20210428Idaho ISQ Program Report.pdf

^iiststa
Avista Corp.
1411 East Mission Ave., P.O. Box3727
Spokane, WA 99220-0500
Telephone: [phone]
TollFree: 800-227-9187
f . I
,::,::L
:-:.
.-ju,
f\)
cf,1
-1)
l\)
c.r1
.{
tI*':*
q.T,J
iIl
I ,'i
*,:.X.
Apil28,202l
l i,rr;
Jan Noriyuki, Secretary
Idaho Public Utilities Commission
11331 W. Chinden Blvd. Bldg. 8, Ste. 201-A
Boise, Idatro 83714o'ut'
E'ruE'' o' Drti' zvL-rr Avu- ?'tq ro
RE: Avista Utilities 2020Idaho Service Quality Program Report \v\'t-tr- \8 t)v.
Dear Ms. Noriyuki:
Attached for filing is the 2020 ldaho Service Quality (ISQ Program Report of Avista
Corporation, dba Avista Utilities (Avista or "Company"), pursuant to the Company's electric taritr
Schedule 85 and natural gas Schedule 185.
Please direct any questions regarding this filing to Jaime Majure at [phone].
Sincerely,
lolslarr,
"atc#dd
Shawn Bonfield
Sr. Manager of Regulatory Policy & Strategy
Avista Utilities
509-495-2782
shawn.bonfi eld@ avi stacorp. com
Enclosure
Table of Contents
II. Executive Summary
Customer Service Measures - Results for 2020....
Electric System Reliability - Results for 2020....
Customer Service Guarantees - Results for 2020....
lII. Customer Service Measures..
Measure l: Customer Satisfaction with the Telephone Service provided by Avista's
Customer Service Representatives........... ............9
Measure 2: Customer Satisfaction with Avista's Field Service Representatives...... l0
Measure 3: Answering Our Customers' Calls Promptly.. ..... l1
Measure 4: Avista's Response Time for Electric Emergencies................................ l3
Measure 5: Avista's Response Time for Natural Gas Emergencies .......14
IV. Electric System Reliability ................. 16
Measure 1: Number of Electric System Outages t7
V.
Measure 2; Average Duration of Electric System Outages.... ................. 18
Customer Service Guarantees ............. 19
Guarantee l: Keeping Electric and Natural Gas Service Appointments................... 19
Guarantee 2: Prompt Restoration of Electric System Outage .................20
Guarantee 3: Promptly Turning on Electric or Natural Gas Service Upon Request.2l
Guarantee 4: Promptly Providing Cost Estimates to Customers for New Service ... 21
Guarantee 5: Promptly Responding to Customers' Bill Inquiries 22
Guarantee 6: Promptly Responding to Customers' Meter Problems ......23o:*: I :::::1t::- ::*:::":l::: ):::: ::::T:::i :l:::: l:::,*ryI"*
Appendix A - Service Quality Program Report Card
Appendix B - Definitions and lndex Calculations.....
2
3
J
4
6
8
.......25
................26
1Avista Utilities - 2O20ldaho Service Quality Program Report
f. Introduction
On December 28, 2017, the Commission
issued Order No. 33953 in the Company's
general rate case,l 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 Settlernent. With respect to
Service Quality/Perfornance Measures, the
Parties agreed that:
Avista has established Service Quality Performance, Customer Guarantees and a Service
Quality Measure Report Card for its customers in Washington. The Company and
interested parties will work to develop similar performance standards, customer
guarantees and a reporting mechanism for its ldaho customers. Following those
discussions, the Company will file its proposal with the Commission requesting
implementation on or before July I, 2018. (Stipulation and Settlement Para. 21)
An initial draft ofthe proposed Idaho Service Quality (ISQ) 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 requiranents 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 "Idaho Service
Quality Program," (Program) and approved by the Commission on November l, 2018 with
associated tariffSchedule 85 for electric service and Schedule 185 for natural gas service, these
measures include:
r' Five (5) individual measures of the level of customer service and satisfaction that the
Company must achieve each year;3
r' Reporting on two (2) measures of electric system reliability;
r' Seven (7) individual service standards through which Avista provides customers a 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 sunmary of the 2020 annual results of its Idaho Service Quality
Program, followed by a more in-depth explanation of the measures themselves and associated
annual outcomes.
I Case Nos. AVU-E-17-01 and AVU-G-I 7-02
2 Stipulation "Parties" include Avista IPUC Commission Staff, Clearwater Paper Corporation, Idaho Forest Group, LLC, and the
Community Action Partnership Association of Idaho (CAPAD.
3 Four individual customer service measures exist within each of Avista's approved tariffschedules; the fourth benchmark differs
in its requirements between electric and natural gas service, resulting in five separate measures altogether.
Avista Utilities - 2020ldaho Service Quality Program Report 2
II. Executive Summary
In compliance with Order No. 34181 in Case Nos. AVU-E-I8-10 and AVU-G-I8-06, Avista's
2020ldaho Service Quality Program Report (Report) provides the annual performance results for
the Company's ISQ Program for 2020. This is the Company's third year reporting information
regarding Customer Service Measures and Electric System Reliability for its Idaho service
territory, and its second year reporting on Customer Service Guarantees (Guarantees). Tracking of
the Company's performance on these Guarantees, including the application of customer credits,
began on January l, 2019. During its 2020 Program year, Avista is pleased to report that the
Company has once again exceeded all six of its Customer Service Measures and was able to not
only maintain but improve upon many 2019 benchmarks despite the complexities brought on by
the COVID-l9 health and economic crisis. While the COVID-l9 pandernic introduced
unprecedented challenges, such as a work-from-home transition for the majority of Avista
employees, the Company was able to maintain excellence across its home-bound Contact Center
employees, with 83.4% of calls answered live within 60 seconds. Avista also successfully met
99.95% of its applicable Customer Service Guarantees (Guarantees) in 2020, providing customers
a guarantee credit injust 20 out of 39,657 cases. Finally, the Company celebrates al00o/o success
rate for the 24-hour restoration Customer Service Guarantee, restoring service within 24 hours of
a customer reporting an outage (excluding major storm events) for all 21,771 outage incidents
reported for 2020. The overall success rate of these Guarantees shows Avista's continued
commitment to serving our customers.
