Avista Corp.’s Internet specialty billing and informationservices affiliate, Avista Advantage, and Texas-based ReliantEnergy have made a product distribution agreement.

“The agreement we’ve reached with Reliant Energy (formerlyHouston Industries) is significant because it provides us theopportunity to deliver our innovative Internet-based products andservices into a vital and growing market,” said T.M Matthews,Avista Corp. CEO.

Avista Advantage provides Internet-based utility billprocessing, payment and information services to multi-sitecommercial customers throughout the U.S. ACIS – the AdvantageCustomer Internet Sit – provides these customers with an integratedutility reporting tool. ACIS products include consolidated billing,resource accounting, load profiling, and energy analysis.

Matthews said Avista Advantage has developed a distinctive lineof services that starts with a proprietary customer informationsystem. Through ACIS, customers are able to choose theirenergy-related information and shape how it is displayed. Customersare able to perform site-by-site analysis, and ACIS allows reportsto be grouped by region, state, responsibility center, climate zoneand local distribution company or service provider.

Avista Advantage serves more than 10,000 managed sites and isworking with the more than 4,000 utilities that serve those sites.Avista Advantage recently began offering customers its newestservice-bill payment and analytical services for maintenance andrepair bills. Avista Advantage customers include Boston Chicken,Burger King, Busy Body Fitness, Doubletree Hotels, Extended StayAmerica, Just for Feet, Reebok, Stage Stores Inc., and the U.S.Postal Service.

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