Avista to raise rates in December

Students residing in the Logan Neighborhood and homeowners stretching across Eastern Washington, Northern Idaho and Southern Oregon regions might be noticing a larger number on their electric and natural gas bills starting this December.

Local electric and natural gas utility company Avista Corp. reaches 355,000 customers, including those in the Gonzaga community, and has been an established utility company for 125 years serving Spokane before Washington was even declared a state.

Avista will be raising its electricity rates by 7.2 percent and natural gas rates by 3.2 percent depending on whether the government approves the agreement.

"Unlike gas stations, which can change their rates of gasoline on a daily basis, Avista is a regulated utility under the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (WUTC). It can be up to an 11-month process to change rates," said Avista Corporate Communications Representative Debbie Simock.

The new rates for Avista have reached the final stages and are now being reviewed by the WUTC and that decision will impact the Dec. 1 deadline that Avista has chosen to apply the new rates.

If the agreement passes through the WUTC, Avista customers will see a 7.8 percent increase to the average electricity bill. Natural gas prices per month are expected to increase 3.6 percent.

"Living off-campus makes you realize how much you pay for the necessities in life. These new rates are steep and it just adds to all of the other bills that come with living on your own," junior Jessica Pollard said.

The process of resetting electric and natural gas rates through the WUTC for customers is open and transparent. Customers can participate by sharing their opinions online and commissioners will be having a hearing in Spokane open to all customers to voice concerns and have an opportunity to have their questions answered. The WUTC takes customers' opinions into its decision of approving the new rates, which reflects that students living off-campus have a chance to be heard in the result.

The combination of increased rates and a weak economy will contribute to financial stress on families that must pay for the basic necessities of electricity and natural gas. Avista has recognized this and has created a program called the Low Income Rate Assistance Program (LIRAP), which is a form of bill assistance to those who cannot afford to pay for power. Avista encourages all customers and especially students who are living on their own for the first time to call if there are ever any financial issues or bill problems and they provide various forms of assistance to customers.

Students can log onto http://www.avistautilities.com to watch a video that clearly explains the electric and natural gas rates process and why they need to be adjusted.

"There is lots of information and the website is a great resource to know the facts of the company and to learn about energy efficiency," Simock said.

Helpful hints to decrease monthly power bills include setting the thermostat to 68 degrees during the day in winter and an alternative to keeping the heat the same at night is to drop back the thermostat and add a blanket. Installing a programmatic thermostat will automatically change the temperature for the time it is set a fool—proof way to not pay for heat when no one is home.

When leaving for holidays or a quick weekend trip, drop the temperature on the thermostat and unplug all electronics like video game consoles and DVD players, which still consume energy and contribute to the bill even when turned off.