Last March I was on Spokane’s Centennial Trail running with a group of people I didn’t really know that well. It was cold; I was slow and trailing with some folks in the back. When you’re trying to avoid thinking about your burning quads and feet, conversation with others tends to work wonders. So I was chatting with a guy that lives west of Spokane. I told him that I worked at Avista Utilities and what I do here. He shared the same type of info with me and said he was an Avista customer.
And then he said, "What can I do about my high bills?"
Remember, at this time, there was still snow on the ground that hadn't melted from our record amounts during the cold winter. It’s pretty simple math, when it’s colder outside, your heating system has to run more to keep your house at the temperature you want. Bills are generally higher in the winter. No question about it.
"Have you signed up for the Comfort Level Billing program?" I asked.
"No. What's that?"
I described the program to him. Basically, it helps smooth out your payments to a consistent amount throughout the year, so when winter heating season rolls around, you already know what your Avista bill will cost you. It also helps to budget the same amount each month, like you would for other long-term items like mortgage or insurance payments. We evaluate your usage and adjust it accordingly if things change.
He said the plan sounded familiar and he did something similar with his utility when he lived back east years before. He just hadn’t done it yet with Avista, but said he’d look into it.
So, the point of this post is to say that being proactive today, when it’s hot, the sun is shining and your bills are a bit lower, can really help this winter when the temperatures drop and snow starts to pile up.
We're running a promotion through August 31, 2009 to encourage customers to sign-up for Comfort Level Billing. You might have received an e-mail about it. You could win $100 if you sign up. If you’re already enrolled, you’ve been automatically entered to win.
Get all the details on many of our programs and sign up for Comfort Level Billing at
www.avistautilities.com/assistance or call 1-800-227-9187. I know winter seems like a long time from now, but it will be here before you know it.
Are you on Comfort Level Billing? Tell us about it.