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Solar · Utility Guide

Solar with Sierra Pacific Power

Sierra Pacific (NV Energy North) is a investor-owned utility serving Northern Nevada (Reno-Sparks, Carson City, Elko, Lake Tahoe area); investor-owned utility, NV Energy's northern division. Here is how its electricity rates have changed, what they are now, and how its net metering rules affect home solar.

  • Avg residential rate: about 14.52c per kWh (2024)
  • Rate increase: about +23% since 2015 (~2.3% per year)
  • Solar export: Tiered NEM (AB405), Tier 4 = 75% of retail
  • Customers: About 330,900 residential customers (330,891 in 2024 per EIA-861); roughly 250 staff figure not applicable. NV Energy statewide (Sierra Pacific Power north + Nevada Power south) serves about 2.4 million electric customers; Sierra Pacific's northern division covers a roughly 50,000-square-mile service territory.
EIA + public rate data Updated annually

Sierra Pacific (NV Energy North) rate increases over time

Sierra Pacific Power's average residential electricity price has risen from 11.8073 cents per kWh in 2015 to 14.52 cents in 2024, an increase of about 23 percent, or roughly 2.3 percent per year. The chart shows Sierra Pacific (NV Energy North)'s average residential price by year. Hover any point for the exact figure.

Sierra Pacific (NV Energy North) residential price vs California average
Average residential price, cents per kWh. Source: EIA Form 861 (per-utility) and EIA retail-sales data (state average).

What rising Sierra Pacific (NV Energy North) rates could cost you

Sierra Pacific (NV Energy North) rates have risen about 2.3% per year. Enter your bill to see what that pace of increase could compound to over time, and what you have likely already absorbed. This is an estimate, not a guarantee.

$200
Adding usage soon?
2.3%
10 yrs
Your bill in 10 years$0
Total you'd pay Sierra Pacific (NV Energy North) over 10 yrs$0
Of that, extra from rate hikes$0
Extra absorbed, last 10 yrs$0
Projected monthly bill over time

Estimate only. Projects your current bill forward at Sierra Pacific (NV Energy North)'s historical average rate increase (2.3% per year, from EIA data); it assumes your usage stays the same except for any add-ons you select. Actual rates depend on your usage, rate plan, and the utility's future filings, and are not guaranteed. This is general information, not financial advice.

Current residential rates

Sierra Pacific (NV Energy North) residential rates are shown below, from the utility's published tariffs and the public Utility Rate Database. Rates vary by plan, season, and usage and change over time.

PlanEnergy chargeFixed / basic
Domestic Service (D-1), standard single-family residential11.798 cents/kWh all-in total effective rate (BTGR+BTER 11.263 + DEAA 0.000 + TRED 0.055 + REPR -0.073 + EE 0.193 + NDPP 0.316 + ESAP 0.005), plus Universal Energy Charge 0.039 cents/kWh$18.50/month basic service charge
Domestic Multi-Family Service (DM-1), separately metered apartment/condo11.413 cents/kWh all-in total effective rate, plus Universal Energy Charge 0.039 cents/kWh$9.25/month basic service charge
Optional Domestic Time-of-Use (OD-1-TOU)Summer on-peak 49.537 cents/kWh, summer off-peak 8.733 cents/kWh, all winter hours 8.728 cents/kWh (BTGR+BTER, before riders); riders DEAA/TRED/REPR/EE/NDPP/ESAP add about +0.50 cents/kWh net$18.25/month basic service charge

Rates are the posted NV Energy (Sierra Pacific Power) residential tariff effective April 1, 2026, as approved by the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada (PUCN), from the Q2 2026 bill-insert rate schedule. These are bundled rates (generation + transmission + distribution). The all-in Total Effective Rate Per kWh on the standard D-1 plan is 11.798 cents (about 11.8 cents), which is the rate-schedule list price; the EIA-861 effective average of 14.52 cents/kWh for 2024 is higher because it reflects the full revenue-per-kWh actually billed (including the basic service charge spread over usage and the higher deferred-energy/fuel costs in effect during 2023-2024). A separate Universal Energy Charge (UEC) of $0.00039/kWh applies to all usage. Net-metering customers are billed under parallel NMR rate schedules.

