Avista seeks electricity rate increase in Idaho

Avista Utilities seeks to raise the price of electricity for its Idaho ratepayers by about 1.5 percent, or $1.04 per month for the average household. That would bring average bills to $70.42 a month.

In a filing with the Idaho Public Utilities Commission, the company said it is not recovering enough money to cover its costs of generating electricity.

The increase would be applied to what is called the power cost adjustment surcharge, and begin Oct. 1.

Avista has 118,000 customers in Idaho, and said the higher costs of burning natural gas to make electricity along with the slowdown of hydropower from river dams led to the request.