Nevada Residents Will Pay NV Energy Employee Bonuses
NV Energy employees are getting bonuses. Guess who is paying for it? Southern Nevada.
NV Energy Has Southern Nevada Residents Paying Their Bonuses
Yes, it’s true. NV Energy customers will be paying for employee bonuses. Dana Gentry of the Nevada Current says if Southern Nevadans want better customer service from NV Energy, they’ll have to pay for it. That was the word from Public Utilities Commissioner Randy Brown. Brown is the newest member of the PUC and was appointed by Governor Joe Lombardo, the Nevada Current further reports. In the past, company bonus pay was shared by NV Energy customer and NV energy. Now — it’s all on the customers.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that NV Energy fell short of the company’s performance goals, along with a plethora of other publications that highlighted the same issue. A PUC meeting was held last week. That meeting left NV Energy customers in Southern Nevada paying bonus for some managers and employees in lower level positions. So, if you notice your rates going up *again,* this might be why. And bonus pay was part of the changes to NV Energy’s general rate, the Review-Journal reported .
Will Your Energy Rates Climb Even More
Something has gotta give! Las Vegas’ energy rates, both electric and gas, have gotten very expensive. I looked at my own bills over the past couple years (yes, believe it or not I have them in an accordion file, but I still pay online. Don’t judge me).
Just looking at my rates and the way energy usage is measured out by kilowatt per hour, my bill has gone up substantially. But my usage has not. It seems like in the past couple of years, Las Vegas utility rates have skyrocketed, which our very own Larry Martino reported on a few weeks ago.
Like any company, bonus pay at NV Energy is based on whether or not the company meets its goals. And like any other company, sometime they will hit 100% of their goal, sometimes much less.
Bonus pay was originally around $5.75 million. It was announced at last week’s meeting the amount dropped to $4.27 million. According to the The Las Vegas Review Journal, Meghin Delaney a spokesperson for NV Energy said the average residential NV Energy customer will pay about 33 cents a month toward the bonuses. Commissioner Randy Brown is concerned low bonus pay could hurt NV Energy customer’s experience, the Review-Journal said. And NV Energy has a high turnover rate with employees as it is. So — trying to keep your employees happy seems like a good goal to have.
But It’s Only 33 Cents
Now 33 cents a month might not seem like a lot. But my personal “lay person” confusion lies in what NV bonuses are for and why? These are essential public services. I didn’t think utilities were like selling cars or insurance or any business where you are bonused on what you sell. But what do I or you – the consumer – know? We just pay the bills and shut up.
I did call NV Energy and Southwest Gas recently to ask who I talk to about all of the rate hikes. One person told me, “The Governor.” Will it make a difference in my rates if I call Governor Lombardo? I don’t know, but I called. I had to leave a message. Perhaps it will help. But, I already know I’m an idealist.