Utility bills excessive

It was mentioned in the article “Avista customers shocked by big bills” (Jan. 17) that $100 is a lot for “some people.” One hundred dollars is a lot of money for most people.

I run my gas heat at 55 degrees in the winter, close off all but two rooms in the house and sleep in the living room with the heat off at night. Still my Avista bills run over $400 a month in the winter. Had I known that I could rent an apartment with the cost of my Avista bills, I never would have become a homeowner. I find it disgusting that an absolutely vital service is run by a monopoly, and there is nothing to do to protect ourselves from exorbitant rates and estimated bills.

When I think of the struggle I am having making ends meet, Avista is always what pushes me over the edge. My child is freezing for $400 a month.

Jacqueline Senouci

Spokane