Idaho Public Utilities Commission
Case Nos. AVU-E-11-01 and AVU-G-11-01,
Order No. 32348
September 1, 2011
Contact: Gene Fadness (208) 334-0339,
890-2712
Website: www.puc.idaho.gov
Rate hearings scheduled Sept. 13 in Coeur
d’Alene
The Idaho Public Utilities Commission will
conduct hearings in Coeur d’Alene on Sept. 13 regarding a proposed settlement
of the Avista Utilities rate case that, if approved, will result in a net
decrease in customer bills.
Avista applied on July 25 for an average
3.7 percent increase in electric rates and an average 2.7 percent increase in
natural gas rates. The proposed settlement would grant a 1.1 percent increase in
permanent base electric rates and 1.6 percent increase in natural gas rates,
but because of several other rate adjustments on the proposed Oct. 1 effective
date, customers will actually see a net decrease in their bills. The average decrease for residential electric
customers would be about 2.4 percent and the average reduction for residential
natural gas customers would be about 1 percent.
As part of the proposed settlement, Avista agrees not to seek another
increase in base rates that would become effective before April 1, 2013.
The three commissioners who decide the
case will conduct both a public hearing and a technical hearing about the
proposed settlement on Tuesday, Sept. 13 in the Driftwood Bay room of the North
Idaho College student union building at 1000 W. Garden Ave. The public hearing,
during which customers can offer sworn testimony, will begin at 7 p.m. The
technical hearing, during which the company and commission staff will present
their testimony regarding the proposed settlement, will begin about 15 minutes
after the public hearing concludes.
At its initial filing, Avista asked for
an increase in its annual revenue on the electric side of $9 million and an
additional $1.9 million on the gas side.
The proposed settlement grants the utility a $2.8 million increase in
electric revenue and $1.1 million in natural gas revenue. Part of the $2.8 million electric increase is
an increase in the monthly customer service charge from $5 to $5.25 per month
and from $4 to $4.25 per month on the gas side.
Two electric rate adjustments result in
increases to customers: the $2.8 million base rate increase and $8.7 million
that was previously approved as part of the settlement of the 2010 rate case
where deferred state income tax benefits are no longer available to reduce
rates. Two adjustments result in
decreases for customers: the Power Cost Adjustment, or PCA, ($15.5 million
reduction) and an increased BPA credit to residential and small-farm customers
of $2.2 million.
The PCA is a yearly adjustment to rates
based on the always changing costs of power supply. When water is plentiful and
market prices for power lower than anticipated, customers typically get a
credit. During low-water years or during years of high market and fuel costs, customers
typically get a surcharge. Avista’s PCA,
which is adjusted every Oct. 1, this year is a $15.5 million decrease.
The
BPA is a not-for-profit federal agency that markets power from 31 federal
hydroelectric dams and a nuclear plant in the Northwest. The 1980 Northwest
Power Act required that residential and small-farm customers in the Northwest
share in the benefits of the federal hydroelectric projects located in the
region. Avista applies the benefits it receives, which usually fluctuate annually,
to customers as a credit on their monthly electric bill. This year, residential
and small-farm customers will receive an additional $2.2 million in benefits
from the BPA.
On
the gas side, the annual Purchased Gas Adjustment (PGA) operates much like the electric
PCA, matching anticipated gas supply and transportation costs with actual cost.
This year, the PGA is a $776,000 increase for customers and the end of the deferred
state income tax benefit is a $470,400 increase. Those increases, along with
the $1.1 million base gas rate increase, are offset by a $2.8 million reduction
in the gas efficiency rider paid by customers.
The
proposed settlement also increases the annual funding Avista will make
available for conservation education to low-income customers from $40,000 to
$50,000. This will be in addition to the $700,000 made available for low-income
weatherization projects.
Customers
who choose not to testify at the public hearing may submit written comment
regarding the proposed settlement by no later than Sept. 13. Comments are
accepted via e-mail by accessing the commission’s homepage at www.puc.idaho.gov and clicking on
"Comments & Questions About a Case." Fill in the case number (AVU-E-11-01
and AVU-G-11-01) and enter your comments. Comments can also be mailed to P.O.
Box 83720, Boise, ID 83720-0074 or faxed to (208) 334-3762.
A
full text of the settlement stipulation, along with other documents related to
this case, is available on the commission’s Web site at www.puc.idaho.gov. Click on “File Room”
and then on “Electric Cases” or “Gas Cases,” and scroll down to the above case
number.