Thanks for the article, imo this will only get worse. I now make my kids watch tv in the dark, lights on only if someone is reading. They complain that it makes the house look "spooky", but I'm too afraid to risk a shutoff, especially in the winter. In my home town, if the utility company shuts you off, they want a $700 deposit plus any past due balance before they will reconnect your gas or lights. This happened to an elderly relative, and the company wanted almost $1300 to turn her gas back on. Because she was over 80 and sick, a senior advocate talked the utility into accepting $500.
We also uplug appliances like crazy, especially at night.
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