The Oregon Public Utility Commission (PUC) recently approved a decrease in rates for Avista customers that goes into effect on Friday, November 1st.
The PUC approves adjustments annually to the rates of the three regulated natural gas companies -- including Avista Utilities, Cascade Natural Gas and NW Natural -- to reflect changes in the actual cost of wholesale-priced natural gas.
This annual adjustment -- known as the Purchased Gas Adjustment (PGA) -- allows companies to pass through their actual cost of purchasing gas to customers without a markup on the price.
The monthly bill of a typical customer using an average of 47 therms per month will decrease by $6.15 or 8.7%. The monthly bill of a typical commercial customer using an average of 204 therms per month will decrease by $28.26 or 10.7%.
This decrease is largely due to the lower than anticipated price of natural gas last year as compared with projections when rates were set, which resulted in over-collection of revenues from customers last year. The over-collected funds are used to reduce collections from customers this year.
PUC Chair Megan Decker said "we are fortunate this year to see the stabilizing supply and demand of natural gas ease financial pressures on customers."
Avista serves more than 100,000 customers in portions of southwest and northeastern Oregon.
