20250430Annual ISQ Program Report.pdf

I 11
RECEIVED
Avista Corp. April 30, 2025
1411 East Mission Ave.,P.O. Box 3727 IDAHO PUBLIC
Spokane,WA 99220-0500 UTILITIES COMMISSION
Telephone: [phone]
Toll Free: 800-227-9187
April 30, 2025
Commission Secretary
Idaho Public Utilities Commission
11331 W. Chinden Blvd. Bldg. 8, Ste. 201-A
Boise, Idaho 83714
RE: Avista Utilities 2024 Idaho Service Quality (ISQ) Program Report
Dear Commission Secretary:
Attached for electronic filing in Case Nos. AVU-E-18-10 and AVU-G-18-06 is the 2024
Idaho Service Quality (ISQ) Program Report of Avista Corporation, dba Avista Utilities (Avista
or the Company), pursuant to the Company's electric tariff Schedule 85 and natural gas Schedule
185.
If you have any questions regarding this filing, please contact me at(509) 495-7839 or
j [e-mail].
Sincerely,
14/,"w arrw
Jaime Majure
Regulatory Affairs Manager
Avista Utilities

SERVICE QUALITY
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Table of Contents
I. Introduction................................................................................................................... 3
II. Executive Summary...................................................................................................... 3
Customer Service Measures -Results for 2024 ..........................................................4
Electric System Reliability- Results for 2024............................................................4
Customer Service Guarantees—Results for 2024....................................................... 7
III. Customer Service Measures.......................................................................................... 7
Measure 1: Customer Satisfaction with the Telephone Service provided by Avista's
CSRs .......................................................................................................................... 8
Measure 2: Customer Satisfaction with Avista's Field Service Representatives........ 9
Measure 3: Answering Our Customers' Calls Promptly........................................... 10
Measure 4: Avista's Response Time for Electric Emergencies................................ 11
Measure 5: Avista's Response Time for Natural Gas Emergencies ......................... 12
IV.Electric System Reliability ......................................................................................... 13
Measure 1: Number of Electric System Outages ...................................................... 14
Measure 2: Average Duration of Electric System Outages....................................... 15
V. Customer Service Guarantees..................................................................................... 15
Guarantee 1: Keeping Electric and Natural Gas Service Appointments................... 16
Guarantee 2: Prompt Restoration of Electric System Outage................................... 16
Guarantee 3: Promptly Turning on Electric or Natural Gas Service Upon Request. 17
Guarantee 4: Promptly Providing Cost Estimates to Customers for New Service ... 17
Guarantee 5: Promptly Responding to Customers' Bill Inquiries............................. 18
Guarantee 6: Promptly Responding to Customers' Meter Problems........................ 19
Guarantee 7: Providing Customers Advance Notice of Scheduled Electric Interruptions
..................................................................................................................................20
Appendix A— Service Quality Program Report Card............................................... 21
Appendix B - Definitions and Index Calculations .................................................... 22
Avista Utilities-2024 Idaho Service Quality Program Report 2

I. Introduction
On December 28, 2017, the Commission issued
Order No. 33953 in the Company's general rate
case,1 approving the Settlement Stipulation filed by
the Parties2 and requiring the Company to make
additional compliance filings to meet the terms and
conditions of the Settlement.As part of these filings,
an initial draft of the proposed Idaho Service Quality
(ISQ) Program (ISQ Program or Program) was
provided to Commission Staff(Staff) on February
15, 2018. Through the course of subsequent
discussions and collaborative efforts, Avista and Staff agreed on a set of service measures and
accompanying benchmarks and reporting requirements that, taken together, provide an overall
assessment of the quality of the Company's service to its Idaho customers. Referred to collectively
as Avista's ISQ Program, and approved by the Commission on November 1,2018,with associated
tariff Schedule 85 for electric service and Schedule 185 for natural gas service, these measures
include:
✓ Five (5) individual measures of the level of customer service and satisfaction that the
Company must achieve each year;3
✓ Reporting on two (2) measures of electric system reliability;
✓ Seven (7) individual service standards through which Avista provides customers with
payment or bill credit in the event the Company does not deliver the required service level
(Customer Service Guarantees).
Under this agreement,the Company also reports to its customers and the Commission annually on
its prior-year performance in meeting these customer service quality and reporting requirements.
The following report includes a summary of the 2024 annual results of its ISQ Program, followed
by a more in-depth explanation of the measures themselves and associated annual outcomes.
II. Executive Summary
In compliance with Order No. 34181 in Case Nos. AVU-E-18-10 and AVU-G-18-06, Avista's
2024 ISQ Program Report (Report) provides the annual performance results for the Company's
ISQ Program for 2024. During its 2024 Program year,Avista is pleased to report that the Company
has again exceeded all of its Customer Service Measures and built upon its history of high customer
satisfaction levels. The percent of customers satisfied with the Company's contact center and field
services, based on survey results, show Avista achieved 96% and 98% satisfaction rates,
1 Case Nos.AVU-E-17-01 and AVU-G-17-02
2 Stipulation"Parties"included Avista,IPUC Commission Staff,Clearwater Paper Corporation,Idaho Forest Group,
LLC,and the Community Action Partnership Association of Idaho(CAPAI).
3 Four individual Customer Service Measures exist within each of Avista's approved tariff schedules; the fourth
benchmark differs in its requirements between electric and natural gas service, resulting in five separate measures
altogether.
Avista Utilities-2024 Idaho Service Quality Program Report 3

