SPOKANE — Many Avista Corp. utility customers are getting a surprise in their power bill this month.
While the January bill from Avista is typically high because of cold weather, this time it’s even higher because of an unusually harsh winter, a longer billing period, and rate increases for Washington customers.
Plus, many of the bills are computer estimates because meter readers couldn’t reach many homes during the winter storms.
Dayna Chisum, who owns a South Hill apartment building, said one tenant was billed $459 for using an estimated 1,000 kilowatt hours more than last year.
“I don’t know why they thought they could just add 1,000 kilowatt hours into a bill and have that be OK,” she said.
Avista spokeswoman Debbie Simock said company phones have lit up with customer questions and complaints. It’s the first time in more than 30 years the utility has had to estimate usage for so many customers, she said.
“The fact that customers are getting estimated bills right now is the exception,” Simock said.
Simock said the bills are calculated with a computer program based on each household’s previous 12 months of use. If actual use falls below estimates, February bills will be adjusted, she said.
“Customers never pay for more energy than they use,” she said.
About 13 percent of Avista’s meter readings in Eastern Washington, northern Idaho and parts of Oregon were based on estimates in the most recent billing period, she said. That’s more than 83,000 meters.
On Jan.1, Avista customers in Washington had a rate increase of about $5 a month on electricity bills and $2 on natural gas bills.
The combination of winter weather and holiday schedules also meant some billing cycles were lengthened, Simock said.
Winter bills usually increase the number of people seeking help from government assistance programs, said Ron Hardin, spokesman for Spokane Neighborhood Action Programs.
This year, the agency has $7 million in federal funding, compared with about $4.6 million last year. The agency also has increased its maximum grant for help in paying heating bills to $1,000, from $750, Hardin said.
During the worst of the storm in late December, meter readers couldn’t reach many homes.
Simock said Avista usually reads 99 percent of its meters each month. The last time meter readers were pulled off the job in such numbers was 1988 when temperatures plummeted far below zero, she said.
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