Customer Service Measures - Results for 2020
Listed in Table No. I below are the five customer service measures, including their respective
service requironents (benchmarks), and the Company's performance results in meeting thern for
2020. Avista achieved all its customer service benchmarks for the year.
Table No. I - 2020 Results.fbr Attista's Customer Sen,ice Measures
3
,/Percent of customers satisfied with our Contact
Center services, based on survey results At least 90%96.5%
Percent of customers satisfied with field
services, based on survey results At least 90%963%,/
83.4%,/Percent of calls answered live within 60
seconds by our Contact Center At least 80%
Average time from customer call to arrival of
field technicians in response to electric system
emergencies, per year
No more than
65 minutes 48.6 minutes ,/
Average time from customer call to arrival of
field technicians in response to natural gas
system emergencies, per year
No more than
55 minutes 42 minutes ,/
Customer Service Measures 2020
PerformanceBenchmark Achieved
Avista Utilities - 2020ldaho Service Qualrty Program Report
Electric System Reliability - Results for 2020
Table Nos. 2 and 3 below list the two
measures of electric system reliability to
be reported by Avista each year as part
of its ISQ Program. Because the annual
electric reliability results often vary
substantially year-to-year (the case for
any electric utility's system), it is
difficult to derive a meaningful
assessment of the Company's system
reliability from any single-year's result.
Consequently, in addition to reporting
the current-yearresult for each measure,
Avista also reports the average value of
each measure for the previous five year
period, the average for the current five-year period (which includes the results for the current year
- 2020), and the historic "ftve-year rolling average" from 2006 - 2020. This data provides some
context for better interpreting each year's reliability results.
Table No. 2 - 2A20 Results for Number of Outages on Avista's System (SAIFI)
Table No. 3 - Results.for Duration o/'Outages on Avista's System in 2020 6ArDr)
a See Appendix B for a more detailed definition of these reliability measures and calculation of indices.
5 See Appendix B.
Avista Utilities - 2020ldaho Service Quality Program Report
C4r,rer- CoCCot$ll! CoCDeifr - oAC
lr.rP.rt - oPC
Gr.nrvll - 6lCI.noet ttot.r[ Ctrrl LCC0thro. olc
P.hur. - IAC
Eedtdn!- slc
Sl M.r.5-SMC
Csaa!
-wa
t0
\
La Grsnde.
4
\^/,r',lrrrttltilrt.itttl l,l,rfro (rt-r!,t(-t, lt-rrit(,r1, lr1 [ir.,lrrr t
Average number of sustained outages
(intemrptions) per customer for the year
(sAIFI)4
0.89
Per Customer
0.94
Per Customer
0.97
Per Customer
2020
System
Results
Current 5-\'ear
Average
(2016-2020)
Previous S-Ycar
Average
(2015-2019)
Number of Outages
132 Minutes 142 Minutes
Average duration of sustained outages
(intemrptions) per customer for the
year. (SAIDI)5
15l Minutes
2020
S1'stem
Results
Current 5-Year Previous 5-Year
Average Average(20t6-2020) (20rs-201e)
Outage Duration
Figure Nos. I and 2 below show the
"five-year rolling average" for each
reliability measure from 2006 through
2020. As shown in the figures, the long-
term trend for each reliability measure
is fairly stable during this period. The
trend in number of outages is slightly
declining, while that for outage duration
is variable but steady, showing an
overall trend toward improved system
reliability. Though the Company
formally reports its reliability results forits 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. The Idaho-only number of average electric
system outages per customer in2020 was 1.09, and the average total outage duration per customer
was 159.30 minutes.
Figure No. I - Historic Fit,e-\'ecrr Rolling Average./br Number of Elec'tric Outuges on Avi.s'lo'.r
Electric Systent (SAI FI)
llistotir' [-ir e '\'e lr Ar e rrr-ucs ol tlrc ,,\rrrtual \utrttrcr of'( )rtllucs
rS,\lt I)
rl
ol
., l
i rl
..ti
tl0
1.ll
..!'
i t t:r
1,,:! r,:
\\''\i
).ir l')al-
=
:
2
=
...++
5Avista Utilities - 2020 Idaho Service Quality Program Report
Figure No. 2 - Historic Five-Year Rolling Average for Duration of Outages on Avista's Electric
System (SAIDD
Historic Five-Year Averages of'Annual Outage Duratiorr
(SAIDI )
t80
t60
l-10
120
100
80
60
.t0
20
0
l!!lS0 l5l lSl lJ9 l5ll{'li9 lJl lrl
t -t6
o
c,DIr
.ra.t*",..t- ,..f
^a.tS',N ,...$ ,...*
"aa*
"N
,.." ,..tt ,a.* .,..t"
,..s ,..+' ,-.9 ,..+'
c
,..tt
,a.t-
,-+
.\'\ ^\\a\\\ ^\\'''
^aarb"
Customer Service Guarantees - Results for 2020
Our Idaho Service Quality 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 a bill credit or
payment in the amount of $50 in recognition of the
inconve,nience. 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 in2020.