respectively.' In addition, the Company also celebrates a 100% success rate in restoring service
within 24 hours of a customer-reported electric outage in 2024. Finally, Avista successfully met
99.93% of its applicable Customer Service Guarantees (Guarantees) in 2024,providing customers
with a Guarantee credit in 25 out of 37,184 cases. The overall success rate of these Guarantees
shows Avista's continued dedication to serving our customers. Avista is committed to pursuing
further improvement in each of these areas as we continue our mission of improving our customers'
lives through innovative energy solutions by providing safe, affordable, and reliable service now
and into the future.
Customer Service Measures - Results for 2024
Listed in Table No. 1 below are the five Customer Service Measures, including their respective
service requirements (benchmarks), and the Company's performance results in meeting them for
2024. Avista achieved all of its customer service benchmarks for the year.
Table No. 1 —2024 Results for Avista's Customer Service Measures
Ben 2024PerformanceR
Percent of customers satisfied with our contact At least 90% 96% ✓
center services,based on survey results
Percent of customers satisfied with field At least 90% 98% ✓
services,based on survey results
Percent of calls answered live within 60 At least 80% 87% ✓
seconds by our contact center
Average time from customer call to arrival of No more than 65
field technicians in response to electric system minutes 52 minutes ✓
emergencies,per year
Average time from customer call to arrival of No more than 55
field technicians in response to natural gas minutes 41 minutes ✓
system emergencies,per year
Electric System Reliability - Results for 2024
Table Nos. 2 and 3 below list the two measures of Washington and ..
electric system reliability to be reported by Avista
each year as part of its ISQ Program. Because the �3
,. "mnet okra
annual electric reliability results often vary im 1 ';_
substantially year-to-year (the case for any electric 1GFC
settle '.,k • ..r
utility's system),it is difficult to derive a meaningful •v° .K.Iiu
assessment of the Company's system reliability °°''°"'°•�1� 1='M: -sM
from any single-year's result. Consequently, in ••- —
L•wi- Irk
addition to reporting the current-year result for each •G°1^•° .1.
st••°so°
measure, Avista also reports the average value of LeGra d,.
each measure for the previous five-year period, the
average for the current five-year period (which includes the results for the current year - 2024),
4 Includes customers"satisfied"and"very satisfied".
Avista Utilities-2024 Idaho Service Quality Program Report 4

and the historic"five-year rolling average"from 2019—2023. This data provides context for better
interpreting each year's reliability results.
Table No. 2—2024 Results for Number of Outages on Avista's System (SAIM)
Number of Outages 2024 Current 5-Year Average Previous 5-Year Average
System Results (2020-2024) (2019-2023)
Average number of sustained 0.91 0.95 .96
outages(interruptions)per per Customer Per Customer Per Customer
customer for the year(SAIFI)5
Table No. 3—Results for Duration of Outages on Avista's System in 2024 (SAIDI)
Outage Duration 2024 Current 5-Year Average Previous 5-Year Average
System Results I I I (2019-2023)
Average duration of sustained
outages(interruptions)per 131 Minutes 137 Minutes 138 Minutes
customer for the year. (SAIDI)6
Figure Nos. 1 and 2 below show the "five-year rolling
average" for each reliability measure from 2011 through
2024. As shown in the figures, the long-term trend for
each reliability measure is stable during this period. The
r trend in number of outages stays similar while the outage
duration is declining, indicating an overall trend toward
sra improved system reliability. The Company formally
reports its reliability results for its entire electric system
in its Washington Electric Service Reliability Report.
Provided annually to Idaho as a courtesy, Avista also
agreed to track and report its Idaho-specific annual
results as part of the ISQ Program. In 2024, the Idaho-specific average number of electric system
outages per customer in 2024 was 1.07, and the average total outage duration per customer was
165.98 minutes. This year's figure, although a bit lower, still aligns with the numbers reported in
previous years.
5 See Appendix B for a more detailed definition of these reliability measures and calculation of indices.
6 See Appendix B.
Avista Utilities-2024 Idaho Service Quality Program Report 5

Figure No. I —Historic Five-Year Rolling Average for Number of Electric Outages on Avista's
Electric System (SAIFI)
Historic Five-Year Averages of the Annual Number of
Outages (SAIFI)
1.15 -
1.1 1.09
1.04 1.05
'^ 1.05 1
Q 1.01 .02
0 1 0.97
0.96 0.96 0.95
O 0.95 0.94
m
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z
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lie ti �O�h, �0�6, y0�� �0�$, .1,0,E I0;0,
Figure No. 2 —Historic Five-Year Rolling Average for Duration of Outages on Avista's Electric
System (SAIDI)
Historic Five-Year Averages of Annual Outage Duration
(SAIDI)
160 151 149 151 148
139 142 142 141 138 137
140
z 120
z 100
80
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0 40
20
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Avista Utilities-2024 Idaho Service Quality Program Report 6

Customer Service Guarantees —Results for 2024
Our ISQ Program includes seven types of service for which we
provide Customer Service Guarantees. In the event that the
Company fails to meet a Customer Service Guarantee, Avista
provides the customer or applicant with a bill credit or payment ,
in the amount of$50 in recognition of the inconvenience. All
costs associated with the payment of Customer Service
Guarantees are paid by the Company's shareholders and are
not paid by our customers in their rates for service or
otherwise. Table No. 4 below provides a list of the services
covered in the ISQ Program Guarantees, as well as the
Company's performance results in meeting these Guarantees
in 2024.
Table No. 4—2024 Results forAvista's Customer Service Guarantees
Customer Service Guarantee SuccesMs I
Keeping our electric and natural gas service appointments 1,389 6 $300
scheduled with our customers
Restore service within 24 hours of a customer reporting an 7,781 0 $0
outage (excluding major storm events)
Turn on power the same day the request is received 4,384 3 $150
Provide a cost estimate for new electric or natural gas 518 0 $0
service within 10 business days of receiving the request
Investigate and respond to a billing inquiry within 10 394 0 $0
business days if unable to answer a question on first contact
Investigate a reported meter problem or conduct a meter test 197 0 $0
and report the results within 20 business days
Notify customers at least 24 hours in advance of a planned 22,496 16 $800
power outage lasting longer than 5 minutes
Totals 37,159 25 $1,250
III. Customer Service Measures
There are numerous touchpoints where customers interact with Avista, each playing a pivotal role
in shaping their perception of the Company and the satisfaction they derive from our services.
While Avista has tracked its customers' satisfaction with primary services such as customer
contact center and field services for many years,we are equally invested in understanding whether
we are meeting broader service expectations. In response to this interest,Avista conducts its Voice
of the Customer (VOC) survey, which prompts customers to evaluate their overall satisfaction
with our services. This holistic measure serves as a crucial indicator of how satisfied our customers
are with the entirety of the integrated services and value provided by Avista.As depicted in Figure
No. 3 below,Avista's overall customer satisfaction, encompassing both satisfied and very satisfied
responses, has consistently ranged between 94% and 97% over the past decade.
Avista Utilities-2024 Idaho Service Quality Program Report 7

