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Stock Compensation Plans (Performance Share Activity) (Details) (USD $)
In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2014
Dec. 31, 2013
Dec. 31, 2012
Total Shareholder Return Market-Based Awards [Member]      
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]      
Risk-free interest rate 0.70%us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardFairValueAssumptionsRiskFreeInterestRate
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= ava_TotalShareholderReturnMarketBasedAwardsMember
0.40%us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardFairValueAssumptionsRiskFreeInterestRate
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= ava_TotalShareholderReturnMarketBasedAwardsMember
0.30%us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardFairValueAssumptionsRiskFreeInterestRate
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= ava_TotalShareholderReturnMarketBasedAwardsMember
Unvested shares at beginning of year 344,684us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsNonvestedNumber
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= ava_TotalShareholderReturnMarketBasedAwardsMember
359,700us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsNonvestedNumber
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= ava_TotalShareholderReturnMarketBasedAwardsMember
351,345us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsNonvestedNumber
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= ava_TotalShareholderReturnMarketBasedAwardsMember
TSR shares granted 117,550us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsGrantsInPeriod
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= ava_TotalShareholderReturnMarketBasedAwardsMember
175,000us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsGrantsInPeriod
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= ava_TotalShareholderReturnMarketBasedAwardsMember
181,000us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsGrantsInPeriod
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= ava_TotalShareholderReturnMarketBasedAwardsMember
Shares canceled (6,816)us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsForfeitedInPeriod
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= ava_TotalShareholderReturnMarketBasedAwardsMember
(13,298)us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsForfeitedInPeriod
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= ava_TotalShareholderReturnMarketBasedAwardsMember
(4,544)us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsForfeitedInPeriod
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= ava_TotalShareholderReturnMarketBasedAwardsMember
Shares vested (167,584)us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsVestedInPeriod
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= ava_TotalShareholderReturnMarketBasedAwardsMember
(176,718)us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsVestedInPeriod
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= ava_TotalShareholderReturnMarketBasedAwardsMember
(168,101)us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsVestedInPeriod
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= ava_TotalShareholderReturnMarketBasedAwardsMember
Unvested shares at end of year 287,834us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsNonvestedNumber
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= ava_TotalShareholderReturnMarketBasedAwardsMember
344,684us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsNonvestedNumber
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= ava_TotalShareholderReturnMarketBasedAwardsMember
359,700us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsNonvestedNumber
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= ava_TotalShareholderReturnMarketBasedAwardsMember
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Aggregate Intrinsic Value, Nonvested $ 10,175us-gaap_SharebasedCompensationArrangementBySharebasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsAggregateIntrinsicValueNonvested
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= ava_TotalShareholderReturnMarketBasedAwardsMember
$ 9,717us-gaap_SharebasedCompensationArrangementBySharebasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsAggregateIntrinsicValueNonvested
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= ava_TotalShareholderReturnMarketBasedAwardsMember
$ 8,672us-gaap_SharebasedCompensationArrangementBySharebasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsAggregateIntrinsicValueNonvested
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= ava_TotalShareholderReturnMarketBasedAwardsMember
Unrecognized compensation expense 2,833us-gaap_EmployeeServiceShareBasedCompensationNonvestedAwardsTotalCompensationCostNotYetRecognized
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= ava_TotalShareholderReturnMarketBasedAwardsMember
3,651us-gaap_EmployeeServiceShareBasedCompensationNonvestedAwardsTotalCompensationCostNotYetRecognized
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= ava_TotalShareholderReturnMarketBasedAwardsMember
3,800us-gaap_EmployeeServiceShareBasedCompensationNonvestedAwardsTotalCompensationCostNotYetRecognized
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= ava_TotalShareholderReturnMarketBasedAwardsMember
Performance Shares [Member]      
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]      
Risk-free interest rate   0.00%us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardFairValueAssumptionsRiskFreeInterestRate
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_PerformanceSharesMember
0.00%us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardFairValueAssumptionsRiskFreeInterestRate
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_PerformanceSharesMember
Unvested shares at beginning of year 0us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsNonvestedNumber
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_PerformanceSharesMember
0us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsNonvestedNumber
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_PerformanceSharesMember
0us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsNonvestedNumber
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_PerformanceSharesMember
TSR shares granted 59,025us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsGrantsInPeriod
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_PerformanceSharesMember
0us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsGrantsInPeriod
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_PerformanceSharesMember
0us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsGrantsInPeriod
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_PerformanceSharesMember
Shares canceled (1,008)us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsForfeitedInPeriod
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_PerformanceSharesMember
0us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsForfeitedInPeriod
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_PerformanceSharesMember
0us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsForfeitedInPeriod
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_PerformanceSharesMember
Shares vested 0us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsVestedInPeriod
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_PerformanceSharesMember
0us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsVestedInPeriod
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_PerformanceSharesMember
0us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsVestedInPeriod
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_PerformanceSharesMember
Unvested shares at end of year 58,017us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsNonvestedNumber
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_PerformanceSharesMember
0us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsNonvestedNumber
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_PerformanceSharesMember
0us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsNonvestedNumber
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_PerformanceSharesMember
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Aggregate Intrinsic Value, Nonvested 2,051us-gaap_SharebasedCompensationArrangementBySharebasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsAggregateIntrinsicValueNonvested
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_PerformanceSharesMember
0us-gaap_SharebasedCompensationArrangementBySharebasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsAggregateIntrinsicValueNonvested
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_PerformanceSharesMember
0us-gaap_SharebasedCompensationArrangementBySharebasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsAggregateIntrinsicValueNonvested
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_PerformanceSharesMember
Unrecognized compensation expense $ 1,577us-gaap_EmployeeServiceShareBasedCompensationNonvestedAwardsTotalCompensationCostNotYetRecognized
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_PerformanceSharesMember
$ 0us-gaap_EmployeeServiceShareBasedCompensationNonvestedAwardsTotalCompensationCostNotYetRecognized
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_PerformanceSharesMember
$ 0us-gaap_EmployeeServiceShareBasedCompensationNonvestedAwardsTotalCompensationCostNotYetRecognized
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_PerformanceSharesMember
Minimum [Member] | Total Shareholder Return Market-Based Awards and Performance Awards [Member]      
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]      
Common stock issued range, percent of the performance shares granted 0.00%ava_CommonStockIssuedRangePercentOfPerformanceSharesGranted
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= ava_TotalShareholderReturnMarketBasedAwardsandPerformanceAwardsMember
/ us-gaap_RangeAxis
= us-gaap_MinimumMember
   
Maximum [Member] | Total Shareholder Return Market-Based Awards and Performance Awards [Member]      
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]      
Common stock issued range, percent of the performance shares granted 200.00%ava_CommonStockIssuedRangePercentOfPerformanceSharesGranted
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= ava_TotalShareholderReturnMarketBasedAwardsandPerformanceAwardsMember
/ us-gaap_RangeAxis
= us-gaap_MaximumMember