Nevada utilities plan to resume nonpayment service shutoffs

LAS VEGAS — Nevada utilities NV Energy Inc. and the Las Vegas Valley Water District plan to resume disconnecting some customers for nonpayment.

NV Energy spokeswoman Jennifer Schuricht said customers who are not currently paying their bills, have a past-due balance and have not indicated they are facing financial hardships due to the coronavirus will have their power disconnected beginning in September.

Customers facing disconnection will receive 10-day and 48-hour notices, NV Energy said.

Those using payment programs including Equal Pay and FlexPay will not be disconnected if they continue complying with payment rules, the company said.

Customers have been able to inform NV Energy directly or online whether they have been financially impacted by COVID-19, the company said.

The Las Vegas Valley Water District will also resume normal bill collections and processes for past due accounts beginning Sept. 1, spokesman Bronson Mack said.

Southwest Gas Corp. plans to continue the company's moratorium on service shutoffs for natural gas service, spokeswoman Amy Washburn said.

Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak praised the state's utilities at the outset of the pandemic for temporarily suspending nonpayment disconnections and waiving late fees.

"That is exactly the kind of commitment that will help sustain our residents as we weather this crisis," Sisolak said in March.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some — especially older adults and people with existing health problems — it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death.

The number of infections is thought to be far higher because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected with the virus without feeling sick.