 electricity retailing is the final process in the delivery of electricity from generation to the consumer. the other main processes are transmission and distribution. == beginnings == electricity retailing began at the end of the 19th century when the bodies which generated electricity for their own use made supply available to third parties. in the beginning, electricity was primarily used for street lighting and trams. the public could buy once large scale electric companies had been started. the provision of these services was generally the responsibility of electric companies or municipal authorities who either set up their own departments or contracted the services from private entrepreneurs. residential, commercial and industrial use of electricity was confined, initially, to lighting but this changed dramatically with the development of electric motors, heaters and communication devices. the basic principle of supply has not changed much over time. the amount of energy used by the domestic consumer, and thus the amount charged for, is measured through an electricity meter that is usually placed near the input of a home to provide easy access to the meter reader. customers are usually charged a monthly service fee and additional charges based on the electrical energy (in kwh) consumed by the household or business during the month. commercial and industrial consumers normally have more complex pricing schemes. these require meters that measure the energy usage in time intervals (such as a half hour) to impose charges based on both the amount of energy consumed and the maximum rate of consumption, i.e. the maximum demand, which is measured in kva. == monopoly supply == the rapid growth in electric appliance usage in the early part of the 20th century contributed to an explosive growth in electrification around the world. the supply of electricity to homes, offices, shops, factories, farms, and mines became the responsibility of public utilities, which were either private organizations subject to monopoly regulation or public authorities owned by local, state or national bodies. in some countries a statutory or government-granted monopoly was created, which was controlled by legislation (for example eskom in south africa). electricity retailing in the period from approximately 1890 to 1990 consisted of managing the connection, disconnection and billing of electricity consumers by the local monopoly supplier. in many utilities there was a marketing function which encouraged electricity usage when there was excess capacity to supply and encouraged conservation when supply was tig
Electric_power Electric_power_distribution Electricity_markets