The Public Utilities Commission of Nevada scrapped “more than a third” of NV Energy’s $224 million rate hike request, approved a daily peak demand charge for residential and small business customers in Southern Nevada, and tweaked net metering calculations for rooftop solar customers in the north. The exact amount of the rate hike won’t be known until Oct. 1.

The changes in rate design are an effort to reduce what regulators say is a $50 million annual subsidy paid by full-service ratepayers to offset the lower costs enjoyed by rooftop solar customers, according to Nevada Current .

The peak demand charge allows NV Energy to impose a higher kilowatt (kW) rate for the time of day with the most energy use.

Opponents of peak usage rates say the scheme penalizes working people who are

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