,.;
"1'..i- .:
6Avista Utilities - 2020ldaho Service Qualtty Program Report
Keeping Our Electric and Natural Gas Service
Appointments scheduled with our customers 1,200 3 $150
Restore service within 24 hours of a customer
reporting an outage (excluding major storm events)27,771 0 $0
Turn on power the same day the request is received 1,872 2 s100
Provide a cost estimate for new electric or natural
gas service within 10 business days of receiving
the request
1,462 0 $0
Investigate and respond to a billing inqury within
10 business days if unable to answer a question on
first contact
322 0 $0
Investigate a reported meter problem or conduct a
meter test and report the results within 20 business
days
r54 4 $200
Notifr customers at least 24 hours in advance of a
planned power outage lasting longer than 5 minutes 6,856 11 $550
Totals 39,637 20 $1,ooo
Customcr Service Guarantee S PaidSuccessl'ul Nlissctl
Table No.4 - 2020 Results.for Avista's Customer Service Guarantees
7Avista Utilities -2020ldaho Service Qualrty Program Report
III. Customer Service Measures
There are many points of service customers may have with Avista, and each contributes to the
overall impression ofthe Company and the level of satisfaction associated with our services. While
Avista has tracked its customers' satisfaction with primary services such as customer contact
center and field services for many years, the Company has also been interested in knowing whether
its performance is meeting customers' broader service expectations. To accommodate this interest,
Avista's Voice of the Customer (VOC) survey asks customers to rate their level of satisfaction
with the overall service they receive from the Company. This overall measure is believed to be an
important barometer of our customers' satisfaction with the entirety of the integrated services and
value they receive from Avista. As show in Figure No. 3 below, the overall satisfaction of Avista's
customers (either satisfied or very satisfied) has ranged between 93oh and 97o/o over the past ten
years.
Figure No. 3 Percent of'Custonters Satislied or l/er.1t Satis.fied v'ith Avistu's Overall Servic'e Level
20 t 0-2020
I)crcettt ol' ('ustonlcrs Sutisljctl ttt' \/ct')' Sat isljctl
u'ith Arista's ()rerull Set'rice l0l0-1010
l ()o
!!-
t.
:.,")
;
,
r.
t!
I
., I
r, i .)l (, i
(j
!l I
l0[1] 1011 :t)l: ]ltl: l0lI lol: l0l6 ll)l- lo15 l0lv l(]10
N
These results are similar to our customers' satisfaction with our contact center and field services,
as reported for the ISQ Program for this same time period. Accordingly, we believe the results of
the five customer service measures described in the following sections, taken together, provide a
reasonable assessment of our customers' overall satisfaction with the quality and value of our
service.
8Avista Utilities - 2020ldaho Service Quality Program Report
Measure 1: Customer Satisfaction with the Telephone Service provided by Avista's
Customer Service Representatives
As part of Avista's ldaho Service Quality program, the level of our customers'
satisfaction willt the telephone service provided by the Company's contact
center will meet or exceed a benchmark of 90%.6
Several factors influence our customers' satisfaction with the quality of telephone service provided
by our customer service representatives and contact center. We measure the importance of these
factors to customers as well as their satisfaction with them each year. These factors, including our
customerso satisfaction (either satisfied or very satisfied) for each factor in2020 are listed below.
/ The customer service representative handling the customer's call in a friendly,
caring manner. (99%)
r' The customer service representative being informed and knowledgeable. (97%)
r' The customer service representative meeting the customer's needs promptly.
(e7%)
r' The customer service representative giving the customer all the information they
need in one call. (98%)
{ Being connected to a customer service representative in a reasonable amount of
time. (97oh)
2020 Results - The annual survey results for this measure of customer satisfaction show that 96%
percent of Avista's customers were satisfied with the quality of the telephone service they
received from our customer service representatives.
6 The level of Customer satisfaction with telephone service, as provided by the Company's Contact Center, will be at least 90
percent, where:
a. The measure of Customer satisfaction is based on Customers who respond to Avista's quarterly survey of Customer
satisfaction, known as the "Voice ofthe Customer", as conducted by its independent survey contractor;
b. The measure of satisfaction is based on Customers participating in the survey who report the level of their satisfaction as
either "satisfied" or'ovory satisfied"; and
c. The measure of satisfaction is based on the statistically significant survey results for both electric and natural gas service
for Avista's entire service territory (Idaho, Oregon, and Washington) for the calendar year.
Avista Utilities - 2020ldaho Service Qualrty Program Report 9
Percent of customers either satisfied or very
satisfied with the Quality of Avista's
Customer Contact Center Representatives
90%o or
Greater
Satisfied
96%{
Customcr Satisfaction u'ith Avista's
Contact Ccntcr ltepresentatil cs
Scrvicc
Qualitl'
2019
Pcrlbrmancc Achicvcd
Table No. 5 - Customer Satidaction v,ith Avisla's Contact Center Representatives in 2020
For the purposes 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 customers only, though it is not a requirement of the
ISQ Program. For 2020, the percent of Idatro customers satisfied or very satisfied with the
Company's customer service representatives and contact center was 98%o, with 90% of our
customers noting they were "very satisfied" andS% noting they were "satisfied".
Measure 2: Customer Satisfaction with Avista's Field Service Representatives
As part of Avista's Service Quality Measures program, the level of our customers'
satisfaction with the Company's fteld services will meet or exceed a benchmark
of 90%.7
The quality of our field services and the satisfaction of our customers is influenced by several
factors. Each year we measure the importance of these factors to our customers and their
satisfaction with each aspect of our service. These factors, including our customers' level of
satisfaction (either satisfied or very satisfied) with each factor in2020, are listed below.
r' The service representative keeping you informed of the status of your job. (94%)
/ The service represe,ntative or service crew being courteous and respectful. (98%)
/ The service representative or service crew being informed and knowledgeable.
(e8%)
r' The service representative or service crew leaving your property in the condition
they found it. (98o/o)
7 The level of Customer satisfaction with the Company's field services will be at least 90 percen! where:
a. The measure of Customer satisfaction is based on Customers who respond to Avista's quarterly survey of Customer
satisfaction, known as the "Voice of the Customer", as conducted by its independent survey contractor;
b. The measure of satisfaction is based on Customers participating in the survey who report the level of their satisfaction as
either "satisfied" or "very satisfied"; and
c. The measure of satisfaction is based on the statistically significant surv€y results for both electric and natural gas service
for Avista's entire service territory fldaho, Oregon, and Washingon) for the calendar year.
