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Jan 30 , 2012
Avista adds 10 compressed natural gas (CNG) trucks to its fleet
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Meter readers learn how to fill the tank with CNG at
the fill station in the service area on the Avista
Mission Campus. |
CNG – compressed natural gas – is not the natural gas that can heat your home or cook your food. It’s a safe, clean-burning, cost-effective fuel for fleet vehicles. Avista has purchased 10 replacement Chevrolet Silverado half-ton pick-up trucks that run on CNG; seven of those will be allocated to meter readers in Spokane, two to the Spokane line dock and one will stay with Fleet operations. In addition to the CNG tank, the trucks have a 20 gallon gasoline tank, as back-up fuel.
Avista experimented with CNG-powered vehicles about 30 years ago, when the technology for CNG-powered vehicles was in its infancy. Today, the computerized systems within a CNG vehicle make it as easy to operate as a standard gasoline-powered truck. And in keeping with our commitment to environmental stewardship, CNG is a cleaner-burning fuel than gasoline or diesel, so it’s better for the air we breathe. It also helps our country become less dependent on foreign oil, because all of our natural gas supply is produced in North America.
“We’re rolling out CNG vehicles slowly so we can get a good idea how they perform for the kinds of work we do” said Chris Schlothauer, Fleet Manager for Avista. “They seem to operate best on route-type travel, like that which our meter readers drive every day – out from a base, with many stops along the way and then return to the garage.”
“We’ll look at how these trucks perform before we make decisions about expanding the fuel for use in other Avista fleet vehicles. We’re also deciding if and how we might offer CNG to other area businesses as they convert their fleet vehicles to use CNG fuel,” said Ken Boni, Avista strategic initiatives manager.
The trucks have a range of about 250 miles using CNG, averaging 11 to 13 miles per gasoline equivalent gallon, approximately the same as a gasoline-powered truck. And the cost savings from cheaper CNG fuel prices makes these vehicles cost-efficient as well. Typically a CNG gas gallon equivalent costs about $2 less than gasoline at the pump.
Filling up the new trucks is similar to filling up with gasoline – a nozzle is placed in the receptacle on the truck, but instead of hearing the liquid fuel go into the tank, the hiss of natural gas is heard as the tank fills with the gaseous fuel and is measured in pounds per square inch rather than gallons. Plans call for updating the Avista’s CNG fueling stations in Spokane at Mission Avenue and Dollar Road, as well as in Klamath Falls and Coeur d’Alene to replace aging equipment and accommodate new fast-fueling technology.
So when you think about natural gas, look beyond your furnace or your stove. Look out your window and perhaps you’ll see one of Avista’s new CNG-powered fleet vehicles drive by, keeping costs low and the air cleaner.
Jan 18 , 2012 H95
If you’ve traveled along Highway 95 in North Idaho by Silverwood recently, you may have seen Avista natural gas crews working alongside 6 miles of the busy highway. The Idaho Department of Transportation is reconstructing a portion of Highway 95 from approximately Chilco to Athol.
Avista has to move its existing pipeline and is expanding the capacity of the pipeline from 3 to 6 inches. Expanded capacity helps serve existing customer needs and helps prepare infrastructure for the future. The estimated cost for this project is around $1.4 million. Part of Avista's requests for customer rate adjustments typically includes infrastructure work like this project.
Jan 06 , 2012
Crews brave the cold to bring reliable service to you in $1.4 million project
If you’ve traveled along Highway 95 in North Idaho by Silverwood recently, you may have seen Avista natural gas crews working alongside the busy highway. We wanted to let you know what they are up to. Our crews are relocating and increasing capacity for six miles of natural gas pipeline to accommodate a newly constructed highway.
The Idaho Department of Transportation is reconstructing a portion of Highway 95 from approximately Chilco to Athol. The highway will expand from two to four lanes, which is great for safety and traffic, but means Avista’s existing 3-inch natural gas pipeline needs to move to a new right-of-way on the east side of the road.
