AVISTA: Brownout bad news Sunday

Sunday morning, Oct. 6, Avista Utilities suddenly had an electrical disruption starting at 9:05 a.m., and lasting until 9:55 a.m. Here it is early Sunday morning when people are eating breakfast and getting ready for Sunday services and everything shuts down. A beautiful crisp sunny morning, sun out and a slight wind blowing, and all at once there is silence. Clocks stop, radios turn off, microwaves and washing machines stop working, electric stoves and water heaters shut off, and no upcoming TV football games — especially the Indianapolis Colts/Seattle Seahawks game which locals are getting ready to watch.

Luckily, power returned five minutes prior to the start of the game. I finished a cold breakfast of pancakes, eggs and sausage, washed down with cold coffee that couldn’t be warmed up since the microwave was down.

These brownouts are common during bad weather and high winds, but puzzling on a crisp fall day — especially for that long a time. Most times, the electricity is off for either seconds or minutes, just enough to screw up everything in the house that is running or on timers. All electric clocks have to be re-set.

Avista doesn’t seem to realize or care most times what these electrical outages do to all the electronic appliances we now have. Our washing machine was going through the cycles and had to be re-programed before turning it back on. I had an expensive paper shredder last year that was involved in an Avista brownout that never recovered and wouldn’t run again. After the shock, I conversed with the Avista P.R. representative, who claimed Avista isn’t responsible no matter what happens to your household appliances, new or old, and voted down my claim after a few letters.

Each time Avista gives your electric meter a charge to restart, it advances the electricity usage at a faster pace during that surge which raises your cost.

A survey was conducted by an independent company during electrical surges and found that the meter speeds up for a short period which raises your electrical usage, costing you more money. Most people have no idea how to figure their monthly electrical bill and just accept the Avista meter reading. I once had an electrical problem with the PUC in California, proved them wrong, and forced a refund for a faulty meter that the wheel had worn out and was running 10 percent faster than it should have. We went back and fourth for about six months, with me proving my point and getting a refund for about five months. Utilities are monopolistic and not really controlled although we like to believe the PUC does try. What other choice do we homeowners really have?

BILL SINGLETON

Coeur d’Alene