Avista Utilities - 2020ldaho Service Quality Program Report l0
{ The service work being completed according to the customer's expectations.
(e7%)
r' The overall qualrty of the work performed by Avista Utilities. (97o/o)
2020 Results - The annual survey results for this measure, as reported in Table No. 6 below, show
that96o/opercent ofour customers were satisfied with the service provided by Avista's field service
representatives.
Table No. 6 - Customer Satisfaction with Avista's Field Services Representqtives in 2020
As with its contact center customer satisfaction, Avista will continue to use its system-wide results
for the purposes of reporting our annual service quality performance under this program. The
Company will also separately ftack and report the results for this measure for our Idaho customers
only, although it is not a requirement of the ISQ Program .For 2020,the percent of Idaho customers
satisfied or very satisfied with the Company's field service representatives was in-line with the
system-wide results at96%o,wtth87% of customers'Aery satisfied" and9% "satisfied" with the
quality of our field serriices.
Measure 3: Answering Our Customers' Calls Promptly
As part of Avista's Service Qualtty Measures program, the percentage of
customer calls answered live by a customer service representative within 60
seconds will average 80% or greater.s
This particular customer service measure is one of the subsets of service athibutes that conhibute
to the customer's overall satisfaction with our service represe,ntatives and contact center. Often
referred to as the "Grade of Service" or "GOS", this measure is the average percentage of customer
calls to our contact ce,nter that are answered live by a customer service representative within 60
8 The percentage ofCustomer calls answerrcd by a live representative within 60 seconds will average at least 80 percent for the
calendaryear, where:
a. The measure of response time is based on results from the Company's Contact Center, and is initiated when the Customer
requests to speak to a Customer service repnesentative; and
b. Response time is based on the combined results for both electric and natural gas Customers for Avista's entire service territory
(Idaho, Oregoq and Washington).
Percent of customers either satisfied or very
satisfied with the Quality of Avista's Field
Service Representatives
90Yo or
Greater
Satisfred
96%,/
Custorrrer Salislaclion lr ith Ar isla's l'-ickl
Scrviccs llcprcsentatir cs
Scrr ice
Qunlitr
2020
l)erlbrnr ancc ,\chicr ctl
Avista Utilities - 2020ldaho Service Quality Program Report lt
seconds for those customers who wish to speak with a service representative. When a customer
calls Avista's contact center, their call is initially received by our automated (voice activated)
phone system. The customer is presented the option of using the phone systern for self-service
(e.g. to check their account balance or pay their bill, etc.) or to speak with a customer service
representative live to meet their service need. 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 representative.
For many years Avista has maintained a service benchmark of 80% or greater, even though some
utilities and businesses have established a higher GOS (e.g. 90o/o or a goal of answering calls within
30 seconds). Because it requires an increased level of staffing and cost to customers to achieve a
higher service level, Avista has focused on lower cosUno cost measures, such as efflective
employee training and coaching to achieve superior standards for attributes such as courtesy,
caring, knowledge, ffid proficiency, to maintain our very-high level of overall customer
satisfaction with our service representatives and contact center.
In addition to responding to customers effectively, Avista has implemented measures to help
reduce the overall volume of customer calls, which helps reduce the cost of service paid by our
customers. These effiorts include providing customers a way to communicate with the Company
using their preferred "channel" of communication, such as e-mail, customer self-service via
website, or the automated phone system. In addition to providing numerous communication
channels, the Company has focused on enhancing customer self-service options as discussed
above. These efforts not only help reduce the volume of calls to our contact center and maintain a
high level of service at lower cost, but also improve customer experience and satisfaction.
2020 Results - Avista's customers made a total of 533,983 qualifuing calls to the Company that
were answered live by a customer service representative in 2020. Of these calls, 445,275 were
answered live in 60 seconds or less, for a GOS of approximately 83.4o/o, as shown in Table No. 7
below.
Table No. 7 - Percenl o.f Avista's Customer Calls Anzu,ered Live y,ithin 60 Seconds in 2020
,/
Percent of Avista's customer calls answered
live by a customer service representative
within 60 seconds
80% or
Greater 83/%
Pcrccnt of Avista's Customer Calls
Ansuered Live Within 60 Scconds
Service
Qualitl'
2020
Performancc Achicvcd
Avista Utilities - 2020ldaho Service Qualtty Program Report t2
Measure 4: Avista's Response Time for Electric Emerqencies
As part of Avista's Service Quality Measures progran , the average response time
to an electric system emergency will not exceed 65 minutes for the year.e
When customers call Avista to report an electric 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 that of others until help arrives. We
immediately begin the dispatch of service personnel 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 onergency responders, and our ernployees. Restoration of the problem can begin
once the safety of the site is secured and needed resources arive at the scene. The Company's
abilityto respond quickly to an electrical anergency is influencedbymany factors, some ofwhich
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. 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.
2020 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 qualiffing electic emergency
incidents. Avista received 271 qualifying electric emergency reports in its Idaho service area in
2020, which had a cumulative response time of approximately 13,169 minutes. The resulting
average for 2020 was 48.6 minutes, as noted in Table No. 8 below.
Table No. 8 - Avisla's Response Time.fbr Eleclric Emergencies in 2020
9 The Company's average response time to an electric system emergency in Idaho will not exceed 65 minutes for the cale,ndar year,
where:
a. Response time is measured from the time of the Customer call to the arrival of a field service technician;
b. Response times are excluded from the calculation for those periods of time when the Company is experiencing an outage
that qualifies as a Major Event Day (MED) in Idaho, as defined by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.
(IEEE) Guide for Electric Power Distribution Reliability Indices, Standard 1366. This includes the 24-hour period following
a Major Event Day.
c. An "electric system emergency" is defined as an event involving policdfire departrnents, arcingiflashing wires down, or a
feeder lockout.
