The Drawbacks of Our Current Utility System

Our current utility system is woefully outdated and painfully unprepared for major outages. Even minor glitches in the current operating system can mean major headaches for the customers who rely on these companies for heat and lights and for the companies themselves. What is even worse is that there are charges for energy even when it is not used. That's right, most people are still billed regardless of whether electricity was used or not.

The current system bills the same base rate plus what your usage is over that amount regardless. Take for example three families:

Family A leaves lights on in rooms that are never used, they never shut their computers down and the TV is blaring while the radio is on constant mute. They pay the base rate of $20 (for this example) plus another $20 for their usage.

Family B is more vigilant about energy usage and is rarely home in the daytime. They set their thermostat at an energy saving temperature when they leave, turn off all lights and make sure that everything that needs to be is shut down. They pay the same base rate of $20 plus about $10 for their usage.

Family C has installed solar panels and generates most of their own energy. Because the system that they are currently connected to does not support the technology, they are not able to sell their excess back to the grid. Because they live in an area where sunlight is at a premium during the winter months, they must remain connected to the utility company for the time being. Unfortunately that means that Family C, who only needs occasional energy from outside their own home must pay the same flat rate of $20 for electricity that they rarely use.

In addition, our current utility system does not take advantage of more cost effective and eco-friendly energy resources - instead relying on coal and other non-renewable resources to generate the electricity. Millions of dollars are spent every year to stretch electric lines as more and more people and businesses populate the area. For every line that has to be added, there will need to be meters, poles and substations to monitor, deliver, and regulate that energy. Using only one energy source is problematic, no matter how good that source may be - solar power can only be collected on sunny days, wind can only be used on windy days. However, a traditional energy source can also be problematic because it relies on lines and wires that can break during the winter months under the weight of ice and snow. If everyone had an alternate source of energy there would be no need to panic if one source was temporarily unavailable.