[bayview6]

Originally Posted by Kregg

My new meter was installed last month. Over the past two weeks, almost daily, I have had a power outage of about 2 seconds. Literally that short. Most times it's at night when I'm sleeping, so I only notice in the morning when the coffee maker & microwave is flashing.

I've called & been placed on hold with NVEnergy for the entire period of my work break without ever getting through, so I haven't been able to see if this is happening in my neighborhood to others or just me.

Since its winter, most of my energy consumed is gas (as opposed to my bigger power consuming months in the summer), so I can't imagine I'm overloading my circuits.

Has anybody else had problems like this?

Thanks!

How do you that it is a power outage and not a power surge?

[rwest]

Regulators suggest smart-meter opt-out plan

BY JENNIFER ROBISON
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Posted: Dec. 13, 2011 | 2:01 a.m.

The Public Utilities Commission has asked local power utility NV Energy to propose ways that ratepayers might opt out of the company's NV Energize smart-meter initiative.

The request comes less than a week after the agency held a workshop to discuss consumer health and privacy concerns about the devices.

NV Energy must file its opt-out proposals by Dec. 28. Ratepayers may file written replies to NV Energy's plans by noon on Jan. 13.

A second workshop to discuss opt-out policies is scheduled for Jan. 18 at 9 a.m. at commission headquarters, 9075 W. Diablo Drive, Suite 250. Consumers can also submit written comments to that address. Ratepayers will not be able to participate in the workshop unless they've submitted written comments by the deadline.

Consumers can also file statements electronically by going to the commission's website, clicking on "Administration" and choosing the "Electronic Filing System" option.

NV Energy has installed about 600,000 of the 1.45 million meters it plans to swap out by the end of 2012. But the commission decided to give consumers another chance to weigh in after ratepayer comments in consumer sessions earlier this year.

The commission has a Web page with information about smart meters. Visit puc.nv.gov and click on the "Smart Meters" option in the menu on the left.

[rwest]

NV Energy proposes fee for opting out of smart meter program
By Cy Ryan (contact)
Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012 | 4:07 p.m.

CARSON CITY — NV Energy customers who don’t want smart meters at their homes should be able to withdraw without any costs, representatives of consumer and senior citizens groups say.

Overflow crowds in Las Vegas and Carson City showed up at a hearing of the state Public Utilities Commission, which is considering a proposal to permit consumers to opt out of the smart-meter program.

------------

NV Energy offered four alternatives for customers to forego the (smart meter) program. It prefers the option to allow the meter to be installed but without the communication capability.

Elicegui, Gary Smith and Laura Walsh, all of NV Energy, explained how the system would work and its cost.

The cost to have the non-communication meter in Southern Nevada would be $110 for an initial visit and $14.86 a month for the meter reader to visit the home or business. In Northern Nevada, the initial cost would be $130 and a monthly charge of $13.

[LVNVTrucker]

Channel 8's I team is starting an investigation into NV Energy, the Smart meters and rates going up. Hmmmm.

Channel 8's FB posting: 8 News Now --- NV Energy's new smart meters are a sore point for many customers. Now former meter readers are telling the I-Team's Nathan Baca people who have smart meters are seeing their bills go up. Do you have a smart meter? Has your bill changed at all?

Plus RGJ (Reno paper) had this article in it about NV Energys big quarterly loss....guess our rate will be going up

http://www.rgj.com/article/20120221/...xt%7CFRONTPAGE

[Danknee]

Months of independent energy monitoring prove that my meter is perfectly accurate. People who saw an increase probably consumed more electricity. Turning off lights, using electric heaters and AC less are all proven tactics to reduce usage.

Every other news station pretty much echoed my results. I guess channel 8 wants to do the same. I'm holding my breath to see the result of their "investigation". LOL

[MadManofBethesda]

Originally Posted by LVNVTrucker

Plus RGJ (Reno paper) had this article in it about NV Energys big quarterly loss....guess our rate will be going up

NV Energy reports loss of over $25M in 4Q | Reno Gazette-Journal | rgj.com

Yeah. analysts had expected NVE to earn .04/share last quarter and instead they lost .11/share, and their stock price has dropped 2.5% so far today as a result. Nevertheless, I'm sure that won't stop the whining from many here than NVE's rates are too high and that they're raping their customers.

[LVNVTrucker]

I understand the whole quarterly loss thing. Any loss of income gets them to petition to raise our rates, and doing it 4 to 6 times a year and for it to get granted is extreme. Maybe it should be contracted like cable TV or cell phones. Sign a 2 year contract at X amount with a block of usage, if you go over you get charged the overages. If they can't operate within their means like everyone else here in the valley, then they can go suck eggs. What the valley needs is competition to lower rates, not conservation.

And just FYI, with the new meter my bill has decreased ever so slightly, about $3 to $5 a month.

[Danknee]

Originally Posted by LVNVTrucker

What the valley needs is competition to lower rates, not conservation.

Because of NVEnergy's monopoly here they are regulated by a commission that has to approve, deny, or modify all rate change requests. The states around us that have unregulated energy prices controlled by the free market (competition) are paying 14-20 cents per kWh. Currently I am paying 11.9% per kWh via NVEnergy. Two years ago, in 2010, the national average was 11.6% (link).

No thanks to competition. Also, I wasn't suggesting that conserving would lower the rate, only reduce consumers' bills who are crying Smart Meter foul because they used their electric oven more this year than last.

[ScoopLV]

Originally Posted by LVNVTrucker

I understand the whole quarterly loss thing. Any loss of income gets them to petition to raise our rates, and doing it 4 to 6 times a year and for it to get granted is extreme. Maybe it should be contracted like cable TV or cell phones. Sign a 2 year contract at X amount with a block of usage, if you go over you get charged the overages. If they can't operate within their means like everyone else here in the valley, then they can go suck eggs. What the valley needs is competition to lower rates, not conservation.

And just FYI, with the new meter my bill has decreased ever so slightly, about $3 to $5 a month.

There's more to it than that.

We lose approximately 60% of all the electricity produced through transfer over an inefficient grid. If we ever got around to improving our transmission system, our bills would halve at a stroke. Retail prices would fall because of lower overhead.

This could put enough of America to work that it would put a BIG dent in the recession. But it won't get done. Only hippies and treehuggers care about things like that, say the skeptics.

What we lack is leadership with vision -- from the top all the way down. Nobody is thinking big.

[macgeek]

Originally Posted by ScoopLV

There's more to it than that.

We lose approximately 60% of all the electricity produced through transfer over an inefficient grid. If we ever got around to improving our transmission system, our bills would halve at a stroke. Retail prices would fall because of lower overhead.

This could put enough of America to work that it would put a BIG dent in the recession. But it won't get done. Only hippies and treehuggers care about things like that, say the skeptics.

What we lack is leadership with vision -- from the top all the way down. Nobody is thinking big.

There you are wrong, they think big, as in BIG PROFITS

Jonathan