Avista Utilities - 2020 Idaho Service Quality Program Report 13
Average time from customer call to the arrival
of Avista's field technicians in response to
electric system emergencies
65 Minutes
or Less 48.6 Minutes ,/
Avista's Response Time for Elcctric
Emergencies
Service
Qualitl,
2020
Performance Achicved
Measure 5: Avista's Response Time for Natural Gas Emerqencies
As part of Avista's Service Quality Measures program, the average response time
to a natural gas system emergency will not exceed 55 ninutes for the year.l0
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 instucted to immediately evacuate the building to a safe
distance and await the arrival of emergency responders. If the leak is in facilities 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
given precautionary instructions on how best to ensure their own safety and that of others until
help arrives, the Company immediately begins the dispatch of service personnel best situated to
respond at 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 of the problon can begin once the safety of the site is secured and needed 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 nafural 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.
2020 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 quali$ring anergency
incidents. Avista received 2,133 qualiffing natural gas emergency reports in its ldaho service area
l0 The Company's average response time to a natural gas system emergency in Idaho will not exceed 55 minutes for the calendar
year, where:
a. Response time is measured from the time of the customer call to the arrival of a field service technician; and
b. A "natural gas system emergency" is defined as an event involving a natural gas explosion or fire, a fire in the vicinity of
natural gas facilities, policdfire deparEnents, leaks identified in the field as "Grade 1", high or low gas pressure problems
identified by alarms or customer calls, natural gas system emergency alarms, or calls regarding carbon monoxidg natural
gas odor, runaway fumacg or delayed ignition.
Avista Utilities - 2020ldaho Service Quality Program Report 14
Average time from customer call to the arrival
of Avista's field technicians in response to
natural gas system emergeucies
55 Minutes
or kss 42 Minutes {
Ar isla's llcs;lonse 'l'inrr frrr Natural (ias
I'. ntcrgcncics
Scrvice
Qualitr
2020
Pcrlbrnrancc .\chicr ctl
112020, which had a cumulative response time of 90,620 minutes. The resulting average for 2020
was 42 minutes as noted in Table No. 9 below.
Table No. 9 - Avista's Response Time for Natural Gas Emergencies tn 2020
Avista Utilities - 2020ldaho Service auality Program Report t5
IV. Electric System Reliability
Providing safe and highly reliable electric service for our customers at a reasonable cost is
fundamental to our business. We believe our current level of reliability is reasonable, acceptable
and cost ef[ective 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
investrnent and other priority needs across our system for today and with implications that project
far into the futtre. As already explained, we monitor and track various aspects of the reliability
performance of our systern each year, relying on industry-standard measures (or indices). Two of
the most-commonly reported measures are very-briefly described below, and are discussed in
greater detail in Appendix B. For its Service Quality Measures Program, Avista reports its annual
reliability results in the context of its historic five-year rolling average for these two measures:
r' Number of Outages - known technically as the Svstern Averase Interruption Frequencv
Index or "SIE[," is the average number of sustained intemrptions (outages) per customer
for the year.
r' Outage Duration - known technically as the System Averase Interruption Duration Index
or ".UIDL," is the average duration of sustained intemrptions (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 systan 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 our
system. This is because individual weather events often impact large portions of our 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 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 maenitude
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 a MED are removed from the data used to calculate the utility's annual reliability
results. For Avista, the impact of these major storm events is clearly evident in the substantial
system outages caused by windstorms in the late sunmer of 2014, and the very significant
windstorm event of November 2015. By contrast, in 2016, the Company did not experience any
storm events that constituted major event days, and since that time have experienced a fairly
limited number of major events each year, including 2020. 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 qualifuing 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,
Avista Utilities - 2020ldaho Service Quality Program Report 16
or an assessment of whether the performance that year was "acceptable" or oounacceptable". 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.ll 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-temr tend in overall system reliability.
Measure 1: Number of Electric Svstem Outases
As part of Avista's Service Qualry Measures program, the Company will report its
annual electric system reliability measure for the number of non-major storm pox,er
outages experienced per customerfor the year (SAIFD.I2
2020 Results - This measure, as noted earlier, represents how often on average an Avista electric
customer experienced a sustainedl3 service outage during the year. This measure is calculated by
summing the total number of customer outages recorded for the year, divided by the total nunrber
of customers served by the Company in that year. The 2020 result of 0.89 outages per customer is
well below the average value for the previous five-yearperiod (2015-2019) of 0.97, as well as for
the current five-year period (2016-2020) of 0.94. For 2020, our Idaho-only result was 1.09; while
higher than the system average, this result is an improvernent from the 2019 Idatro-only result of
1.16 outages per customer.
Table No. 10 - Number of Electric System Outages.for the Average Avista Customer in 2020
ll This is similar to the approach now used by the California Public Utilities Commission to evaluate electric utilities' system
reliability. In: Approaches to Settine Electric Distribution Reliabilitv Standards and Outcomes. pages 130 - 136. The Brattle Group,
Ltd.2012.
12 The Company will report the frequency of electric system interruptions per Customer for the calendar year, where:
a. The intemrptions are measured as the System Average Intemrption Frequency Index ("SAIFI''), as calculated by IEEE
std. 1366;
b. The calculation of SAIFI excludes intemrptions associated with any MED in Idaho;
c. The report will provide a brief description of the predominant factors influencing the current-year results, the previous
year's system results, and the Company's historic five-year rolling average of SAIFI; and
d. The results will be repofied on a systern basis for Washingon and Idaho as well as for Idaho only.
