Website: www.puc.idaho.gov
PUC staff plans Lewiston, Coeur d’Alene workshops to
discuss remote disconnects
Staff from the Idaho Public Utilities Commission will be
in Lewiston and Coeur d’Alene to hear public input on Avista Utilities’
proposed pilot program that would allow the utility to disconnect and reconnect
power to customers from a remote location. Customer groups filing comments in
the case fear remote disconnection of customers who are behind in payments
could result in increased disconnections and threaten the health and safety of
some customers.
The workshops are scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 5, at 7 p.m. at the Red Lion Hotel, 621 21st St. in Lewiston and on Wednesday, Feb. 6, at 1:30 p.m. at the Best Western Inn, 506 West Appleway Ave. in Coeur d’Alene.
Avista, which serves about 115,000 Idaho customers from Grangeville north to the Canadian border, proposes to install about 250 remote disconnect collars in rural areas and about 350 wireless meter devices in urban areas of its northern Idaho territory. Customers selected for the one-year pilot program would be those who have had multiple disconnects, are located in rural areas or otherwise occupy premises where Avista employees may be at risk for entering customer property and manually performing disconnects or reconnects.
Avista claims the program will reduce operating and
maintenance expenses related to multiple disconnection and reconnections,
increase the productivity of its employees by eliminating multiple trips to
customer homes for collections, enhance employee safety, establish a quicker
response time to reconnect service and recognize a reduction in bill defaults
and write-offs by encouraging prompt consumer payment over time.
However, AARP Idaho said remote
disconnection might increase the number of disconnections, impacting health and
safety, particularly if customers are disconnected during extreme weather
conditions. Currently, a utility employee visits a home before a disconnection,
giving customers a final opportunity to pay. The home visit also provides an
opportunity for the utility employee to observe possible health and safety
dangers, such as a customer using a respirator or other medical devices
requiring electric service. AARP Idaho
said Avista does not specify how customers would be selected for the pilot
program and further stated that low-income seniors, ill and disabled customers
and families with young children should not be included.
Another customer group, that
Community Action Partnership of Idaho, said the program may benefit
shareholders, but diminishes the level of service provided customers. CAPAI
also expressed concern about a dramatic increase in disconnects and the loss of
an opportunity to make a final payment before disconnection. CAPAI said the
pilot might set a precedent for other utilities that don’t have as good a customer
service record as Avista.
Comments filed by commission staff
recommend approval of the program as part of its effort to encourage all
utilities to use “smart meter” technology. But commission staff did express
concern about how customers would be selected. An advantage of the program,
commission staff said, is that power can be restored to a disconnected customer
within minutes any time during the day or night and even on weekends. Under the
current method, it can take several hours before a utility employee can
schedule a home visit to restore power.
Whether the pilot is approved or
not, Avista and all regulated utilities must abide by nearly all the
commission’s customer service rules regarding disconnection. A first disconnection notice is sent at
least seven days before the proposed disconnection date. A second notice is
sent at least three days before disconnect. Then a call must be made to the
customer at least 24 hours before disconnection. Under the pilot, Avista plans
to continue providing written and oral notices. The only rule waived under the
pilot is the one requiring a utility employee to knock on the customer door to
provide a final opportunity to make a payment.
Documents related to this case can be accessed on the commission’s homepage at www.puc.idaho.gov. Click on the electric icon, then on “Open Electric Cases” and scroll down to Case No. AVU-E-07-09.