Avista is expanding the capacity of the pipeline from 3 to 6 inches too. Expanded capacity helps serve existing customer needs and helps prepare our infrastructure for the future. The estimated cost for this project is around $1.4 million. Part of our requests for customer rate adjustments typically includes infrastructure work like this project.
You can see from the slideshow of pictures that the crews are clearing a pathway, laying down 40-foot lengths of yellow plastic pipe, fusing them together and then burying the pipeline with sandy soil. The sandy soil protects the pipeline from being touched rocks or hard objects that could put pressure on the new pipeline. After the line is in place it will be pressure tested before being brought into service.
The project started in mid-December and should be completed by mid-March. One of the biggest hurdles the crews had to overcome recently was frost. At times crews had to dig through 12 to 24 inches of frozen ground to make a trench that goes much deeper. Typically large projects like this aren’t completed during winter months, but Avista and other utilities agreed to do the work now to accommodate the Idaho Department of Transportation’s aggressive schedule. Luckily snow hasn’t been an issue yet, but if it does, our crews will work through that too.
Dec 16 , 2011
Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission approves multi-party settlement agreement, including increase in energy assistance funding for customers
Avista received approval today from the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) on the multi-party settlement agreement, concluding the company’s electric and natural gas rate requests in Washington. New customer rates will be effective Jan. 1, 2012. Avista made the requests to the UTC on May 16, 2011, followed by a multi--party settlement agreement on Sept. 30, 2011.
“Energy impacts every aspect of our lives. It’s our job to make sure customers can depend on having energy when they need it and that requires a reliable energy delivery system,” said Dennis Vermillion, Avista Corp. senior vice president and president of Avista Utilities. “We are pleased the Commission recognized the need for retail rates to reflect the increased costs necessary to operate our system.”
The approved rates are designed to provide an additional $20.0 million in annual electric revenue and $3.75 million in natural gas annual revenues to recover, among other things, increased investment in Avista’s energy system. The new prices reflect an overall electric increase of 4.5 percent in billed rates and a natural gas increase of 2.5 percent in billed rates.
Effective Jan. 1, 2012, a residential customer using an average of 977 kilowatt-hours of electricity a month would see an increase of $3.02, or 4.0 percent, for a revised monthly bill of $78.00. A residential natural gas customer using an average of 67 therms a month would see a $1.76, or 2.8 percent, increase a month for a revised monthly bill of $64.63. Avista serves more than 234,000 electric and nearly 147,000 natural gas customers in Washington.
Additional annual funding of $550,000 in direct energy bill payment assistance for limited income and senior customers will be available as a result of the UTC approval. The increase includes $370,000 in new funding for Avista’s Low Income Rate Assistance Program (LIRAP), plus $180,000 in reallocated funds from the utility’s conservation education program. In total, annual funding available for the LIRAP program to assist qualifying customers would be approximately $3.6 million for electric customers and approximately $1.8 million for natural gas customers. The LIRAP program is funded through a separate tariff.
Information on energy assistance programs and energy efficiency rebates and incentives for customers is available at www.avistautilities.com.
The UTC has requested a more detailed breakdown of executive compensation for informational purposes. Avista will provide the requested information by the February 29, 2012, deadline.
Avista Corp. is an energy company involved in the production, transmission and distribution of energy as well as other energy-related businesses. Avista Utilities is our operating division that provides electric service to 357,000 customers and natural gas to 317,000 customers. Our service territory covers 30,000 square miles in eastern Washington, northern Idaho and parts of southern and eastern Oregon, with a population of 1.5 million. Avista’s primary, non-regulated subsidiary is Ecova, an energy and sustainability management company with more than 500 multi-site commercial and utility customers, representing more than 450,000 sites. Our stock is traded under the ticker symbol “AVA.” For more information about Avista, please visit www.avistacorp.com.
This news release contains forward-looking statements regarding the company’s current expectations. Forward-looking statements are all statements other than historical facts. Such statements speak only as of the date of the news release and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the company’s control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from the expectations. These risks and uncertainties include, in addition to those discussed herein, all of the factors discussed in the company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2010 and the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended Sept. 30, 2011.