Figure No. 3—Percent of Customers Satisfied or Very Satisfied with Avista's Overall Service Level
2015-2024
Percent of Customers Satisfied or Very Satisfied
with Avista's Overall Service 2015-2024
0 100 96 97 96 96 97 97 97
94 95 94
a
90
LU
0
LL 80
Q
z
w
U 70
a 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
These results closely align with the Idaho-specific satisfaction rate of 96%reported for the contact
center and 98% for field services for 2024, as further described below. Consequently, we are
confident that the outcomes of the five Customer Service Measures outlined in the subsequent
sections collectively offer a comprehensive evaluation of our customers' overall satisfaction with
the quality and value of our services.
Measure 1: Customer Satisfaction with the Telephone Service Provided by Avista's CSRs
The level of our customers'satisfaction with the telephone
service provided by the Company's contact center will meet
or exceed a benchmark of 90%.1
Several factors play a significant role in influencing our
#77- customers' satisfaction with the quality of telephone service
delivered by our Customer Service Representatives (CSRs)
and contact center. We annually assess the importance of
these 0 to our customers, along with their satisfaction levels.
The factors, along with our customers' satisfaction rates (either satisfied or very satisfied) for each
factor in 2024, are outlined below.
✓ The CSR handled the customer's call in a friendly, caring manner. (99%)
✓ The CSR was informed and knowledgeable. (97%)
✓ The CSR met the customer's needs promptly. (98%)
✓ The CSR gave the customer all the information they needed in one call. (96%)
✓ Customer was connected to a CSR in a reasonable amount of time. (97%)
7 See Avista's tariff Schedules 85(electric) 185(natural gas)for further specifics regarding this measure.
Avista Utilities-2024 Idaho Service Quality Program Report 8

2024 Results — The annual survey results for this measure of customer satisfaction show that,
overall,97%percent of Avista's customers were satisfied with the quality of the telephone service
they received from our CSRs.
Table No. S— Customer Satisfaction with Avista's Contact Center Representatives in 2024
lOustomer Satisfactioni2024 Achieved
PerformanceCenter Representatives Quality
Percent of customers satisfied or very satisfied 90%or Greater 97%
with the quality of Avista's CSRs
For the purpose of reporting our annual service quality performance under this Program, the
Company will continue to use its system-wide results.Avista will also separately track and report
the results for this measure for our Idaho-specific customers,though it is not a requirement of the
ISQ Program. For 2024, the percent of Idaho customers satisfied or very satisfied with the
Company's CSRs and contact center was 96%,with 90%of our customers noting they were"very
satisfied" and 6% noting they were "satisfied". These results represent an approximate 1%
decrease in customers reporting they were "very satisfied"; Avista will continue to monitor this
trend in the upcoming year to ensure continued or increased satisfaction in the coming years.
Measure 2: Customer Satisfaction with Avista's Field Service Representatives
The level of our customers' satisfaction with the
Company's field services will meet or exceed a benchmark
of 90%.8
..R
c The quality of our field services and the satisfaction of our
' customers are influenced by several key factors. Annually,
we gauge the significance of these factors to our customers
and assess their satisfaction with each aspect of our service.
Below are these factors, along with our customers'
satisfaction levels (either satisfied or very satisfied)with each factor in 2024.
✓ The service representative kept customer informed of the status of their job. (95%)
✓ The service representative or service crew was courteous and respectful. (98%)
✓ The service representative or service crew was informed and knowledgeable. (98%)
✓ The service representative or service crew left the customer's property in the condition
they found it. (97%)
✓ The service work was completed according to the customer's expectations. (96%)
✓ The overall quality of the work performed by Avista Utilities. (98%)
$See Avista's tariff Schedules 85(electric) 185(natural gas)for further specifics regarding this measure.
Avista Utilities-2024 Idaho Service Quality Program Report 9

