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Avista Advantage Receives Second Consecutive Award for Protecting the Environment Through Energy Efficiency SPOKANE, Wash., March 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recognized Avista Advantage, a subsidiary of Avista Corp. (NYSE:AVA), with the Excellence in Promoting Superior Energy Performance 2006 Award for its outstanding contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency. Avista Advantage's accomplishments will be honored at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. on March 21, 2006. The company was also named ENERGY STAR Partner of Year in 2005. (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050221/SFM020LOGO ) Avista Advantage, an ENERGY STAR partner since 2004, is being honored for its ongoing commitment to providing services and products to help businesses and organizations adopt smart energy practices. In 2005, Avista Advantage handled more than 90 percent of all automated building ratings the EPA processed during the year. Across the U.S., companies and organizations are benefiting from the value of strategic energy management through participation in ENERGY STAR. Last year alone, with the help of ENERGY STAR, Americans saved $12 billion on their energy bills and enough peak energy to power 28 million homes. Through those savings, according to EPA, they avoided greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of more than 23 million vehicles. "At Avista Advantage, we are committed to giving organizations tools to protect the environment through energy efficiency," said Stu Stiles, Avista Advantage president & chief executive officer. "Our entire business model is based on assisting companies achieve superior energy performance. We have found that participating in the ENERGY STAR program just makes good business sense." The ENERGY STAR partnership has added increased value to Avista Advantage's clients. "As energy costs continue to rise, strategic energy management is a priority for more and more companies," said Ed Schlect, Avista Advantage vice president, product development. "Our clients actively utilize our system for managing these and other facility related costs. By applying the facility data collected by our service to the ENERGY STAR tools, our clients have an even greater advantage for effectively managing their energy usage." The Partner of the Year Award is given to a variety of organizations to recognize efforts to promote ENERGY STAR qualified products, saving consumers money and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Award winners are selected from thousands of organizations that participate in the ENERGY STAR program. "Partners like Avista Advantage are helping their customers find and invest in energy efficient solutions -- and our environment benefits," said Kathleen Hogan, director of EPA's Climate Protection Partnerships Division. About Avista Advantage Avista Advantage is a leading provider of comprehensive facility intelligence and utility and telecom cost management services. Their patented technology and services provide multi-site companies with critical, yet easy-to-access information that enables them to proactively manage and reduce facility-related expenses. Avista Advantage's patented Facility IQ(TM) System provides online access to consolidated costs as well as powerful analytical consulting services and real-time reporting tools. For more information about Avista Advantage, visit http://www.avistaadvantage.com/ or call toll-free 1-800-767-4197. About Avista Corp. Avista Corp. is an energy company involved in the production, transmission and distribution of energy as well as other energy-related businesses. Avista Utilities is a company operating division that provides service to 330,000 electric and 305,000 natural gas customers in three western states. Avista's non-regulated subsidiaries include Avista Advantage and Avista Energy. Avista Corp.'s stock is traded under the ticker symbol "AVA." For more information about Avista, please visit http://www.avistacorp.com/. About ENERGY STAR ENERGY STAR was introduced by the US Environmental Protection Agency in 1992 as a voluntary market-based partnership to reduce air pollution through increased energy efficiency. The program offers businesses and consumers energy-efficient solutions to save energy, money and help protect the environment for future generations. More than 7,000 organizations have become ENERGY STAR partners and are committed to improving the energy efficiency of products, homes and businesses. For more information about ENERGY STAR, visit http://www.energystar.gov/ or call toll-free 1-888-STAR-YES (1-888-782-7937). NOTE: Avista Corp. and the Avista Corp. logo are trademarks of Avista Corporation. http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050221/SFM020LOGO http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Avista Advantage CONTACT: Kelly Conley of Avista Advantage, +1-509-329-7319, or ; or Maria Vargas of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, +1-202-343-9451, or Web site: http://www.energystar.gov/ http://www.avistacorp.com/ http://www.avistaadvantage.com/

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