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Jan 14 , 2010
First, more people than ever need a little extra help with their bills. Now, this might seem a bit obvious given recent economic conditions, but it seems the trend is help for people who have never needed to ask before. Life sometimes throws you a curveball – it just happens. Second, asking about what options are available for you so you can pay your bills and live comfortably is tough for some people to do and that’s understandable.
Given these trends, it’s nice to know that we’re offering help right now - hopefully before you really need it. Don’t get me wrong, we certainly need you to pay for the energy you use, but we also know we’re not the only bill you get each month and we want to help when we can.
So, what’s available?
Payment arrangements: You may qualify for special payment arrangements that fit your needs.
Comfort Level Billing: Winter bills are typically high, summer bills are lower. Comfort Level Billing lets you make the same payment every month to smooth out the volatility. I have this service and love the consistency, plus there’s no interest charge on your balance.
Preferred Due Date: Maybe you get paid every other Friday, but your spouse gets paid only once a month, when is the best time for you to pay your bill? Tell us and we’ll move your payment date. Of course this will depend on your account status and situation, but call to talk with us.
It’s all about what fits for you. Please call our customer service folks or login to your My Account and look at your options before you get into a pinch.
Jan 04 , 2010
The end of winter break might mean an end to higher energy usage for your home. Here’s a story one of my colleagues told me last winter (an Avista employee, mind you).
He arrived home during winter vacation after work. The house was lit up like a beacon in the night – not because of holiday decorations, but because every light in the house was on. The door from the garage to the house wasn’t closed tight and the winter chill was blowing in.
Upon entering the house, he finds his kids (home for winter vacation) in full-relax mode – sprawled out by the gas fireplace or room’s heat source in shorts and T-Shirts. You’ve probably seen this yourself. One kid has the TV on and every overhead light and lamp on in one room, but isn’t watching the TV. A handheld videogame, mobile phone or even a book is occupying his attention.
My co-worker continues to walk through the house, flipping off lights as he goes and encouraging his family members to put warm clothes on, rather than summer attire. He adjusts the thermostat back down to a reasonable temperature and starts dinner.
Sound familiar?
The fixes are easy and as this little story tell us, can be done quickly. But what about the rest of the day when you’re not around to police your home’s energy usage? Try as you might, the simple lessons about keeping your sweater on and hands off the thermostat, doesn’t always stick. That’s winter vacation for you.
Another culprit of higher winter energy usage around the holiday season is house guests. Gotta love ‘em, but you’ve certainly got less control over their use of your hot water (showers, baths, more dishes and clothes to wash), trips outside bringing in cold air through the open door and of course the battle over the thermostat.
Even short stays can use a great deal of energy. You’ve got lights up for decorations. The oven is on for hours of cooking or reheating your family’s favorite entrees and snacks. And there are those dishes to be washed and outside doors left open.
So, what’s the magical solution? Sorry, it’s no secret, just commonsense. Winter will always bring higher energy usage. Your systems work harder to work effectively when it’s colder. Even when you keep the thermostat at 68; that 68 degrees is harder to achieve when it’s freezing outside. It’s dark early in the day, so lights need to be on longer. More people in the house means more energy is being used.
The commonsense part comes with knowing where the energy is going and who is using it. You’re unlikely to avoid increased energy usage with guests – but you can try, just be subtle. In the case of the kids home from college, relate the costs to them – you’d be surprised about how much they already know about budgeting.
When it comes to budgeting, Avista has you covered. While the peaks of energy use for you might happen in the winter, it doesn’t have to take a bite out of your holiday budget. By signing up for Comfort Level Billing you can smooth out the highs and lows of your energy usage into one level, monthly payment and we don’t charge you interest to hold the balance. If your credit ever goes over a certain amount, we’ll send you a check back. It’s as easy as that.
Keeping your family on the energy straight-and-narrow is an ongoing battle, but budgeting and knowing the costs will help you win in the end.
Sep 14 , 2009
Today, Avista announced that it has requested a significant reduction in natural gas rates in Washington and Idaho. We’ve been buying gas at lower costs since the wholesale natural gas market is down and we’re passing on the savings to customers.
If approved, residential and small commercial Washington customers should expect to see a rate decrease of 20.2 percent, while Idaho residential customers should see a decrease of 17 percent on Nov. 1.
These are the lowest natural gas prices since 2003. If approved, this would be the third time in 2009 that we’ve lowered gas prices. If this is approved, Washington and Idaho rates will have been reduced by about 25 percent since the beginning of the year.
For you numbers folks - if you’re a residential customer in Washington using an average of 70 therms per month you’re looking at a $16.08 savings per month. In Idaho if you use 66 therms on average, you would save $12.74 per month.
If you are on Comfort Level Billing (which I recommend), you will see a reduction in your monthly payment, equal to the dollar amount of the rate decrease for your usage.
What is actually being lowered?
Right now, the price of natural gas makes up 75 percent of your natural gas bill. The remaining 25 percent goes to getting the gas to you – equipment and people needed to provide safe, reliable service. With this request we’re passing along the savings in the cost of gas (in that 75 percent). This type of request is called a Purchase Gas Adjustment (PGA).
So, I’m anticipating this question too – its 80 degrees outside today, why are you lowering rates now? Can’t you do it in the winter when I use natural gas a lot for heating? Good question. Since we are a regulated utility, the utility commissions in each state have to approve any change to the prices you pay – up or down. We’ve requested an effective date of Nov. 1, right before it really starts to get cold. Like I said above, this would be the third reduction this year and although you likely use way less natural gas in the summer months, you’re probably still taking showers or washing clothes or cooking with natural gas – so the savings are good anytime.
Here’s another question you might be asking. I heard on the news that you raised rates - didn’t you? On Sept. 4 we announced that we’ve come to a partial settlement agreement with all parties in our general rate case in Washington. That’s everyone who has a stake in the case. Customers have a number of parties representing them, including the Washington Attorney General’s Public Counsel Office. The agreement (which concerns that 25 percent of your bill mentioned above) settled some major issues, but the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission is still the final decision-maker on rate prices. The WUTC has until late December to issue a ruling. I wrote about the Washington rates case here; check out, “Transparency in action - Why did I get an insert with my bill?”
I’ll continue to update this blog with additional information about rates and other happenings at Avista. If you have any questions or comments drop us a line in the comments section.
Jul 24 , 2009
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.
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