As summers become hotter, some lawmakers in our region are looking to help people who are struggling with higher utility bills.
There were more than a hundred days when temperatures remained over 100 degrees last summer in Las Vegas and Phoenix – part of a global trend in recent years.
Amid inflation and climate change, some Nevada lawmakers are pushing to protect people who fall behind on their air conditioning bills.
Nevada Assembly member Cinthia Moore, a Democrat, plans to co-sponsor a bill modeled on legislation in Arizona aimed to prevent shut-offs in high heat.
“They had something similar passed in 2021 as a response to an elderly woman passing away due to heat illness,” Moore said. “She was short $51.”
The bill would put a moratorium on power shutoffs between May and October and require payment plans for those who fall behind on bills.
“The average Nevadan family spent almost $700 a month on their utility bill and they have to pick between paying their rent, feeding their families, or keeping the air conditioning running,” she said.
A major provider, NV Energy, had no comment on the proposal, but pointed to a “consumer bill of rights” that already protects ratepayers from power cut-offs during extreme weather. Despite a request to increase rates this year, NV Energy said in a recent press release that: “customers are paying less for their energy now than they were are this time last year and NV Energy is continuing to seek ways to keep costs low.”
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio (KNPR) in Las Vegas, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Colorado and KANW in New Mexico, with support from affiliate stations across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
