On Tue, 20 Mar 2012 08:26:08 -0700 (PDT), Edge wrote:


I have been following these contributions to my thread. There is a lot
of debate, but there is no denying that a large portion of the
electric bill goes to delivery charges, which includes maintenance.
When there is a storm that knocks out the electricity, you say, I hope
that my payments to maintain that electrical infrastructure will
restore electricity before the food in my refrigerator/freezer spoils.
Where I live, electrical service is pretty good, though I still lose
power maybe once every year or two.

My house also uses natural gas. My gas bill, like my electrical bill,
has a separate (and mostly fixed) charge for delivery, even if no gas
is used. In my lifetime, I do not remember ever losing gas service. Is
the gas company also going to claim that their delivery charge is also
going, in part, to maintaining their infrastructure?

It cold also be charges for processing the bill or paying off bonds used to
build the original infrastructure. There are many sources of fixed costs.