Net metering and solar export: Tiered NEM (AB405), Tier 4 = 75% of retail

Nevada uses a statutory, declining-tier net-metering structure set by Assembly Bill 405 (2017), administered by NV Energy under PUCN oversight. Each tier credits exported (excess) solar energy at a fixed percentage of the full retail rate: Tier 1 = 95% (closed 2018), Tier 2 = 88% (closed 2019), Tier 3 = 81% (closed 2020), and Tier 4 = 75% (currently open, no capacity cap). Any new residential solar customer today enrolls in Tier 4, so each kWh you send back to the grid earns a credit worth 75% of the retail rate (versus the ~100% one-to-one offset of full retail net metering). Credits are applied as a monetary credit on your next monthly bill and roll forward to offset months when you consume more than you produce. The structure applies to systems up to 25 kW (typical rooftop residential), and the tier rate you enroll under is locked in for 20 years from the original installation. Practical effect: solar still meaningfully offsets your bill, but exported energy is worth about a quarter less than the energy you buy, so self-consumption (sizing the system to your own load, or adding battery storage) is more valuable than overbuilding for export.

What it means for solar

Sierra Pacific (NV Energy North) rates have risen about 2.3 percent per year over the past decade. Solar can offset that grid cost, every kWh you generate and use is a kWh you do not buy, but how much you save depends on your rate level and on how exported power is credited (Tiered NEM (AB405), Tier 4 = 75% of retail). Where exports are worth little, using your own solar, often with a battery, matters more than selling surplus back. Whether solar makes sense depends on your usage, roof, and rate plan, so get a site-specific quote.

Sierra Pacific (NV Energy North) service area

Sierra Pacific (NV Energy North) serves Northern Nevada (Reno-Sparks, Carson City, Elko, Lake Tahoe area); investor-owned utility, NV Energy's northern division.

To confirm whether a specific address is served by Sierra Pacific (NV Energy North), check your electricity bill. A ZIP lookup tool is coming to this site.

Full data and sources

Per-utility prices are computed from EIA Form 861 (bundled residential revenue divided by sales), which reconciles to the EIA's published figures. These are public-domain U.S. government data.

Sierra Pacific (NV Energy North) average residential electricity price by year
YearSierra Pacific (NV Energy North) (c/kWh)
201511.8073
201610.2639
201710.5319
201811.1321
201911.0625
202010.1786
202110.9263
202213.3039
202316.1033
202414.518

Sources: EIA Form 861 detailed data files (Sales to Ultimate Customers, utility 17166, 2015-2024) · EIA Table 6 - 2024 Utility Bundled Retail Sales, Residential (Sierra Pacific Power Co: 14.518 cents/kWh) · NV Energy / Sierra Pacific Power residential rate schedule, effective April 1, 2026 (PUCN-approved bill insert) · PUCN - Net Metering in Nevada (AB405 tiered structure, Tier 4 = 75% of retail) · NV Energy - Net Metering program page · EnergySage - 2026 NV Energy Net Metering overview · OpenEI - Sierra Pacific Power Co (Nevada), EIA Utility ID 17166

FAQ

How much have Sierra Pacific (NV Energy North) electricity rates gone up?

Sierra Pacific (NV Energy North)'s average residential price rose about 23 percent since 2015, roughly 2.3 percent per year, reaching about 14.52 cents per kWh in 2024.

Does Sierra Pacific (NV Energy North) offer net metering for solar?

Sierra Pacific (NV Energy North) uses Tiered NEM (AB405), Tier 4 = 75% of retail. See the net metering section above for exactly how exported solar is credited and what that means for your system.

Is solar worth it with Sierra Pacific (NV Energy North)?

It depends on your electricity usage, roof, system size, and whether you add a battery. Higher rates and rate increases make solar more attractive, but the value of exported power depends on Sierra Pacific (NV Energy North)'s net metering rules. Get a site-specific quote rather than relying on a general estimate.

Where does this rate data come from?

The per-year prices come from the U.S. Energy Information Administration's Form 861, and the current rate structures come from the public Utility Rate Database. Both are public, free, and updated regularly.