20160829Press Release and Customer Notice.pdf

AVISTA UTILITIES
Case No. AVU-G-16-0 d-
EXHIBIT "E"
Copy of Press Release and Customer Notice
August 26, 2016
Contact: DRAFT
Media: Casey Fielder [phone], [e-mail]
Investors: Lauren Pendergraft [phone], [e-mail]
Avista 24/7 Media Access [phone]
Avista Requests Natural Gas Price Decrease in Idaho
Annual price adjustment would take effect Nov. 1, 2016
SPOKANE, Wash. Aug. 29, 2015, 1:05 p.m. PST: Avista (NYSE: AVA) customers in Idaho
could see an overall 7.8 percent decrease in their natural gas rates on Nov. 1, 2016 if the Idaho
Public Utilities Commission (IPUC or Commission) approves the company's annual Purchased
Gas Cost Adjustment (PGA) filed today.
If the request is approved, Avista residential customers using an average of 61 therms a month
could expect their bill to decrease by $4.65, or 8.4 percent, for a revised monthly bill of $50.94
beginning Nov. 1, 2016. Avista's natural gas revenues would decrease by $6.1 million. Avista
does not mark up the cost of natural gas purchased to meet customer needs, so the filing does
not increase or decrease company earnings.
The requested natural gas rate change by customer segment is as follows:
General Service -Firm -Schedule 101 -Residential & Small Commercial
Large General Service -Firm -Schedules 111 & 112 -Commercial
-7.7%
-7.7%
PGAs are filed each year to balance the actual cost of wholesale natural gas purchased by
Avista to serve customers with the amount included in rates. This includes the natural gas
commodity cost as well as the cost to transport natural gas on interstate pipelines to Avista's
local distribution system. The primary driver for the company's requested decrease is a
reduction in natural gas commodity costs due to a warmer than normal winter, an abundance of
natural gas held in storage, and continued high production levels of natural gas.
About 50 percent of an Avista natural gas customer's bill is the combined cost of purchasing
natural gas on the wholesale market and transporting it to Avista's system. These costs
fluctuate up and down based on market prices. The costs are not marked up by Avista. The
remaining 50 percent covers the cost of delivering the natural gas --the equipment and people
needed to provide safe and reliable service.
Rate Application Procedure
Avista's applications are proposals, subject to public review and a Commission decision. Copies of
the applications are available for public review at the offices of both the Commission and Avista, and
on the Commission's website (www.puc.idaho.gov). Customers may file with the Commission written
comments related to Avista's filings. Customers may also subscribe to the Commission's RSS feed
(http://www.puc.idaho.gov/rssfeeds/rss.htm) to receive periodic updates via e-mail about the case.
Copies of rate filings are also available on Avista's website at www.avistautilities.com/rates.
About Avista Corp.
Avista Corp. is an energy company involved in the production , transmission and distribution of
energy as well as other energy-related businesses. Avista Utilities is our operating division that
provides electric service to 375,000 customers and natural gas to 335,000 customers. Its
service territory covers 30,000 square miles in eastern Washington, northern Idaho and parts of
southern and eastern Oregon, with a population of 1.6 million. Alaska Energy and Resources
Company is an Avista subsidiary that provides retail electric service in the city and borough of
Juneau, Alaska, through its subsidiary Alaska Electric Light and Power Company. Avista stock
is traded under the ticker symbol "AVA." For more information about Avista , please visit
www.avistacorp .com.
This news release contains forward-looking statements regarding the company's current
expectations. Forward-looking statements are all statements other than historical facts. Such
statements speak only as of the date of the news release and are subject to a variety of risks
and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the company's control, which could cause actual
results to differ materially from the expectations. These risks and uncertainties include, in
addition to those discussed herein, all of the factors discussed in the company's Annual Report
on Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2015 and the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the
quarter ended June 30, 2016.
SOURCE : Avista Corporation
-16XX-
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[e-mail]
Proposed Natural Gas Rate Adjustment Filed
to be Effective Nov. 1, 2016
Avista has filed its annual Purchased Gas Cost
Adjustment (PGA) request with the Idaho Public
Utilities Commission (Commission), with a
requested effective date of Nov. 1, 2016. The PGA
is filed each year to balance the actual cost of
wholesale natural gas purchased by Avista to serve
customers with the amount included in rates. This
includes the natural gas commodity cost as well
as the cost to transport natural gas on interstate
pipelines to Avista's local distribution system.
The proposed PGA would decrease natural gas
rates by an overall 7.8 percent and Avista's natural
gas revenues by $6.1 million . If the request is
approved, Avista residential customers using
an average of 61 therms a month could expect
their bill to decrease by $4.65, or 8.4 percent,
for a revised monthly bill of $50.94 beginning
Nov. 1, 2016 .
The requested natural gas rate change by customer
segment is as follows :
General Service -Firm -Schedule 101
Residential & Small Commercial -7.7%
Large General Service -Firm -Schedules 111 & 112
Commercial -7.7%
The Company's applications are proposals, subject
to public review and a Commission decision. Copies
of the applications are available for public review at
the offices of both the Commission and Avista, and
on the Commission's homepage (www.puc.idaho.
gov). Customers may file with the Commission
written comments related to the Company's filings.
Customers may also subscribe to the Commission's
RSS feed (http://www.puc.idaho.gov/rssfeeds/rss.
htm) to receive periodic updates via e-mail about the
case. Copies of rate filings are also available on our
website, avistautilities.com/rates.
If you would like to submit comments on the
proposed decrease, you can do so by going to the
Commission website or mailing comments to:
Idaho Public Utilities Commission
P. 0. Box 83720
Boise, ID 83720-0074
To assist customers in managing their energy bills,
Avista offers services such as comfort level billing,
payment arrangements and Customer Assistance
Referral and Evaluation Services (CARES). CARES
provides assistance to special-needs customers
through referrals to area agencies and churches for
help with housing, utilities, medical assistance and
other needs. To learn more, visit avistautilities.com.
There, customers can also find information on energy
efficiency rebates and incentives, as well as online
tools for managing energy use.
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