Dec 09 , 2011
Your rates dollars at work: pipeline reinforces service to Clarkston area
Since mid-July Avista contract crews have been working on a 2.8-mile natural gas line extension in the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley that will help reinforce gas service to Avista customers in the Clarkston area.
The new six-inch steel high pressure natural gas line was installed on the Clarkston, Wash., side of the Snake River and is fed through an existing line from Lewiston, Idaho. In early December the line underwent a successful pressure test and is now in service, providing homes and businesses with winter heat.
There a still a few asphalt patches that will be spruced up along the project corridor, but that should be wrapped up shortly.
Employees and contractors reported that customers in the area have been wonderful to work with and talk to about the project.
An unexpected benefit of the project to customers and the public came in the form of safety lighting on the Greenbelt Trail, a popular recreation area, where the new line was installed. In order to install the new pipeline, Avista needed to access land managed by the Army Corp of Engineers. As in-kind consideration in lieu of fees for conducting this project, Avista will install 46 lights along the trail from Chestnut Beach to Swallows Boat Ramp parking lot, at an approximate cost of $71,500. The new lights, to be installed later this year, will improve the safety of visitors who use the Greenbelt Trail.
Roughly 4,000 feet of conduit has already been installed for the lighting project that is expected to be complete around March 2012, but is dependent on winter.
This new natural gas pipeline is a great example of where your rates dollars go – providing you safe, reliable gas service.
Nov 30 , 2011
If you’re looking for a unique gift for friends, family or your holiday exchange that will definitely be used, look no further than an Avista Housewarming Gift Certificate. Available in any amount and with no expiration date, a gift certificate can be applied to the recipient’s Avista account. Purchasing a gift certificate is easy – just complete an order form and attach it to a check or money order made payable to Avista, then mail to:
Avista
P.O. Box 3727 MSC 34H
Spokane, WA 99220-3727
To redeem a gift certificate, the recipient simply includes the gift certificate with a bill payment stub and mails them to Avista. The gift certificate and bill payment stub can also be dropped in an official Avista payment drop box.
There are no administration or processing fees associated with the Housewarming Gift Certificates. Your total gift amount goes directly to your recipient. Please allow up to five business days for processing your order form. Oct 13 , 2011
Today, our Idaho customers will recieve an email from us, detailing why rates changed slightly on Oct. 1. Pasted below is the message from Avista Utilities President Dennis Vermillion.
Dear Avista Customer,
Electric and natural gas rates changed October 1. Here's why.
On the first of this month the Idaho Public Utilities Commission (IPUC) announced changes to Avista’s electric and natural gas rates in Idaho. Your electric rates will decrease 2.1 percent, while natural gas rates will increase 0.3 percent. Avista doesn’t change rates on its own. The IPUC sets the rates you pay after Avista requests a change and provides the reasons for it.
As you might expect, a few increases and decreases combined to make up the final rate changes. Avista is continuing to invest in and maintain the electric and natural gas systems that serve you and because of that, some portions of your bill are increasing, but those are largely off-set by other rate components that have decreased. Learn more about the components.
Avista has agreed to keep base rates at this new level until at least April 1, 2013, although we may file for changes prior to that date. The IPUC has seven months to approve a general rate case. This doesn’t mean rates won’t change at all in 2012, as we will also continue to file annual requests to true-up the actual cost of natural gas and electricity.
We know how much any rate change impacts you and your monthly budget, that’s why we’re working hard to manage our costs while providing the safe, reliable service you expect from us.
Sincerely,
Dennis Vermillion
President, Avista Utilities Sep 30 , 2011
Avista and other parties in the company's electric and natural gas rate case filings have reached a settlement agreement that, if approved by the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC), is designed to provide an additional $20.0 million, or a 4.5 percent, increase in annual electric billed revenue, and $3.75 million, or a 2.6 percent increase, in annual natural gas billed revenue. Approval of the settlement agreement would conclude the general rate requests filed on May 16, 2011, with new rates becoming effective January 1, 2012.
