Las Vegas residents face a harsh reality as their utility bills are set to rise significantly in 2023. NV Energy and Southwest Gas raised their rates. A 14.06% increase for NV Energy and a 4.8% increase for Southwest Gas. The rate hikes will cost residential customers an average of over $26 per month, with electric bills increasing by 14% ($23.43) and gas bills increasing by 4.8% ($2.76).

However, many Las Vegas residents are noticing their Southwest Gas bill more than doubling. Myself included. I personally called SWGas to come out when my bill more than doubled in December of 2022. I had previously experienced a gas leak three months prior and had them come to check on it again. They explained that SWGas has to get natural gas from new suppliers and inflation is hitting the natural gas market hard.

It was also explained that the rate requests, submitted in mid-November, were put in place to recoup the cost of electricity and gas purchased on the open market. The utilities state this is not for profit, and only used as an at-cost basis for recouping rising natural gas costs.

With the new rate hike, my bill went to $108, where it is usually $35 to $40 a month in winter.

NV Energy says it is taking steps to reduce its reliance on non-self-generated power, such as expanding a natural gas facility and building battery storage and a geothermal plant.

Southwest Gas offers assistance to those who may be experiencing financial hardship, with tips, tools, and programs to help manage gas bills and usage. They also have a flexible payment plan and Equal Payment Plan (EPP) options to make monthly bills more predictable.

Customers can also reduce their natural gas use by following these helpful conservation tips found here: www.swgas.com/tips