Avista Utilities publishes a newsletter updating its stakeholders on news and events concerning energy efficiency in their service territory. The newsletter is a great way to stay current on energy issues in eastern Washington and Avista’s service area in Idaho and Oregon.
Key items in the January 2016 edition: Residential Programs, Nonresidential Programs and Regulatory Updates; Evaluation; and Financial, Energy Savings, WA Electric Tariff Rider Update.
A few highlights from the publication include:
Smart Thermostat Program: With a little over a year since inception, Avista has paid over 350 rebates to customers for the installation of a Smart Thermostat. This energy efficiency measure is gaining in popularity as more people recognize the convenience of programming their thermostat from anywhere, anytime. This ability combined with regular firmware updates from the thermostat manufacturers that keep the thermostat operating smartly are estimated to provide energy savings in the range of 5% to 8% plus per year on HVAC loads.
Gaining in popularity, smart thermostats installations are expected to increase about 30% over the next four years (source: mrmarketresearch.com). When Nexant completes their evaluation for 2014-2015 Avista will determine if the program should continue going forward.
Energy Star Portfolio Manager: Avista provides automated energy-usage upload services to commercial customers that subscribe to Energy Star’s Portfolio Manager. Portfolio Manager allows customers to benchmark to similar buildings around the country. Currently 40 Avista customers subscribe to this service with a total of 349 properties and 890 meters. The City of Spokane is the largest user of this service, closely followed by a large private property management company in Spokane. Avista has been providing these services in Washington, Idaho and Oregon for the last six years; the number of subscribers gradually increases each year.