‘You never talked to me’: Las Vegas woman says mix-up with her power company left her in the dark — and with a fridge full of spoiled food. Now she wants policy changes

What happened to the power

Reporters from 8 News Now say they spoke to PUCN and although the commission does not track start-ups and shut-offs for electricity, they do log complaints about them. Data showed that they had received 224 disconnection complaints between 2018 to 2024. The news channel noted that complaints do not necessarily mean the disconnection was improper, and not all the complaints involved NV Energy.

Furthermore, a representative from NV Energy told 8 News Now that the utility can only deny new service requests in “very limited circumstances,” per the Nevada Administrative Code.

“If someone requests new service when there’s a customer still on record with existing service at that address, we do issue a letter to the existing customer, advising them of the request for new service at the address and asking them to call us if they feel that is happening in error,” the spokesperson told 8 News Now.

After 8 News Now reported on her case, NV Energy offered Butler a credit on her account. But she wants more.

“I want change to be implemented with how they contact their current customers and how they let them know, ‘Hey, I just wanted to reach out to you, Ms. Butler. Did you happen to vacate your address?’ That’s all it takes,” she said.

“If you can send a bill through email and if you can text me when my bill is paid, certainly a letter is not sufficient in 2025.”

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What you can do to prevent this issue in your home

Electricityrates.com reports that “by law, companies must give you a fair warning — usually around 10 to 20 days in advance.”

While there are only a few laws at the federal level regulating electricity services, states are all responsible for passing and upholding electricity shut-off laws. The most common reasons for shut-offs are failure to pay bills on time or theft of service by manipulating the meter. Tampering with utility equipment or using nonstandard equipment are also cited for justified electricity shut-offs.

However, most states have rules against service providers disconnecting electricity during weekends and public holidays, as it might be harder to reach the company for help or make payments on-time.

If you are up to date with your bills and find yourself in an unusual situation like Butler’s, be sure to contact your electricity company first. If you can’t get the help you need, you can try reaching out to your state’s public utility commission or utility authority for information, assistance or to file a complaint.