2024 Results—The annual survey results for this measure, as reported in Table No. 6 below, show
that 97%percent of our customers were satisfied with the service provided by Avista's field service
representatives.
Table No. 6— Customer Satisfaction with Avista's Field Services Representatives in 2024
Customeri2024 Achieved
PerformanceRepresentatives Quality
Percent of customers satisfied or very satisfied with 90%or Greater 97%
the quality of Avista's field service representatives Satisfied V
Avista will again continue to use its system-wide results for the purpose of reporting our annual
service quality performance under this Program. The Company will also separately track and
report the results for this measure for our Idaho customers only, although it is not a requirement
of the ISQ Program. For 2024, the percent of Idaho customers satisfied or very satisfied with the
Company's field service representatives was slightly higher than the system-wide results at 98%,
with 90% of customers "very satisfied" and 8% "satisfied" with the quality of our field services.
These results are an increase from the 97% reported in 2023, with a marked 2% increase in those
customers noting they were "very satisfied" (from 88%to 90%).
Measure 3: Answering Our Customers' Calls Promptly
The percentage of customer calls answered live by a CSR
within 60 seconds will average 80% or greater.9
This customer service measure serves as one of the service
attributes contributing to customers' overall satisfaction
with our CSRs and contact center. Commonly referred to as
�► the "Grade of Service" (GOS), this measure is the average
percentage of customer calls to our contact center that are
answered live by a CSR within 60 seconds, for those
customers who wish to speak with a CSR. When a customer calls Avista's contact center, the call
is initially received by an automated (voice activated) phone system. The customer is presented
with the option of using the phone system for self-service (e.g., checking their account balance or
paying their bill) or to connect with a live CSR to address their service needs. Avista's response
time in answering the customer's call is the time that elapses between the customer's request to
speak to a representative and when their call is answered live by a CSR.
Avista has maintained a service benchmark of 80% or greater for many years. Rather than
establishing a higher GOS (e.g., 90%or a goal of answering calls within 30 seconds),which would
demand increased staffing levels and may entail additional costs to customers, Avista has
prioritized lower-cost or no-cost measures such as effective employee training and attribute
coaching to maintain our high level of overall customer satisfaction with our CSRs and contact
center. In addition to responding to customers effectively, Avista has implemented measures to
help reduce the overall volume of customer calls, consequently reducing the service costs that are
ultimately passed on to customers. These efforts include multiple communication channel options
9 See Avista's tariff Schedules 85(electric) 185(natural gas)for further specifics regarding this measure.
Avista Utilities-2024 Idaho Service Quality Program Report 10

such as e-mail, online chat, customer self-service via website, or the automated phone system.
These efforts not only help reduce the volume of calls to our contact center while still ensuring a
high level of service at lower cost but also enhance the overall customer experience and satisfaction
level.
2024 Results — In 2024, Avista's customers made a total of 495,176 qualifying calls to the
Company that were answered live by a CSR. Of these calls, 432,790 were answered live in 60
seconds or less, for a GOS of approximately 87.3%, as shown in Table No. 7 below.
Table No. 7—Percent ofAvista's Customer Calls Answered Live within 60 Seconds in 2024
Percent of i2024 Achieved
Live Within 60 Seconds
Percent of Avista's customer calls answered live by 80% or Greater 87%
a CSR within 60 seconds
Measure 4: Avista's Response Time for Electric Emergencies
The average response time to an electric system emergency
will not exceed 65 minutes for the year.10
When customers contact Avista to report an electric service
emergency, the Company works with the customer to
quickly ascertain the particular circumstances being
reported and instructs the customer on how best to ensure
the safety of themselves and others until help arrives. The
Company immediately dispatches service personnel that is best situated to respond in the shortest
time possible. Once at the scene, Avista's first priority is to make the situation safe for our
customers, citizens, other emergency responders, and our employees. Restoration efforts
commence once the site's safety is secured and necessary resources are present. The Company's
ability to respond quickly to an electrical emergency is influenced by many factors, some of which
include the urban or rural areas,the location of the nearest available respondent(especially in rural
areas), the time of day, season of the year, weather conditions, traffic, and the presence of other
simultaneous emergency events across the Company's system.For this measure,the response time
to an electric emergency is the elapsed time between the confirmation of the emergency with the
customer(when the dispatch field order is given) and when the Avista service person arrives at the
scene.
2024 Results — The average response time for the year is calculated by dividing the sum of all
applicable electric emergency response times by the total number of qualifying electric emergency
incidents. Avista received 262 qualifying electric emergency reports in its Idaho service area in
2024, which had a cumulative response time of approximately 13,613 minutes. The resulting
average response time for 2024 was nearly 52 minutes, as noted in Table No. 8 below.
10 See Avista's electric tariff Schedule 85 for further specifics regarding this measure.
Avista Utilities-2024 Idaho Service Quality Program Report 11

Table No. 8—Avista's Response Time for Electric Emergencies in 2024
Avista's Response Time for Electric Emergencies Service m 2024 IlAchieved
Quality Performancej
Average time from customer call to the arrival of Avista's 65 Minutes 52 Minutes
field technicians in response to electric system emergencies or Less
Measure 5: Avista's Response Time for Natural Gas Emergencies
The average response time to a natural gas system
emergency will not exceed 55 minutes for the year.1]
When customers call Avista to report a natural gas
emergency, the Company works with the customer to
quickly ascertain whether the presence of natural gas (via
odor or some other characteristic) is likely coming from
inside the customer's home or business, or from facilities
located outside. If inside, the customer is instructed to
immediately evacuate the building to a safe distance and await the arrival of emergency
responders. If the leak is outside, instructions to the customer are based on the proximity and type
of the leak to their(or others')home or business. Once the nature of the issue has been determined
and the customer has been provided with precautionary instructions on how best to ensure their
own safety and that of others until help arrives, the Company immediately dispatches the service
personnel best situated to respond to the scene in the shortest time possible. At the scene,Avista's
first priority is to make the situation safe for our customers, citizens, other emergency responders,
and our employees. Restoration efforts commence once the safety of the site is secured, and
necessary resources arrive at the scene.
The Company's ability to respond quickly to a natural gas emergency is influenced by many
factors, some of which include the urban or rural locale, the location of the nearest available
respondent (especially in rural areas), the time of day, season of the year, weather conditions,
traffic, and the presence of other simultaneous emergency events across the system. Natural gas
emergencies differ from electric emergencies,however, in that the risk of a potential consequence
to a natural gas leak can increase with the passage of time as leaking natural gas may accumulate
at the site. For this reason, Avista's work practices and staffing levels aim to provide an average
response time of 55 minutes or less. For this measure,the response time to a natural gas emergency
is the elapsed time between the confirmation of the emergency with the customer (when the
dispatch field order is given) and when the Avista service person arrives at the scene.
2024 Results — The average response time for the year is calculated by dividing the sum of all
applicable natural gas emergency response times by the total number of qualifying emergency
incidents. Avista received 2,190 qualifying natural gas emergency reports in its Idaho service area
in 2024,which had a cumulative response time of 88,966 minutes. The resulting average for 2024
was nearly 41 minutes as noted in Table No. 9 below.
" See Avista's natural gas tariff Schedule 185 for further specifics regarding this measure.
Avista Utilities-2024 Idaho Service Quality Program Report 12

