NV Energy to Refund Millions to Overcharged Customers Following Billing Error

The Nevada Public Utilities Commission is preparing to vote on a final order aimed at accelerating and expanding refunds for more than 100,000 NV Energy customers. This will total more than $63 million, after decades of overcharges tied to property misclassification.

Properties that have been improperly assessed since 2002 have led to these upcharges. Many multi-household properties were assessed at the higher single-family rate for more than twenty years. A January 2025 article about NV Energy prompted formal investigations, management changes at the company, and resistance from NV Energy over the refunds and authority over them.

In early 2026, NV Energy offered a compromise: full refunds with interest if the commission closes its investigation. A draft order would require refunds, a third-party review of misclassification methods, and a customer education program. The order would keep the PUC investigation open until the third-party report is completed. NV Energy would also be required to issue certificates confirming refunds and bill credits.

Refunds would be issued as bill credits to active customers and as checks to inactive customers. All refunds would include interest and applicable taxes. “We'll begin issuing refunds to customers within 120 days once a decision is made, and we're hoping to have those out no later than 210 days once the decision's made,” NV Energy spokesperson Meghin Delaney said. Regulators are targeting completion by late September 2026.

Carlin Dinola, identified as the first whistleblower, said progress came only after local investigative reporting brought the issue to light. “I was robbed. That's what it feels like," Dinola said. "I could pay a lot of bills with that — a lot of bills, being retired and on a fixed income," Dinola said.

Community and faith leaders are calling for stronger accountability and broader refunds. “Enough is enough! When will we see a change in our community where our people will feel like they are a part of the community and not just a piece of the pie that the companies are trying to take a slice out of?” Pastor DeWayne McCoy of Faith In Action said.