Avista files request for two-year rate hike in North Idaho

Avista Utilities wants to raise rates for Idaho customers over the next two years.

The request was filed Friday with the Idaho Public Utilities Commission.

Avista is asking for higher rates to take effect on Jan. 1 in both 2018 and 2019. The request would raise household electric bills by about $11 per month over the two-year period and natural gas rates by about $5 per month.

The Spokane-based utility is constantly investing in its infrastructure and technology to maintain the system’s reliability, said Scott Morris, Avista’s chairman and CEO.

“Our customers expect their energy to be there when they need it, and so do we,” he said in a prepared statement.

State regulators have nine months to review Avista’s request. Comments from the public will be accepted as part of the process.

If approved, a typical Idaho household would see its electric bill rise from $86.39 to $93.42 per month on Jan. 1, an 8.1 percent rate hike.

On Jan. 1, 2019, electric bills would rise from $93.42 to $97.44 per month, a 4.3 percent rate hike.

An average Idaho household uses 910 kilowatt hours of electricity each month.

For natural gas customers, a typical household’s bill would rise from $51.10 to $54.47 per month on Jan. 1, a 6.6 percent hike.

On Jan. 1, 2019, gas bills would rise from $54.47 to $56.54 per month, a 3.8 percent increase.

An average Idaho household uses 61 therms of natural gas each month.

Avista recently filed a similar request for higher rates in Washington.

Through 2021, the utility expects to spend about $405 million annually on capital projects.

The money is being spent on upgrading aging infrastructure, such as major renovations at its dams, and installing new technology, such as a better online payment system, company officials said recently

Some of the capital spending is related to cyber security and federal requirements for reliable energy delivery, officials said.