Editorial: Power bills dampen operations

Monday, June 11, 2001 | 9:58 a.m.

Without question, nearly every business and residential homeowner is looking for ways to cut back on their energy costs because electricity prices have escalated dramatically. Some businesses have had to scale back their operations. For instance, the Las Vegas Ice Garden is cutting the operating hours of one of its four ice skating rinks because of higher power bills. While casinos have used energy conservation measures to reduce their power bills, some also are tacking a $3 "energy surcharge" onto their guests' room bills.

Governments, too, have been hit hard by soaring power bills. Unlike the casinos, which can shift some of these higher costs onto their customers, the public sector must actually cut its consumption. For example, our public schools can't charge students an entrance fee when they enter the classrooms. Additionally, the last thing you would want to see are cuts in educational programs to pay for higher energy bills. The only alternative is to place a premium on conservation.

That is why it is encouraging that the Clark County School District is taking steps that it hopes will significantly reduce its electricity usage so that it can save as much as $1.5 million during the summer. At nine-month schools, air conditioning and lighting will be cut off from 12:30 to 7 p.m., which are the peak hours for summer usage. So that principals and support staff don't have to work under these miserable conditions, they would be required to report to work by 4:30 a.m. and finish by 12:30 p.m. There are some reasonable exceptions to the electricity curtailment: Air conditioning would be kept on for evening summer school, which meets from 4-8 p.m.

This likely won't be the end of the conservation measures that we'll see in the valley. Indeed, as the summer months go by, and the high temperatures consistently break the 100 degree-plus barrier, look for even more steps by businesses, local governments and residential customers to try to rein in those high energy costs.