13 Any service intemrption that is greater than five minutes in duration.
Avista Utilities -2020ldaho Service Quality Program Report l7
Number of sustained intemrptions in
electric service for the average Avista
customer for the year (SAIFI)
0.89
Per Customer
0.94
Per Customer
-0.03
Per Customer
n-uml)er of Elcctric S1'stcm
Outagcs for thc Avcragc Avista
Customer
2020
Sr stem
l{csu lts
Cu rrcnt
5 Year ,\r'erage
(20 r 6-2020)
Change in
5 \'car
.\r'cragc
Measure 2: Average Duration of Electric Outases
As part of Avista's Service Qualily Measures program, the Company will report
its annual electric system reliability measure for the total duration of non-major
storm power outages experienced per customerfor the year (SAIDD.I4
2020 Results - This measure, as noted earlier, represents the average duration or length of outages
for the year. Outage duration (SAIDD 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-widebasis, the2020 outage duration decreased to 132 minutes, 5 minutes lowerthan
the l37-minute duration reported for 2019. As shown in Table No. 11 below, this dec-rease resulted
in a 9-minute reduction to the average for the current five-year poiod (2016-2020). The Idaho-
only outage duration was 159.30 minutes for 2020, which though higher than the same year's
systern-wide average of 142 minutes, is below the prior year's duration of 166 minutes l.;l2019.
Table No. 1l - Outage Durationfor the Average Avista Customer in 2020
la The Company will report the duration of electric system intemrptions per Customer for the calendar year, where:
a. The intemrption duration is measured as the System Average Intemrption Duration Index ("SAIDI"), as defined by the
IEEEStd. I366;
b. The calculation of SAIDI excludes interuptions associated with any MED in Idaho;
c. The report will provide a b,rief description of the predominant factors influencing the curent-year system results, the
previous year's system results, and the Company's historic five-year rolling average of SAIDI;
d. The results will be reported on a systern basis for Washington and Idaho as well as for Idaho only.
Avista Utilities - 2020ldaho Service Quality Program Report l8
Total duration of all electric service
outages for the average Avista
customer for the year (SAIDI)
132
Minutes
151
Minutes -9 Minutes
'l'otal Outagc Duration lbr the
Averagc Avista Customer
2020
S1 stcnr
Ilcsu lts
Currcnt
5 \'car Ar cragc
(20 r 6-2020)
Changc in
5 \'car
Ar crage
*
:$
V. Customer Service Guarantees
Avista's Idaho Service Quality Program includes seven types of service for which Avista provides
o'Customer Service Guarantees" (Guarantees). Our service commitments under these Guarantees
recognize the customer inconvenience that may result when our delivered service does not meet
our stated goal. In such cases, we will provide our customers a bill credit or payment in the amount
of $50 in recognition of that inconvenience. All costs associated with the payment of customer
service guarantees are , and are not paid by our customers, or
included in the rates they pay for service. This 2020 Idaho Service Quality Report is the second
Report to contain the results of Avista's Guarantees.
Guarantee 1: Keepine Electric and Natural Gas Service Aooointments
The Contpany will keep mutually agreed upon appointments for electric or
natural gas service, scheduled in the time windows of either 8:00 o-m. - 12:00
p.nr. or 12:00 p,m. - 5:00 p.m,Is
Avista provides its customers with appointments for certain types of electric and nafural gas
service requests. For electric service, the Company will schedule appointments for service drops
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 ofAvista repairs, and
repeated pilot light outages on natural gas appliances. The Company offers more types of natural
gas service appointrnents (than electric service) because the customer must be present for our
employees to complete the work as 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 accommodate
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
15 Except in the following instances:
a. When the Customer or Applicant cancels the appointment;
b. The Customer or Applicant fails to keep the appointment; or
c. The Company reschedulesthe appointrnent with at least 24 hours'notice; or
d. The Company is experiencing a MED in Idaho. In such cases, the Company will notifo the customer and reschedule the
appointrnent. (electric service only)
Thc Conrpany rnct 99.959; of our applicablc scn'ice comrnitr.r-tctrts in thc sccond
ycar of tliis progriull. provitling tlur custourcrs a guarantce crcdit in just 20 or"rt ol
39.(r57 cascs.
Avista Utilities - 2020Idaho Service Quality Program Report t9
schedule the work on a future date. Finally, new service connects and credit reconnects are not
available for appointrnents, as the work orders are completed the same day of the request.
2020 Results - In 2020, the Company successfully kept 99.75% of its 1,203 scheduled customer
appoinhnents for applicable electric and natural gas service in Idaho and paid a guarantee credit in
only three instances for the year. The primary reason for the missed appointments is emergency
work orders that arise during the day, which prevent the Company from meeting its scheduled
appointrnent time. Due to the risks and danger of electric and natural gas emergencies, the
Company prioritizes emergency orders over all service work. The result of this necessary
prioritization is that the Company will occasionally miss a few appoinfinents, as reflected in the
2020 results.
Table No. 122 - Avista Sentice Appointment Results.for 2020
Guarantee 2: Prompt Restoration of Electric Svstem Outase
When our Customers experience an electric interuuption, the Company will
restore the service within 24 hours of notiftcationfrom the Customer.td
The Company stives 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
can be complex and occur all hours of the day and night, and all days of the year. In many years,
even in cases where Avista does not experience any storms that qualify as major events, it may
still be impossible for us to restore service to all our customers within 24 hours. In other years, by
contast, the Company is able to successfully restore service to all of our customers who experience
an outage within this benchmarkof 24 hours. For the 2020 Program year, we did not provide any
Guarantee credits to customers, as we successfully restored service to all impacted customers
within the benchmark timeframe.
2020 Results - In 2020, the Company's Idaho customers experienced2T,TTl outage events in
total, all of which had power restored within 24 hours, resulting in a success rate of 100%. In
comparison to 2019's 99.99o/o success rate, resulting from I of 18,774 outage events missing the
24 hour benchmark, Avista is proud to see that despite an increase in the number of outage events,
the Company was able to improve upon its success rate in restoring power to its customers within
24 hours.
16 Except for the following instances:
a. During periods of time when the outage is associated with a MED in ldaho;
b. An action or event that is outside the control ofthe Company prevented the Company from restoring supply or accessing
the Company's equipment to restore supply;
c. The premise is vacant, disconnected or not receiving service immediately preceding the outage; or
d. The customer notifies the Company that service restoration does not require immediate attention.
