170816 Avista workshops.pdf

Case Nos. AVU-E-17-01 and AVU-G-17-01
Contact: Matt Evans, [phone] or [phone]
www.puc.idaho.gov

Public workshops set over proposed rate
increases for Avista customers
BOISE (Aug. 16, 2017) – Staff from the Idaho Public Utilities Commission has scheduled
workshops in northern Idaho regarding Avista’s proposed rate increases for electric and
natural gas service.
The workshops are set for Aug. 30 in Lewiston and Aug. 31 in Coeur D’Alene, and will provide customers
with a summary of Avista’s application and information about how the Commission generally evaluates
and decides a case.
The workshop in Lewiston is scheduled from 7 pm to 9 pm (PDT) at Lewis-Clark State College, Room 112
in Sacajawea Hall, 710 5th St. The Coeur D’Alene workshop is set for 6pm to 8pm at the Coeur D’Alene
School District’s Midtown Center Meeting Room, 1505 N. 5th St.
Avista serves approximately 125,000 electric customers and 75,000 natural gas customers in northern
Idaho.
The Spokane-based company has asked state regulators to approve a proposal that calls for rate
increases in 2018 and 2019 for its electric and natural gas customers, in addition to raising the basic
monthly charge for each service from $5.75 to $6.
If approved as-is, the proposal would lead to an average increase of 7.9 percent for Avista’s electric
customers beginning Jan. 1, 2018, and an average 4.2-percent increase effective Jan. 1, 2019.
That equates to a $7.03 increase in the monthly bill for a residential customer using an average of 910-
kilowatt-hours in 2018, and an increase of $4.02 per month in 2019.
For natural gas customers, Avista’s proposal calls for rates to increase across all customer classes by an
average of 5.7 percent in 2018, and an average of 3.3 percent in 2019. For a residential customer using
61 therms per month, that would lead to a monthly increase of $3.37 in 2018, and $2.07 in 2019.
If approved in full, the rate changes would increase the company’s revenue by a combined total of $34.1
million.
Avista said the primary driver of the proposed increases is the need to replace or upgrade its aging
infrastructure.
At the public workshops in late August, commission staff will not take a position on the merits of the
case. Any information gathered at the workshops may contribute to the report that staff will file,
however, and comment sheets will be available for anyone interested in submitting a comment for the
official case record.
Following the workshops, commission staff and parties to the cases will participate in a settlement
conference on Sept. 29. Parties to the settlement conference include Avista, commission staff, Idaho
Conservation League, Sierra Club, Idaho Forest Group and the Community Action Partnership
Association of Idaho, which represents primarily customers on low- and fixed-incomes.
A technical hearing has been scheduled for Dec. 8.
Customers interested in providing input for the official case record should file comments. To submit
written comments, go to the Commission website, www.puc.idaho.gov, and click on “Case Comment
Form” under the Electric” or “Natural Gas” heading and enter the case number. Comments can also be
mailed to the Idaho Public Utilities Commission, P.O. Box 83720, Boise, ID, 83720-0074.
Avista’s application and exhibits are available on the commission’s website. Click on “Open Cases” under
the “Electric” or Natural Gas” heading and scroll down to Case No. AVU-E-17-01 (Electric) or AVU-G-17-
01. As the case progresses, testimony and exhibits from commission staff and other parties as well as
customer comments will be posted to the website.