The company has also re-filed a request with the Idaho Public Utility Commission (IPUC) to lower the requested annual purchased gas cost adjustment (PGA) for Idaho customers to 4% or $3.3 million in annual revenues, down from the 14.2% filed in August 2008.
In a separate annual decoupling rate adjustment filing with the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (WUTC), Avista has requested a 0.3% increase in the company’s natural gas rates for residential and small commercial customers, also effective November 1, 2008.
The decoupling mechanism allows Avista to recover a portion of its fixed costs not recovered because of reduced energy usage by customers. The recovery of fixed costs allows Avista to increase focus on energy efficiency programs and services for customers.
If both the PGA and decoupling filings are approved by the WUTC, a residential customer in Washington using an average of 70 therms of natural gas per month could expect to see a $0.67 increase, for a revised total monthly bill of $85.83, effective November 1, 2008. Avista serves approximately 144,000 natural gas customers in Washington.
If the amended PGA filing is approved by the IPUC, an Idaho natural gas customer using 65 therms of natural gas per month could expect to see an increase of $2.96, for a revised monthly bill of $78.10, effective October 1, 2008. Avista serves 72,000 natural gas customers in Idaho.
