Avista emails good news to customers

Avista notified its customers by email today that the Spokane-based power company is seeking to lower natural gas and electric prices for Idaho customers.

The email said Avista filed requests today with the Idaho Public Utilities Commission to decrease gas prices by 8 percent and electric prices by 2 percent beginning Oct. 1.

"Each year, we propose to adjust rates our customers pay so that customers’ bills reflect our actual costs of purchasing natural gas and generating and purchasing electric power," stated the email, signed by Kelly Norwood, Avista's Vice President for State and Federal Regulation.

The requested rate reductions are due to, among other things, lower natural gas prices and lower power supply costs, which is good news for our customers.

If approved, the rate reductions would be the second this year for Idaho customers. A 6 percent reduction took place in March.

The company detailed the effect the reductions will have on customers:

If the requests are approved by the commission, the monthly bill for a residential electric customer in Idaho using an average of 939 kilowatt-hours per month would decrease from $80.55 to $79.46, a decrease of $1.09 per month, or 1.4 percent, beginning Oct. 1.

The monthly bill for residential natural gas customer using an average of 60 therms a month, would see a $4.42, or 7.9 percent, decrease in the monthly rate for a revised monthly bill of $51.36, beginning Oct. 1.