Las Vegas NowNevada Power, Sierra Pacific Will Operate as NV Energy

Nevada Power, Sierra Pacific Will Operate as NV Energy

Sierra Pacific and Nevada Power have announced they will become one company under one name - NV Energy. Executives promise the new company will be more efficient and that's better for the customer.

With the new name and logo, executives for NV Energy say the cost savings will be passed on to everyone. That's exactly what locals want to see when they look at their bill.

CEO Michael Vackira says that's exactly what he will deliver, "So we will not have to have two separate bills, separate inserts, etc. We will start to save money on the way we communicate with our customers immediately."

Still, he stopped short of saying it would definitely save on electric bills.

He did say the new company will have just one regulatory filing. Right now, there is one for Nevada Power in the south and Sierra Pacific in the north.

Yackira adds the change in name also signals a change in strategy. There will be more of a focus on renewable energy.

In southern Nevada, solar will play a larger roll. Yackira argues that to substantially offer customer savings, this is only going to be part of the pie, not the entire answer.

He says renewable energy costs more to make, "I think we can meet them with a combination of reducing consumption, building renewable energy plants and building traditional power plants."

The new company also wants to protect Nevada's renewable resources. It's cheaper to develop solar energy and sell it to others, than it is to buy solar energy from others developing in Nevada.

NV Energy executives say they want you to be able to lower your thermostat during the summer, while lowering your bill at the same time. Executives hope becoming more efficient and pushing for more renewable energy can lower cost in the long run.