If the settlement is approved by the UTC, a residential customer in Washington using an average of 977 kilowatt-hours of electricity per month would see a $3.02, or 3.9 percent, per month increase for a revised monthly bill of $80.03. A residential customer using an average of 67 therms of natural gas a month would see a $1.76, or 2.8 percent, increase per month for a revised monthly bill of $64.09.
“We believe the settlement agreement is a fair and reasonable outcome for our customers and for our shareholders," said Dennis Vermillion, Avista Corp. senior vice president and president of Avista Utilities. "The agreement is the result of concessions and compromises on a number of issues to arrive at an outcome that is supported by the settling parties. It also represents continuing progress in our efforts to timely recover the costs of serving our customers.”
Avista's original request filed with the UTC in May 2011 included an electric rate increase of 8.7 percent, or $38.3 million, in increased annual electric revenues. The difference between the original request and the amount in the settlement agreement is due to several factors including a decrease in natural gas costs to run the company’s thermal plants, removal of the Electric Energy Efficiency Load adjustment, a reduction in certain operating expenses and adjustments for administrative and general expenses. The original request also included an increase in the common equity ratio and the return on equity. The specific capital structure ratios and the cost of capital components were not specified in the settlement agreement.
The settlement agreement includes deferred accounting treatment related to maintenance costs for Avista’s Coyote Springs 2 project and its share of the Colstrip 3 & 4 coal-fired projects that will address the year-to-year variability in these costs. Each year the difference between actual maintenance costs and the amount built into base retail rates would be deferred and amortized over the next four-year period. The amortization amounts would be recovered through future rate cases, as they occur.
Also included in the settlement agreement is a provision that Avista will not file a general rate case in Washington before April 1, 2012. The UTC has up to 11 months to review and issue a decision in a general rate case request.
Recognizing the impact of rising prices on customers, especially limited income and senior customers, funding available under this settlement agreement for Avista’s Low Income Rate Assistance Program (LIRAP) would increase by $370,000. The increase in funding plus a reallocation of funds from the conservation education program would result in an additional $550,000 in direct energy bill-payment assistance for limited income and senior customers. In total, annual funding available for the LIRAP program would be approximately $3.6 million for electric customers and approximately $1.8 million for natural gas customers. The LIRAP program is funded through a separate tariff.
In addition to Avista, the parties to the settlement are the staff of the UTC, the Public Counsel Section of the Washington Office of the Attorney General, Northwest Industrial Gas Users, Industrial Customers of Northwest Utilities and The Energy Project. The parties’ recommendation to approve the settlement is not binding on the commission.
The Northwest Energy Coalition (NWEC), the only party to not sign the settlement agreement, has indicated that they plan to pursue approval of an electric decoupling mechanism in this case. NWEC has also indicated, however, that they do not oppose other terms of the settlement, including implementation of new retail rates effective January 1, 2012.
Avista offers a variety of energy efficiency programs for residential, limited income, commercial and industrial customers. In addition to helping customers manage their energy use, the programs also help reduce the amount of future, more costly energy resources needed to meet customer demand.
In addition to support for energy assistance programs, Avista also offers services for customers such as comfort level billing, payment arrangements and Customer Assistance Referral and Evaluation Services (CARES), which provide assistance to special-needs customers through referrals to area agencies and churches for help with housing, utilities, medical assistance and other needs.
About Avista
Avista Corp. is an energy company involved in the production, transmission and distribution of energy as well as other energy-related businesses. Avista Utilities is our operating division that provides electric service to 357,000 customers and natural gas to 317,000 customers. Our service territory covers 30,000 square miles in eastern Washington, northern Idaho and parts of southern and eastern Oregon, with a population of 1.5 million. Avista's primary, non-regulated subsidiary is Advantage IQ. Our stock is traded under the ticker symbol "AVA." For more information about Avista, please visit www.avistacorp.com.
Avista Corp. and the Avista Corp. logo are trademarks of Avista Corporation.
This news release contains forward-looking statements regarding the company's current expectations. Forward-looking statements are all statements other than historical facts. Such statements speak only as of the date of the news release and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the company's control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from the expectations. These risks and uncertainties include, in addition to those discussed herein, all of the factors discussed in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2010 and the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2011.