Table No. 9—Avista's Response Time for Natural Gas Emergencies in 2024
Response i for I
Emergencies Quality��istformance
Average time from customer call to the arrival of 55 Minutes or /
Avista's field technicians in response to natural gas Less 41 Minutes V
system emergencies
IV. Electric System Reliability
Providing safe and highly reliable electric service for our customers at a reasonable cost is
fundamental to our business. Avista believes its current level of reliability is satisfactory and cost
effective for our customers, and our long-term objective is to generally uphold our current levels
of electric system reliability. Achieving this requires an ongoing effort to balance the many
investments and other priority needs across our system for today and with implications that project
far into the future. As already discussed, the Company monitors and tracks various aspects of the
reliability performance of its system each year,relying on industry-standard measures(or indices).
Two of the most commonly reported measures are briefly described below, and are discussed in
greater detail in Appendix B. For its Idaho Service Quality Program, Avista reports its annual
reliability results in the context of its historic five-year rolling average for these two measures:
✓ Number of Outages —known technically as the System Average Interruption Frequency
Index or"SAIFI,"is the average number of sustained interruptions (outages)per customer
for the year.
✓ Outage Duration—known technically as the System Average Interruption Duration Index
or "SAIDI," is the average duration of sustained interruptions (outages) per customer for
the year.
Many factors influence the number and duration of outages on any electric system. Some of these
include the average age of the system, its engineering design, construction standards, general
condition, the extent of the system that is rural, terrain, utility equipment and staffing levels, and
its day-to-day operation. The type and proximity of surrounding vegetation and local and regional
weather patterns, including variability in weather, can have a pronounced impact on system
reliability. Because the frequency and duration of the electric system outages that result from these
factors can vary substantially from year to year,there is,naturally, a lot of variability in the annual
measures of system reliability over time.
For Avista, weather-related outages tend to have a predominant impact on the reliability of its
system. This is because individual weather events often impact substantial portions of the system
and can result in damage to many types of facilities. Weather caused outages, particularly from
high winds, ice, and snow, can also require substantial effort and time to restore. These storm
events can result in many customers being without service for an extended period of time.Because
the impact of weather events on system reliability is common to all electric systems, the industry
has adopted standardized adjustments that remove outages related to weather events of a certain
magnitude from the calculation of results for outage frequency and duration. This threshold level
of severity is referred to as a Major Event Day or ("MED"). The outages caused by any storm
event that qualifies as MED are removed from the data used to calculate the utility's annual
Avista Utilities-2024 Idaho Service Quality Program Report 13

reliability results. Although the year-to-year variability in outage duration is substantially reduced
by the adjustment for major events,there can still be a substantial weather impact on the reliability
results we report each year. This is the result of storms that, while not qualifying as major events,
still result in substantial system outages.
The important point of this discussion is that the reliability results for any single year, considered
in isolation, do not provide a meaningful measure of the overall reliability of the utility's system,
or an assessment of whether the performance that year was "acceptable" or "unacceptable". The
reliability performance of our system (or any utility system) should be evaluated over the long
term as the basis for evaluating whether our reliability is trending stably, improving, or
degrading.12 Avista has agreed to report its annual reliability results to its customers in the context
of its historic five-year rolling average. This approach helps our customers better understand how
each year's reliability results fit into our long-term trend in overall system reliability.
Measure 1: Number of Electric System Outages
The Company will report its annual electric system
f reliability measure for the number of non-major storm
„ I�l •� power outages experienced per customer for the year
1 N (SA IFI).13
2024 Results — This measure, as noted earlier, represents
how often, on average, an Avista electric customer
experienced a sustained14 service outage during the year.
This measure is calculated by adding the total number of
customer outages recorded for the year, divided by the total number of customers served by the
Company in that year. The result of 0.91 outage per customer for 2024 is below the average value
for the previous five-year period (2019-2023) of .96, as well as for the current five-year period
(2020-2024) of 0.95. For 2024, the Idaho-only SAIFI result was 1.07 outages per customer.
Table No. 10—Number of Electric System Outages for the Average Avista Customer in 2024
ChangeCurrent ___0
Number of Electric System Outages 2024 5 6 in
5 Year Average�for the Average Avista Customer System Results ' Average� �
Number of sustained interruptions in 0.91 0.95 -0.001
electric service for the average Avista per Customer Per Customer Per Customer
customer for the year(SAIFI)
12 This is similar to the approach now used by the California Public Utilities Commission to evaluate electric utilities'
system reliability. In: Approaches to Setting Electric Distribution Reliability Standards and Outcomes, pages 130 -
136. The Brattle Group,Ltd.2012.
13 See Avista's electric tariff Schedule 85 for further specifics regarding this measure.
14 Any service interruption that is greater than five minutes in duration.
Avista Utilities-2024 Idaho Service Quality Program Report 14

