NV Energy Woes and Neighbors Tragically Always Out in the Cold
Power outages for up to six days for thousands of local residents recently compounded a situation of higher and higher energy bills for all of us.
An Instagram commenter said they couldn’t understand why it was just their house on their street in Sparks without any power following recent storms. They were hoping for “clearer explanations.”
NV Energy officials have indicated they were expecting rain and flooding, rather than heavy snow. There were about a thousand “incidents” knocking out power to over 70,000 homes in the region.
Bad news also came with payments due. One commenter said their bill went up $110 for a 500 square ft. apartment. Others said it had doubled. “We have energy efficient everything. Not to mention no one is home between 8am-7pm, so the house sits dark that entire time. And we're gonna see another price increase this month as well!” wrote Emmicah1 on our Twitter.
Other commenters who have had solar installed complained of higher energy bills as well, with one indicating their panels were still not connected to the grid because of NV Energy and Titan Solar Power not cooperating.
Robert Alan More wrote on Twitter of NV Energy: “I’m sure their shareholders are doing just fine.” According to Wikipedia “MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company (now Berkshire Hathaway Energy), a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, acquired NV Energy in a transaction completed on December 19, 2013.”
Tragically, for those who live continuously without electricity, current data from Washoe County indicate higher and higher yearly death tolls among the unhoused community.
This highlights how, despite the existence of the Nevada Cares campus, there are many more people in our community who are unsheltered than the number of beds at that facility. Meanwhile, the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office is asking to criminalize sleeping outside, with a new vote pending soon on that issue at an upcoming meeting of our Board of Commissioners.
The Instagram account hellcattt is pleading for people to help those out in the cold with discounted rooms still being offered at the Peppermill casino which are pet friendly. Use booking code “HSNO” to receive the special rate at the Peppermill and be prepared to show local ID.
Our Features and Podcast This Week
Mushrooms were on our mind this week, with a feature looking at current Nevada legalization efforts for psychedelics, and a podcast with Walker Sauls of Biggest Little Mushrooms on all things fungi.
We also featured beautiful photography (above on our Instagram) shared with us by @ilujsreka of recent Reno snow views including one of the new year’s fireworks almost no one was able to see. If you have anything you’d like to share on our channels, or have tips for any story ideas we should pursue, never hesitate to reach out.