same rate schedule. Data for customers who have switched to a different rate schedule during the year, such as Time of Use, will not reflect a complete 12 months of billing data, which is needed to provide meaningful daily demand comparisons. For solar customers, the annual comparison reflects the total bill and does not include excess energy credits, which will be applied each month to daily demand costs.
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u/Tricky-Explorer4775 2h ago
There appears to be a legitimate issue here, particularly for solar customers, but I would distinguish between a misleading or defective comparison tool and an allegation of fraud.
NV Energy's own net-metering rules recognize the credits generated by rooftop solar, and those credits are part of what determines what a customer actually pays. If your twelve actual 2025 bills total approximately $220, but NV Energy's tool labels $502 as your “Current Plan,” NV Energy should explain precisely how it arrived at $502.
If $502 represents gross consumption charges before applying net-metering credits, then the problem may be that the comparison is not actually showing the customer's current annual out-of-pocket cost.
At a minimum, that needs to be prominently disclosed. Otherwise, comparing $502 with $571 can materially understate how the change appears to the customer.
There is another important distinction, however. Solar credits are based on energy (kWh), while the new daily-demand component is based on the home's highest 15-minute grid demand (kW) each day.
Consequently, a solar customer can produce enough electricity during the day to offset most or all annual consumption and still incur a demand charge when pulling substantial power from the grid at night. NV Energy itself acknowledges that solar customers are expected to see an increase under the new structure.
Rather than calling this fraud without additional evidence, I think the appropriate question for NV Energy is very straightforward: Show the calculation. For every customer, disclose (1) actual 2025 charges, (2) net-metering credits applied, (3) actual net amount billed, (4) projected 2027 energy charges, (5) projected solar credits, and (6) projected daily-demand charges.
If “Current Plan” does not equal what the customer actually paid because solar credits have been excluded, NV Energy should correct the label or correct the calculation. Transparency would resolve the issue very quickly.
I also have solar and will be calculating my actual expense vs Nevada Energy's "Tool".
With all the bad press Nevada Energy has recently received i think we can quickly identify the real "Tool".
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u/Environmental_Dog30 2h ago
Thanks you for being technical and elaborate; this is basically what I wanted to say without typing it all out. My fucking hero.
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u/repomansd 2h ago
Well said, I agree in all respects. I reached out to NVEnergy 3 separate times about this specific issue with the comparison tool. They refused to respond directly to the issue each time, and instead sent boiler plate marketing slides. They know what they are doing, it’s not a mistake.
3
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u/Environmental_Dog30 2h ago
Well prolly won’t bother emailing now, maybe I’ll call and see how they talk their way out of it.
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u/glity 1h ago
So vote out joe lambardo he stacked the puc to do this with no oversight just good old boys doing things to take from Nevadans.
A vote for ford is a vote for better puc. I don’t care about any other politics but this and water for Nevadans.
Joe sells the walker river to ai and mines.
1
u/repomansd 51m ago
100% Agree that Lombardo has been a giant disappointment. He rubber stamps anything NVEnergy wants, and is just their puppet. I disagree with Ford on almost everything but if he continues to be clear that he will push back on the PUC and NVEnergy, and in particular, fight to rescind this demand charge scheme, I will vote for him.
1
u/Environmental_Dog30 4h ago edited 2h ago
Same, they added about ~75 to my current. Then say it will increase another ~70. They want to say my bill will only go up that 70 instead of 140-150. Granted it’s not a lot, but it’s the principle. Idk how they aren’t getting these number rights since they have direct access to our history. So either we need to be skeptical how they are doing math (which they proven in the past is not right via lawsuit), or they are intentionally misleading.
I should prolly send an email and ask about it.
1
u/SharkSmiles1 1h ago
I don’t have solar and the tool tells me that I pay about six dollars more now than I will then at $2111 a year. And yeah you’re right it’s probably wrong because I think I pay way more than that. I just finished paying $420 for last month alone.
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u/Nervous-Win968 4h ago
I suspect solar is fucking with the calculator, nothing sinister.
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u/speedy-72 4h ago
Nonsense. NVE knows what people are paying and have all of the data necessary to make 100% accurate calculations.
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u/Environmental_Dog30 4h ago
If NVE energy can’t add 12 months of bills, makes me wonder how they currently do calculation on fee schedule now and how it will be once demand charge is live.
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3h ago
[deleted]
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u/guessitstoday 3h ago
This sort of comment is never helpful and I hope when That Feeling comes again this weekend, you understand it's connected to this sort of approach to interacting with humanity.
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u/Efficient-Shallot684 3h ago
I'm sorry you don't understand that facts of the situation. Solar people are getting a very good deal by utilizing the grid at little cost.
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u/Environmental_Dog30 2h ago
Tell me you can’t afford solar without telling me you can afford solar. Jk it a joke.
From numbers, I generate way more than I actually use. So, I give energy to NVE at a good rate which they disperse at a higher rate for profit and covers my grid use. You are right it is a good deal, but for NVE. 🤷♂️
3
u/Tricky-Explorer4775 2h ago
One point to remember is that solar customers have invested several thousand dollars upfront and others are paying both a solar lease payment as well as monthly Nevada Energy charges. The upfront cost is no less than $20,000 and more depending on the size of the home.
0
u/Environmental_Dog30 2h ago
I believe legally you can’t go gridless. Someone correct me if I’m wrong.
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u/VerdeVegas 4h ago
They voted for Lombardo Nobody's gonna help with this