Measure 2: Average Duration of Electric System Outages
i f+ f The Company will report its annual electric system
reliability measure for the total duration of non-major
storm power outages experienced per customer for the year
A° (SAIDI).15
2024 Results—This measure,as noted earlier,represents the
average duration or length of outages for the year. Outage
duration (SAIDI) is calculated by summing all of the
customer outage time occurring in the year, divided by the
total number of customers served by the utility in that year. On a system-wide basis, the 2024
outage duration was 131 minutes. As shown in Table No. 12 below, the current five-year average
of 137 minutes (2020-2024) is 1.2 minutes less than the average for the prior five-year period
(2019-2023). The Idaho-only outage duration was 165.98 minutes for 2024. Avista continues to
focus on improving infrastructure to increase the reliability of electric service, in addition to
responding to unplanned outages as quickly and safely as possible.
Table No. 11 —Outage Duration for the Average Avista Customer in 2024
i 1 i I
Avista Customer System Result 11 •ar • •i I I - 5 Year Average)
Total duration of all electric service 131 137 -1.2
outages for the average Avista customer
Minutes Minutes Minutes
for the year(SAIDI)
V. Customer Service Guarantees
Avista's Idaho Service Quality Program includes seven
types of service for which Avista provides "Customer
Service Guarantees". Our service commitments under these
Guarantees recognize the customer inconvenience that may r
result when our delivered service does not meet our stated
goal. In such cases, we will provide our customers with a r
bill credit or payment in the amount of$50 in recognition of
that inconvenience.All costs associated with the payment of
these Guarantees are paid by Avista's shareholders, and are
not paid by our customers, or included in the rates they pay for service.
The Company met •• • of applicable • for 1
providing our •mers a Guarantee credit in just 25 out of
15 See Avista's electric tariff Schedule 85 for further specifics regarding this measure.
Avista Utilities-2024 Idaho Service Quality Program Report 15

Guarantee 1: Keeping Electric and Natural Gas Service Appointments
The Company will keep mutually agreed upon appointments for electric or
natural gas service, scheduled in the time windows of either 8:00 a.m. — 12:00
p.m. or 12:00 p.m. —5:00 p.m.16
Avista provides its customers with appointments for certain types of electric and natural gas
service requests. For electric service, the Company will schedule appointments for service drops
and/or disconnects. For all other electric service work, the customer does not need to be present
for the Company to perform the required work (i.e., check meter, meter test, voltage check, etc.).
For natural gas service, the Company provides appointments for dealer-requested service, meter
exchange and tests,meter unlock,no-heat inspections,reconnects,relighting of Avista repairs, and
repeated pilot light outages on natural gas appliances. Avista offers multiple types of natural gas
service appointments because the customer must be present for our employees to complete the
work since they must enter the customer's home. If the requested date and/or time of the service
request is unavailable, the Company will still do its best to work with the customer's request but
will not commit to a specific time that an employee will arrive to work on the service request.
Often times,this practice results in better customer satisfaction as the Company makes every effort
to accommodate a customer's request on that day, rather than schedule the work on a future date.
Finally, new service connections and credit reconnects are not available for appointments, as the
work orders are completed on the same day as the request.
2024 Results — In 2024, the Company effectively maintained 99.57% of its 1,395 scheduled
customer appointments for applicable electric and natural gas service in Idaho, issuing six
Guarantee credits for the year. The primary factor contributing to missed appointments was due to
the occurrence of emergency work orders being encountered during the day, which prevented the
Company from adhering to its scheduled appointment times.Due to the risks and danger of electric
and natural gas emergencies, the Company prioritizes emergency orders over all service work,
scheduled or otherwise. While this prioritization is necessary for ensuring public safety, it
occasionally results in the Company missing a few appointments,as evidenced by the 2024 results.
Table No. 12—Avista Service Appointment Results for 2024
Customer Service Guarantee Successful Missed $ Paid
Keeping electric and natural gas service 1,389 6 $300
appointments scheduled with our customers
Guarantee 2: Prompt Restoration of Electric System Outage
When customers experience an electric interruption, the Company will restore
the service within 24 hours of notification from the customer."
The Company strives to restore power to its customers as quickly as possible, while maintaining
the safety of our employees, customers, and the public as our top priority. Electric system outages
are intricate and can happen at any time, day or night,throughout the year. In many years, even in
16 See Avista's tariff Schedules 85 (electric) 185(natural gas)for further specifics regarding this Guarantee.
See Avista's electric tariff Schedule 85 for further specifics regarding this Guarantee.
Avista Utilities-2024 Idaho Service Quality Program Report 16

cases where Avista does not experience any storms that qualify as major events, it may still be
impossible for the Company to restore service to all customers within 24 hours.
2024 Results — In 2024, Avista's Idaho customers encountered a total of 7,781 outage events.
Remarkably, all of these outages had power restored within 24 hours,resulting in a success rate of
100%. Avista takes pride in the ongoing effectiveness of its efforts, which have consistently
minimized the number of missed outage events. The Company is pleased to maintain its high
success rate in swiftly restoring power to its customers within the 24-hour timeframe, ensuring
minimal disruption and enhancing overall customer satisfaction.
Table No. 13—Avista's Outage Restoration Results for 2024
Customer Service Guarantee Successful Missed $Paid
Restore service within 24 hours of a customer 7 781 0 $0
reporting an outage(excluding major storm events)
Guarantee 3: Promptly Turning on Electric or Natural Gas Service Upon Request
The Company will turn on power or connect natural gas service the same day the
customer or applicant requests service.18
When customers request electric or natural gas service from Avista, they have a reasonable
expectation that their service will be turned on as quickly as possible, or promptly on a future date
they request. The Company strives to meet these customer expectations by all reasonable means.
Typically, the electric or natural gas meter is not shut off between customers, so when a customer
moves to a new location the service is already on when they open an account for service at the new
address. In situations where the service is not already on at a customer location,the Company must
send an employee to reconnect the meter.
2024 Results —Avista met its benchmark to turn on customers' service the same day the service
was requested in 99.93% of cases, missing only three of the 4,387 requests received.
Table No. 14—Avista Turning on Service the Same Day for 2024
Customer Service Guarantee Successful Missed S Pa
Turn on power within a business day of receiving the request 4,384 3 $150
Guarantee 4: Promptly Providing Cost Estimates to Customers for New Service
The Company will provide a cost estimate to the customer or applicant for new
electric or natural gas supply within 10 business days upon receipt of all the
necessary information from the customer/applicant.
18 See Avista's tariff Schedules 85 (electric) 185(natural gas)for further specifics regarding this Guarantee.
Avista Utilities-2024 Idaho Service Quality Program Report 17

