We're at a point in history that forces us to rethink our energy needs, what kind of energy we use and how much we're willing to pay for it. That's good news. Some Florida utilities, for example, are borrowing a European concept and requiring electricity users to punch in a cost code before they turn on the power. There will be one price for high-demand periods and another for slack times. It will cost more to use an air-conditioner during the day and less to wash clothes at night.
Power is something that ought to require a bit of thinking before flicking the switch.
When and how we use electricity should be just as important a decision as how much and what we eat, or how much pop we let our kids drink. There's no argument that demand for electricity has soared during the 1990s. It's already happened with other energy sources. When gasoline was a few cents, it was so easy to drive our cars with abandon. But when a gallon of gas costs a buck and a half, it forces us to think harder about the value of those extra miles.