Avista customers to get slight break on winter heating costs

Avista’s natural gas customers in Washington will get a slight break on their bills beginning Nov. 1.

The bill for a typical residential customer using 65 therms of natural gas will fall by 1.8 percent, or $1.06 per month, for an average monthly bill of $56.27.

The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission approved rate decreases on Thursday for Avista and several other utilities.

Companies are required to submit filings at least every 15 months to adjust rates based on changes in the wholesale cost of natural gas.

The cost of gas is passed on to customers, which means companies do not profit from, or lose money on gas purchases.

Spokane-based Avista serves nearly 153,000 natural gas customers in Eastern Washington.