When constructing a new home, the process for providing new electric or natural gas supply can
be complex, and may involve a customer, contractor,electrician,or dealer depending on the nature
of the new service. A request for new electric or natural gas service is typically routed through our
customer contact center and is assigned to one of our employee Customer Project Coordinators
(CPCs) in our natural gas or electric construction areas. Our CPCs are responsible for discussing
the request with the customer (Applicant), meeting with the customer at the location, designing
the service, and then providing the customer with a cost estimate for the required construction. The
Company's goal for completing the cost estimate, for which it offers a Customer Service
Guarantee, is 10 business days.
2024 Results—In 2024,the Company received 518 requests for new electric or natural gas service.
Impressively,Avista successfully delivered cost estimates for each request within 10 business days
of receipt, achieving a success rate of 100%. This accomplishment marks the sixth consecutive
year, since the Company's inception of reporting these Guarantees in 2019, in which Avista has
maintained a flawless success rate of 100%.
Table No. 15—Avista Providing Customers a Cost Estimate for New Service in 2024
ustomer Service Guarantee MML Successful Missed $Paid
Provide a cost estimate for new electric or natural gas 518 0 $0
service within 10 business days of receiving the request
Guarantee 5: Promptly Responding to Customers' Bill Inquiries
The Company will respond to most billing inquiries at the time of the initial
contact, and for those inquiries that require further investigation, the Company
will investigate and respond to the customer within 10 business days.
For a customer, it can be difficult to understand why the amount of their energy bill can vary,
sometimes substantially, from month to month. Some of these factors include variability in
weather, changes in rates, the result of an estimated bill amount in certain circumstances, and
variation in the number of billing days included in the billing period. When customers have
questions about their bill,Avista's CSRs strive to address and resolve all inquiries during the initial
customer contact. Some of the tools Avista employees have to address such bill inquiries (which
are generally related to circumstances when customers feel their bill is too high), include:
✓ Review the meter read and usage history to see if the bill is in line with the prior months
or years.
✓ Review the number of billing days for the bill in question.
✓ Utilize the Company's bill analyzer tool,which is also available to customers on Avista's
website, for a comparison of weather, average usage, and rates.
✓ Discuss with the customer any life changes, new appliances, or maintenance needs and
how those can impact their utility bill.
✓ Offer tips on ways to save energy.
✓ Direct the customer to Avista's website for additional energy savings advice.
✓ Offer to mail Energy Use and Savings Guides or Energy Savings kits.
Avista Utilities-2024 Idaho Service Quality Program Report 18

If the CSR is unable to address the billing inquiry during the initial contact or the customer is not
satisfied with the information provided, the Company will open a case to further investigate the
customer's inquiry.After a case has been created,Avista will verify the meter read or obtain a new
meter read to double-check the accuracy of the metered use, and, if a billing error is found to have
occurred, the CSR will initiate sending a corrected bill. After determining the accuracy of the bill,
the CSR will discuss the inquiry again with the customer, along with the results of the verification
of the meter read or new meter read. Typically, this process resolves the customer's issue. In
situations where the customer is not satisfied and/or requests a meter test to ensure their meter is
reading accurately, a separate procedure is triggered, which is covered by Customer Service
Guarantee number six below, "Promptly Responding to Customers' Meter Problems."
2024 Results—Of the billing inquires that were not resolved upon the initial customer contact,the
Company successfully investigated and responded within 10 business days to all of the 394 follow-
up inquiries received in 2024.
Table No. 16—Avista Responding to Customer's Bill Inquiries in 2024
Customer Service Guarantee cessful Missed $Paid
Investigate and respond to a billing inquiry within 10 394 0 $0
business days if unable to resolve via first contact
Guarantee 6: Promptly Responding to Customers' Meter Problems
The Company will investigate customer-reported problems with a meter, or
conduct a meter test, and report the results to the customer within 20 business
days.
Commission rules, concurrently with Avista's tariff Schedule 170 for natural gas service, govern
the utility's requirement for meter testing. Avista has, of course, naturally complied with these
requirements prior to the implementation of its Customer Service Guarantees program. Under the
Guarantees now in place, however, the Company now provides a $50 credit if it fails to meet this
requirement.
2024 Results — In 2024, 197 of Avista's Idaho customers reported a meter problem or requested
the Company conduct a meter test.Avista successfully tested and reported the results to all of these
customers within 20 business days, for a success rate of 100%.
Table No. 17—Avista Resolving Meter Problems in 2024
kLKustomer Service Guarantee Successful Missed $ Paid
Investigate a reported meter problem or conduct a meter 197 0 $0
test and report the results within 20 business days
Avista Utilities-2024 Idaho Service Quality Program Report 19

Guarantee 7: Providing Customers Advance Notice of Scheduled Electric Interruptions
The Company will provide notification to the customer, through means normally
used by the Company, at least 24 hours in advance of disconnecting service for
scheduled interruptions.19
Under Avista's Customer Service Guarantees program, the Company provides a $50 credit for
each customer impacted if the Company fails to provide notice of a scheduled interruption at least
24 hours in advance. Complying with this notification requirement has always been a complex
process because there are so many areas within the Company involved in the effort. Some of these
include natural gas construction, electric operations, customer project coordinators, asset
maintenance program managers, distribution dispatch, service dispatch, and the customer contact
center. This complexity requires the Company to maintain multiple checkpoints within its business
processes to ensure all customers affected by a scheduled interruption are properly notified, in
advance, of an upcoming planned outage.
2024 Results — In 2024, a total of 22,512 Idaho customers were affected by scheduled service
interruptions. Avista successfully notified 22,496 customers, achieving an impressive success rate
of 99.93%. However, for the 16 customers that did not receive the required advance notification,
the Company provided a $50 credit, for a total of$800. While these figures reflect an increase in
the planned outages reported in 2022 and 2023,they are also representative of an increased number
of successful notifications to customers affected by these scheduled interruptions. This increased
success rate can be attributed to fewer internal errors and improvements implemented to address
gaps in Company processes. Avista acknowledges the significance of this benchmark and remains
committed to refining and enhancing its prior notification processes to better serve its customers.
Table No. 18—Avista's Customers Notified in Advance of an Electric Service Interruption in 2024
Customer Service Guarantee Successful Missed S Paid
Notify customers at least 24 hours in advance of a 22 496 16 $800
planned power outage lasting longer than 5 minutes
19 See Avista's electric tariff Schedule 85 for further specifics regarding this Guarantee.
Avista Utilities-2024 Idaho Service Quality Program Report 20