To unsubscribe from Avista's news release distribution, send a reply message to shirley.wolf@avistacorp.com. Sep 30 , 2011
Approval also received for annual pass-through filings that will off-set bill impact to customers for a net electric decrease
News Release/Post by Debbie Simock
Avista received approval today from the Idaho Public Utilities Commission (IPUC) on the all-party settlement agreement, concluding the company’s electric and natural gas rate request. Avista made the requests to the IPUC on July 5, 2011 followed by an all-party settlement agreement on Aug. 26, 2011. New customer rates will become effective Oct. 1, 2011.
“We are pleased the Commission recognized the need for our rates to reflect the increased costs necessary to operate and maintain our energy system. Making the effective dates for the multiple filings coincide for October 1 means our customers will actually receive a decrease in their electric rates,” said Dennis Vermillion, Avista Corp. senior vice president and president of Avista Utilities.
The new retail rates from the settlement agreement reflect an overall 1.1 percent increase in electric base rates, providing $2.8 million in additional annual electric revenue. Base natural gas rates will increase by an overall 1.6 percent with $1.1 million in additional annual natural gas revenue.
In separate actions, the IPUC also approved annual electric and natural gas rate adjustments that pass through actual changes in expenses or credits and have no impact on company earnings. The adjustments will offset all or a portion of the bill impact of the base rate increase to customers.
A residential customer using an average 956 kilowatt-hours a month will see a $1.79 per month decrease, or 2.1 percent, for a revised monthly bill of $82.02. A residential natural gas customer using an average of 62 therms would see a $0.20 per month increase, or 0.3 percent, for a revised monthly bill of $60.96. Avista serves over 122,000 electric and more than 74,000 natural gas customers in Idaho.
The approval also includes an increase in annual funding for the Community Action Partnership Association of Idaho (CAPAI) from $40,000 to $50,000 for outreach and education activities for low income customers. This funding is in addition to the current $700,000 for low-income weatherization programs.
Information on energy assistance programs and energy efficiency rebates and incentives for customers is available at www.avistautilities.com.
Avista Corp. is an energy company involved in the production, transmission and distribution of energy as well as other energy-related businesses. Avista Utilities is our operating division that provides electric service to 357,000 customers and natural gas to 317,000 customers. Our service territory covers 30,000 square miles in eastern Washington, northern Idaho and parts of southern and eastern Oregon, with a population of 1.5 million. Avista’s primary, non-regulated subsidiary is Advantage IQ. Our stock is traded under the ticker symbol “AVA.” For more information about Avista, please visit www.avistacorp.com.
This news release contains forward-looking statements regarding the company’s current expectations. Forward-looking statements are all statements other than historical facts. Such statements speak only as of the date of the news release and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the company’s control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from the expectations. These risks and uncertainties include, in addition to those discussed herein, all of the factors discussed in the company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2010 and the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2011. Sep 15 , 2011 If approved, electric rates would go down, gas would slightly go up
Last month we shared with you about the annual tariff filings we made in Idaho and Oregon.Today we made similar filings in Washington that could decrease electric rates by 2.64 percent and increase natural gas prices by an overall 0.96 percent. If our requests are approved by the Washington Utilities and Transportation (UTC), new rates would become effective Nov. 1. Read the news release to learn more.
You may wonder why we’re asking to decrease electric prices in Washington when we have a request before the utility commission to increase rates. Simply put, the requests impact your bill in different ways.
Today’s request is asking the WUTC for approval to pass through to customers $9.2 million Avista is expected to receive through a Bonneville Power Administration program. If approved, you’ll receive those benefits in the form of a monthly credit on your electric bill. This is a pass-through that has no impact on company earnings.
The request we made in May to increase electric and natural gas rates is seeking to recover significant investments Avista has made in generating and delivering energy to our customers. It’s called a general rate case, and the WUTC has up to 11 months to review and issue a decision on the request.
Rates are complicated and can be confusing. So, post a question below and we’ll get back to you with an answer about rates or on anything else you’d like to know about.
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