Spokane7
55°
July 5, 2011
Avista asks for higher rates in Idaho
Avista Corp. is asking Idaho regulators for permission to charge more for electricity and natural gas.
If the requests are approved by the Idaho Public Utilities Commission, a residential customer using an average 956 kilowatt hours per month would see a $3.06 per month increase, or 3.7 percent, for a revised monthly bill of $86.87.
A natural gas customer using an average of 62 therms per month would see a $2.15 increase, or 3.5 percent, for a revised monthly bill of $62.91.
The Idaho Public Utilities Commission has seven months to review Avista’s request and make a decision. The requests would produce about $10.9 million in additional revenue for the Spokane-based utility.
Avista officials said the utility needs the extra money to replace its aging electric infrastructure, ensure reliability of service and pay for increased natural gas operating costs. The company has a similar request pending before Washington regulators.
Avista serves more than 122,000 electric customers and more than 74,000 natural gas customers in Idaho.
Miners to return to Lucky Friday 
oneanddone on July 05 at 3:05 p.m.
Idaho customers will cry in their beer over this request. To ease your pain be aware that Kootenai Electric already charges nearly this amount AND their rates are increasing in October. I could accept what’s charged, even the increase, if a monthly connection surcharge of nearly $20 wasn’t part of the rate structure. And, of course, KEC management is in no way responsible to any agency, charging whatever they want. It should also be obvious to anyone, considering such a high connection fee charged to everyone, that business is who benefits. Businesses always use more electric than residents and this $20 monthly fee effectively cuts their rate. But you’d expect that because business runs KEC for their own benefit.
greyhound2 on July 05 at 4:55 p.m.
Avista needs to be changed from a for-profit private monopoly run by executives seeking absurd personal compensation by appeasing money grubbing Wall Street shareholders at the expense of captive ratepayers into a public utility like Seattle and other areas where voters at least have some chance and are not stuck with “take it or freeze”. Avista’s rate structure subsidizes high commercial energy users at the expense of small residential rate payers. And, the appointed commissioners on the Public Utilities Commission are a joke.
lowtechmaster on July 05 at 6:00 p.m.
Why are the Idaho increases less than the Washington ones?
Dazzeetrader11 on July 05 at 7:57 p.m.
Because there is more money in Washington.
When service is pu tbehind profits, as they’ve said this year, it’s time to chose another company. Can’t though…this is a very rigged system with only 1 provider. People who hate it: nearly everyone. People who like it? Nearly every one who makes money off of Avista.
greenlibertarian on July 05 at 11:43 p.m.
Why are Avista’s “natural gas operating costs” supposedly increasing, Dan?
Can’t pass along any “product” costs from natural gas, nor can you, as natural gas wholesale prices have PLUMMETED in recent years and aren’t expected to dramatically increase any time soon in the next 5 years.
So you make it up on the “transmission” cost of gas, really?
Do tell how this has increased your ACTUAL expenses, beyond normal inflationary increases, if ANY?