Keeping Our Electric and Natural Gas
Service Appointments scheduled with our
customers
1,200 3 $1s0
Clustomer Serl'ice Guarantee Succcssful Nlissed $ Paid
Avista Utilities - 2020ldaho Service Quality Program Report 20
Restore service within 24 hours of a
customer reporting an outage (excluding
major storm events)
27,771 0 $0
Custonrcr Scrl'ice Guarantce Successful Missed $ Paid
Table No. 133 - Avista's Outage Restorqtion Resultsfor 2020
Guarantee 3: Promptly Turning on Electric or Natural Gas Service Unon Reouest
The Company will turn on power or connect natural gas service the same day the
Customer or Applicant's requests service.tT
When customers request electric or natural gas service from Avist4 they have a reasonable
expectation 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 atl reasonable means.
Typically, the electric or natural gas meter is not shut offbetween 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 ernployee to reconnect the meter.
2020 Results - Avista met its benchmark to turn on our customers' service the same day the
service was requested in 99.89% of cases, missing only two of the 1,874 requests received.
Table No. 144 - Avista Turning on Senice the Same Day.for 2020
Guarantee 4: Promotlv Providins Cost efes fo Cnsfomers 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 tlte Custonter or Applicanl
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
l7 Except for the following instances:a. The service request is received by the Company after 7:00pm on weekdays, or on a weekend or holiday;b. The Customer requests an altemative future date for service connection;c. The Customer or Applicant is not available at the time of connection (natural gas service only)d. Construction is required before the service can be energized or connected;e. The Customer or Applicant does not provide evidence that all required government inspections have been satisfied;f. Required payments to the Company have not been received;
C. The service was disconnected for nonpayment or theft/diversion of service;h. The service cannot be turned on due to an outage;i. Electric Service is not connected prior to connecting natural gas service;j. t$/hen applicablg water service is not connected prior to natural gas service; ork. An action or event that is outside the control ofthe Company prevents the Company from connecting service.
Avista Utilities - 2020ldaho Service Qualrty Program Report 2l
Turn on power within a business day of
receiving the request 1,872 2 $100
Cuslomcr Serr ice Guarantec Succcssful Nl issed $ Paid
ofthe 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 ernployee 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 a cost estimate for the required construction. The
Company's goal for completing the cost estimate, for which it oflers a Customer Service
Guarantee, is 10 business days.
2020 Results - The Company received 1,462 req;ests for new electric or natural gas service in
2A20 and successfully provided cost estimates for each within 10 business days of the request, for
a success rate of 100%. This continues the l00o/o success rate from 2019.
Table No. 155 - At,ista Providing Customers a Cost Estimate.for New Sentice in 2020
Guarantee 5: Promotlv Resnondins to 'Rill Inouiries
The Company will respond to most billing inquiries at the time of the initial
contact, and for tltose inquires that require further investigation, the company
will investigate und respond to tlre Customer within I0 business doys.
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 contact center representatives strive to address and resolve all inquiries on the
initial customer contact. Some ofthe tools our employees have to address suchbill inquires (which
are generally related to circumstances when customers feel their bill is too high), include:
r' Review the meter read and usage history to see if the bill is in line with the prior months
or years;
r' Review the number of billing days for the bill in question compared with the norm;
r' Ulilize 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;y' Discuss with the customer any life changes, new appliances, or maintenance needs and
how those can impact their utility bill;r' Offer tips on ways to save energy;
r' Directthe customer to Avista's website for additional energy savings advice; and,r' Offer to mail Energy Use and Savings Guides or Energy Savings kits.
When the contact center representative is unable to address the billing inquiry on initial contact or
the customer is not satisfied with the information provided on their inquiry, the Company will then
open a case to further investigate the customer's inquiry. After a case has been created Avista will
verifu the meter read or obtain a new metsr read to double-check the accuracy of the metered use.
If there was a billing error the customer representative will initiate sending a corrected bill. After
Avista Utilities - 2020ldaho Service Qualrty Program Report 22
Provide a cost estimate for new electric or
natural gas service within l0 business days
of receiving tle request
1,462 0 $0
N{issedCustomer Service Guarantee Successful $ Paid
determining the accuracy of the bill, the customer service representative will then discuss the
inquiry again with the customer along with the results of the verification of the meter read or new
meter read. Typically, after this process our customer is satisfied with the resolution. In situations
where the customer is not satisfied and/or requests a meter test to ensure their meter is reading
accurately, it triggers a separate process, which is covered by Customer Service Guarantee number
six below, "Promptly Responding to Customers' Meter Problems.o'
2020 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 all322 follow-up
inquiries in2020.
Table No. 166 - Avista Responding to Cuslomer's Bill Inquiries in 2020
Guarantee 6: Promptlv Responding to Customers'Meter Problems
The Company will investigate Customer-reported problems with a nteter, 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 naturally complied with these requirements
prior to the implementation of its Customer Service Guarantees progftrm. Under the Guarantees
now in place, however, the Company will now provide a $50 credit if it fails to meet this
requirement.
2020 Results - In 2020, 158 of our ldaho customers reported a meter problem or requested the
Company conduct a meter test. Avista successfully tested and reported the results to all but four
of these customers within 20 business days, for a success rate of 97.40o/o.
Table No. 177 - Ayista Resolving Meter Problems in 2020
Investigate and respond to a billing inqury
within 10 business days if unable to answer
a question on first contact
322 0 $0
Custonrer Servicc Guarantec Successful Nlissed $ Paid
Investigate a reported meter problem or
conduct a meter test and report the results
within 20 business days
1s4 4 $200
Customcr Servicc Guarantec Successful Nt issed $ Paid
Guarantee 7:
18 Except for the following instances:
Avista Utilities - 2020ldaho Service Quality Program Report
Customers Advance Notice of Scheduled
The Contpany will provide notification to the Custonter, through nreans normally
used by the Company, at least 24 hours in advance of disconnecting service for
sc heduled intewuptions. I I
23
Under Avista's Customer Service Guarantees program, the Company will provide a $50 credit for
each customer impacted if the Company fails to provide notice of a scheduled intemrption at least
24 hours of advance. Complying with this notification requireme,nt 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 consfuction, electric operations, customer project coordinators, asset
maintenance program managers, distribution dispatch, service dispatch, and the customer contact
center. This complexity requires us to maintain multiple checkpoints in our business processes to
ensure all customers affected by a scheduled intemrption are notified in advance.
