General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThe long-term future of the nation’s electric grid is under threat from an unlikely source—
Energy Conserving American!
That is what the greedy power companies want you to think
That is the fear of some utility experts who say that as Americans use less power, electric companies wont have the revenue needed to maintain sprawling networks of high-voltage lines and generating plants.
And if the companies raise rates too high to make up for declining sales volumes, customers will embrace even more energy-saving gizmos and solar panels, pushing down demand for grid power. The Edison Electric Institute, the trade group for investor-owned utilities, has warned that they could face a death spiral.
Since 2004, average residential electricity prices have jumped 39%, to 12.5 cents a kilowatt hour and prices for all users have jumped 36% to 10.42 cents, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Retail sales to homes and businesses still are less than they were in 2007, before the recession.
Even in parts of the country where the population has been growing, electricity sales have been anemic. Southern Co., for example, said that in the third quarter of 2014, residential accounts grew 0.7% in its four-state regionbut total home electricity sales contracted 0.6%.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/energy-pinching-americans-pose-threat-to-power-grid/ar-AA8UuxL
Erich Bloodaxe BSN
(14,733 posts)If they can't provide power at a profit, let the government take over doing so, since the government doesn't have to 'make a profit'.
Nay
(12,051 posts)their 'burden.' The govt should spend some money upgrading the whole system anyway, since the power companies are too cheap to do it.
lumberjack_jeff
(33,224 posts)A public utility district.
Newest Reality
(12,712 posts)Well, are they going to beg for a bailout? We are good for that because it seems to be the American way to pay for the problems that big business and next, utilities, create. Mi problema, su problema.
Oh, but nationalizing them? Perish the thought. We can go without electricity, right?