Let's just see if we can give you the facts, just the facts, about the 2011 Avista Utilities compact fluorescent lightbulb program. We'll go retro and adopt the Five Ws approach:

Who:  Every one of the 350,000 residential households who are Avista power customers in Washington and Idaho. 

What: The free kit of eight compact fluorescent lights (CFL) that are being mailed to those houses. 

When: Now through November 2011.

Why:  a) Because a 2006 voter-approved law requires Avista to set target reductions in energy use, including conservation and energy reduction. CFLs help do that in a lasting way.

          b) Because Avista has been setting aside a monthly surcharge or tariff it collects on residential customers. It's about $3 per month, on average.

           That's the source for the roughly $7.5 million it's costing Avista to buy and mail the kits.

Where:  Eastern Washington and North Idaho, excluding all of Avista's business customers.

For more information, go to the Avista FAQ on the bulbs, at this link.

California communications company Tropos Networks has signed a $1.7 million contract to provide wireless services for Avista Utilities’ smart grid energy network.

A press release today said Avista selected Tropos’ “GridCom” mesh network system for full, two-way communications from substations to “smart” devices being installed across the Spokane electrical system grid.

Spokesman Hugh Imhof said the contract with Tropos allows Avista to install the network equipment and has Tropos providing ongoing support. The same network, not included in this contract, will be used in the Avista pilot Smart Grid project for Pullman.

Avista made the selection after reviewing a range of other industry options, the press release said.

The Spokane area upgrade to the smart grid system will run about $42 million. Of that, $20 million will come from federal stimulus money, said Imhof.

So, what’s in it for Avista’s roughly 365,000 power customers?