2020 Results - A total of 6,867 Idaho customers were affected by scheduled service intemrptions
in2020. Of that total, Avista successfully notified 6,856 customers for a success rate of 99.84%.
For the l1 customers that did not appropriately receive our required advance notification, the
Company provided a $50 credit, for a total of $550. Compared to the 99.96% success rate in 2019,
with only 5 customers not properly notified out of a total of 14,152,2020's results for this measure
show a marked decrease in success for the Company. Avista understands the importance of this
benchmark and continues to refine and improve its prior notification processes.
Table No. 18 - Avista's Customers Notified in Advance of a Service Interruption in 2020
a. The intemrption is a momentary interruption of less than five minutes in duration;b. The safety of the public or Company personnel or the imminent failure of Company equipment is a factor leading to the
intemrption; orc. The intemrption was due to work on the Customer's meter.
Avista Utilities - 2020ldaho Service Qualtty Program Report 24
1l $ss0
Notiff customers at least 24 hours in
advance of a planned power outage lasting
longer than 5 minutes
6,856
Successful Nl isseclCustonter Scrvicc Guarantcc $ Paid
Appendix A - Service Quality Program Report Card
Orstomer Servlce Measu res Eenchmark 2020 Performance Achieved
Percent of customers satisfied with our Contact Center services,
based on survev results At least 90%96.s%,/
Percent of customers satisfied with field services, based on survey
res ults At least 90%953%,/
Percent of calls answered live within 60 seconds by our Contact
Center At least 80%83.4%,/
Average time from customer call to arrival of field technicians in
response to electric svstem emergencies, per year
No more than
65 minutes 48.6 ,/
Average time from customer call to arrival of field technicians in
response to natural gas system emergencies, per year
No more than
55 minutes 42 ./
!D 2020 Seruice Quality Program Results
2020 tdaho Performance Highlights
Avista has once again exceeded all six of its CustomerService Measures and was able to not only maintain but improve upon
many 2019 benchmarks despite the complexities brought on by the COVID-19 health and economic crisis. While the COVID-
19 pandemic introduced unprecedented challenges, such as a wo*-frorn-home transition for the majority of Avista
employees, the Company was able to maintain excellence across its home-bound Contact Center employees, with 83.4% ot
calls answered live within 60 seconds. Avista also successfully met 99.95% of its applicable Customer Service Guarantees in
2020, providing customers a credit in just 20 out of 39,657 cases. Finally, the Company celebrates a 1.:OO% success rate for
the restoration of service within 24 houn of a customer reporting an outage (excluding major storm events) for all 27,777
outage incidents reported tor 2020. 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.
Electrlc Svstem ReliabiliW
lYear Average
120rG20201 2020 Resuh Change in
$Year Averare
Frequency of non-major-storm power interruptions, per year, per
customer (SAlFl)0.94 0.89 -0.03
Length of power outages per year, per customer (SAlDl)742 132 -9
Customer Servlce Guarante€s Successfril Misrcd SS Pald
Electric & Natural Gas service aDDointments 1.200 3 Slso
Electric outage restoration within 24 hours of notification from
Customer, excludins maior events 27,777 0 $o
Switch on power or connect gas services the same day of request L,872 2 Sroo
Provide cost estimate for new electric or natural gas supply within
10 business days L,462 0 So
lnvestisate and respond to billins inouiries with 10 business davs 322 0 So
lnvestigate customer-reported problems with a meter, or conduct a
meter test, and report results within 20 business days 154 4 $200
Provide notification at least 24 hours in advance of disconnecting
service for scheduled electric interruptions 6,856 11 Ssso
Totals 39,637 20 $1,ooo
Avista Utilities - 2020 Idaho Service Quality Program Report 25
Appendix B - Definitions and Index Calculations
Svstem Averase Interruption Frequencv Index (SAIFD: The average number of sustained
intemrptions per customer, per year
a
a
a
o
Therutrrrberof ctstomerswhichhadsustainedinterruptions
Total number of customers served
Ir,
NT
Svstem Averaee Interruption Duration Index (SAIDD: The average sustained outage time per
customer, per year
Outaee duration multiplied bv the customers effected for all sus/arrred irrlerrzpriozs
Total number of customers served
Iryv,
Nr
Quantities:i: An interruption event;
ri : Restoration timefor each interruption event;
T: Total;
IDo : Number of interrupting device events;
Ni: Number of interrupted customers for each interntption event during the reporting period;
Nr: Total nurnber of customers servedfor the area being indexed;
Maior Event Dav MED): A day in which the daily systern SAIDI exceeds a threshold value,
Tlaso. For the purposes of calculating daily system SAIDI, any intemrption that spans multiple
calendar days is accrued to the day on which the intemrption began. Statistically, days having a
daily system SAIDI greater than Trvmo 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.
Tnaeo is calculated (taken from the IEEE 1366-2003 Standard)
The major event day identification threshold value, TurD, 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 Tnro (do not
include days that did not have any intemrptions).
c) Take the natural logarithm (ln) of each daily SAIDI value in the data set.
d) Find a (Alpha), the average of the logarithms (also known as the log-average) ofthe data
set.
Avista Utilities - 2020ldaho Service Qualrty Program Report 26
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).
T^ED: 9G+2.5a)
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 original outage
event and MED.
Avista Utilities - 2020Idaho Service Quality Program Report 2',7