SPOKANE VALLEY – Avista ratepayers will face higher bills beginning July 1 if a proposed rate hike is approved by the state Utilities and Transportation Commission.
Avista has requested price adjustments, including electricity rate hikes that will increase its revenues by 6%.
The request to increase the rate to comply with state regulations that require Avista to either obtain an authorized increase or return or rebate money to ratepayers if the utility has a deferral balance of $30 million or more.
The rate increase would life the utility’s cap to approximately $34.6 million.
Last year, Eastern Washington saw higher summer temperatures and colder winter temperatures, company officials said. Those swings increased the power usage and increased the costs for power and natural gas, resulting in a large deferral balance.
If the rate hike request is approved, residential power customers would see an approximate 6.3% rate increase.
Other requested price adjustments include an increase in general service fees of 4.3%, large general service fees by 5.8%, extra-large general service fees by 9.1%, pumping services by 7% and street and area light services by 1.4%.
Roger Harnack is the owner/publisher of Free Press Publishing. Having grown up Benton City, Roger is an award-winning journalist, columnist, photographer, editor and publisher. He's one of only two editorial/commentary writers from Washington state to ever receive the international Golden Quill. Roger is dedicated to the preservation of local media, and the voice it retains for Eastern Washington.
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