Appendix A—Service Quality Program Report Card
ID 2024 Service Quality Program Results
Customer Service Measures Benchmark 2024 Performance Achieved
Percent of customers satisfied with our Contact Center services, At least 90% 96.0%
based on survey results
Percent of customers satisfied with field services,based on survey At least 90% 98.0% ✓
results
Percent of calls answered live within 60 seconds by our Contact At least 80% 87.3% ✓
Center
Average time from customer call to arrival of field technicians in No more than 65 52 Mins
response to electric system emergencies,peryear minutes
Average time from customer call to arrival of field technicians in No more than 55 41 Mins
response to natural gas system emergencies,peryear minutes
Electric System Reliability 5-Year Average 2024 Result Change in
(2020-2024) 5-Year Average
Frequency of non-major-storm power interruptions,per year,per
0.95 0.91 -0.010
customer(SAIFI)
Length of power outages peryear,per customer(SAIDI) 137 131 -1.2
Customer Service Guarantees Successful Missed $$Paid
Electric&Natural Gas service appointments 1,389 6 $300
Electric outage restoration within 24 hours of notification from 7,781 0 $0
Customer,excluding major events
Switch on power or connect gas services the same day of request 4,384 3 $150
Provide cost estimate for new electric or natural gas supply within 10 518 0 $0
business days
Investigate and respond to billing inquiries with 10 business days 394 0 $0
Investigate customer-reported problems with a meter,or conduct a 197 0 $0
meter test,and report results within 20 business days
Provide notification at least 24 hours in advance of disconnecting 22,496 16 $800
service for scheduled electric interruptions
Totatsj 37,159 25 $1,250
2024 Idaho Performance Highlights
Avista is pleased to report the Company again exceeded all of its Customer Service Measures for the 2024 Program year.The Company also
celebrates a 100%success rate in restoring service within 24 hours of notification from customers after they have reported an electric
outage,totaling 7,781 customers in 2024.Finally,Avista successfully met 99.93%of its applicable Customer Service Guarantees in 2024,
providing customers a Guarantee credit in 25 out of 37,184 cases.The overall success rate of these Guarantees shows Avista's continued
commitment to putting those we serve at the center of everythingwe do.Avista is committed to pursuingfurther improvement in each of
these areas as we continue our mission of enablingvibrant communities through energy by providing safe,responsible,affordable service
now and into the future.
Avista Utilities-2024 Idaho Service Quality Program Report 21

Appendix B -Definitions and Index Calculations
System Average Interruption Frequency Index (SAIFI): The average number of sustained
interruptions per customer, per year
• = The number of customers which had sustained interruptions
Total number of customers served
• _ JN;
NT
System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI): The average sustained outage time per
customer,per year
• = Outage duration multiplied by the customers effected, for all sustained interruptions
Total number of customers served
_ r,.N,
NT
Quantities:
i= An interruption event;
rl = Restoration time for each interruption event;
T= Total;
IDE = Number of interrupting device events;
Ni= Number of interrupted customers for each interruption event during the reporting period;
NT= Total number of customers served for the area being indexed;
Maior Event Day (MEM A day in which the daily system SAIDI exceeds a threshold value,
TMED. For the purposes of calculating daily system SAIDI, any interruption that spans multiple
calendar days is accrued to the day on which the interruption began. Statistically, days having a
daily system SAIDI greater than TMED are days on which the energy delivery system experienced
stresses beyond that normally expected (such as severe weather). Activities that occur on major
event days should be separately analyzed and reported. The purpose of MED is to allow major
events to be studied separately from daily operation, and in the process, to better reveal trends in
daily operation that would be hidden by the large statistical effect of major events.
TMED is calculated(taken from the IEEE 1366-2003 Standard)
The major event day identification threshold value,TMED,is calculated at the end of each reporting
period(typically one year) for use during the next reporting period as follows:
a) Collect values of daily SAIDI for five sequential years ending on the last day of the last
complete reporting period. If fewer than five years of historical data are available, use all
available historical data until five years of historical data are available.
b) Only those days that have a SAIDI/Day value will be used to calculate the TMED (do not
include days that did not have any interruptions).
c) Take the natural logarithm(In) of each daily SAIDI value in the data set.
Avista Utilities-2024 Idaho Service Quality Program Report 22

d)Find a(Alpha),the average of the logarithms(also known as the log-average)of the data
set.
e) Find b (Beta), the standard deviation of the logarithms (also known as the log-standard
deviation) of the data set.
f) Compute the major event day threshold, TMED, using equation(25).
TMED= e(a+2.5 b)
g) Any day with daily SAIDI greater than the threshold value TMED that occurs during
the subsequent reporting period is classified as a major event day. Activities that occur on
days classified as major event days should be separately analyzed and reported.
When an event has reached the threshold to constitute a MED described in subpart (f) above, all
outage incidents associated with the MED will be flagged in the Company's Outage Management
Tool. As the Company further assesses damage in the field while making repairs, new subsequent
outage incidents that were a result of the MED may be created as more accurate information is
made available. The subsequent incidents will be flagged and included as part of the original
outage event and MED.
Avista Utilities-2024 Idaho Service Quality Program Report 23