Why Are Natural Gas Bills So High in Nevada?
WHY ARE NATURAL GAS PRICES SO HIGH?
If you live in Las Vegas and own a home or business, you’ve probably noticed your natural gas bill has skyrocketed lately. I’m talking about 100 to 200 percent rate increases.
See: As Southwest Gas seeks another rate hike, some consumers and advocacy groups cry foul
Southwest Gas and Sierra Pacific Power Company have a monopoly in natural gas distribution in this region. Most consumers are stuck paying whatever rate the gas companies want to charge us. Supposedly, PUNC regulates all rate increases, but these overseers are either grossly incompetent, lazy, stupid, or perhaps even on the take from the energy companies. Maybe all of the above.
My SW Gas bill averaged $30-70 monthly for the past 18 years. The natural gas bill (mostly for cooking, and heating) has always been reasonable. Then, last winter I started getting $100 SW gas bills….then $125….then $150. This year, the last two bills have been $199 and $242 is projected as my February bill. WTF? Many Las Vegas residents are complaining about similar ASTRONOMICAL rate increases of 100 or even 200 percent from just a year or two ago. WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?
Energy companies are making record profits. Consumers are getting screwed. That’s capitalism 101. Squeeze until they bleed. Fact: According to their own public filings, Southwest Gas Holdings company profits are up 126 percent this year, and last year was an all-time record for them. What “regulated company” gets to enjoy a whopping 126 percent increase in profits entire at the expense of consumers, including many on fixed incomes? This is an OUTRAGE!
Is this just a matter of supply and demand? Nope. Wrong. At the source, natural gas prices are down 62 percent in the last two years and down 27 percent in the last year. In fact, natural gas prices haven’t been this low since the 2020 commodities crash. Incredibly, natural gas production IS AT AN LL TIME HIGH. So no, it’s not a problem with “supply.” It’s a problem with greed and cutthroat corporate boards and shareholders of these companies.
Anyone else noticing their natural gas bills are shooting through the roof? Any thoughts or suggestions on how to fight this? I wish we would nationalize all energy companies, but that’s not going to happen. So, what next? Just bend over and take it?
Ha ha ha – this cracks me up.
Just so you all know:
Liars Figure and Figures Lie
I will let you all deduce what I am saying…
Have seen a similar increase here in Wisconsin over the last few years…. under the guise of money needed for investing in alternative energy sources. What, so they can then charge us more for electric.
In addition, water prices have gone crazy here as well. For what was a bi-annual bill of under $200, now we are billed monthly and I average about $90 per month.
“What ya going to do”
As someone who has been in the oil and gas bidness for 40 years I can tell you this. This is what happens when you try to make people go green when your country is not ready. That and this administration hate towards anything that is a fossil fuel.
Prices may be reflecting world economic downturn and stagflation as the UK and Japan “officially” entered recessions at end of 2023. Electric power generation costs continue to rise even with low natural gas prices. Why? State and national energy mandates require new additional power generation “builds” from more costly renewables, wind, solar, battery and other sources. The result is higher generation / deliverability costs to consumers. Check your electric bill. Natural gas is the clean green energy.