Why are utilities privatized?
Our energy provider increased our rates, then reported record breaking profits the next year. :(
(US)
this post was submitted on 18 Feb 2026
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They should be nonprofits, independent, but strictly non profit
Nah, let's privatize all the services you need to have a functional home. That way the companies can extract maximum value from the customers.
Brilliant.
better yet, let's put them on the stock market so they obligated to squeeze their "customers"
Won't anyone think of the shareholders!?
For real though, I had a job where the management team tried to motivate us by setting "shareholder expectations" or some such nonsense. Obviously this didn't work. Also the company was small enough that pretty much everyone working there personally knew all the shareholders.... Because they also ran the business. They were the managers.
The balls it must take to be a shareholder, and to be known as a shareholder then talk about shareholder expectations like those are for a different set of people that isn't just you... Gotta be massive...
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That's so typical.
Source: also US
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Nah. They would be 50-60% cheaper if;
- They required the choice between two different administrators.
- They were ran as non profit (private equity is ruining utilities currently).
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That's why republicans hate it.
It sounds evil and simplistic, and it is, but these are evil and simplistic people we're talking about.
"Oh, new innovations in technology can help consumers pay less to power their homes? We can't have that! It would affect the profits of my friends Oil Baron and Coal Baron."
Not really, I live in a country where green energy keeps going up but so does the electricity prices. You have to believe in Santa if you think the savings ever reach the consumer.
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Solar is so cheap now, that some people can just build their own solar and battery setup themselves.
Yes, but at scale it is significantly cheaper to build larger and distribute it. It also means people don't have to over invest in their own set up just to cover their peak usage. There is also a large amount of up front capital required to build with usually years before you get back what was invested. Its also almost impossible for renters or apartment buildings to do it themselves.
Yes I know all of that, I'm saying that solar is so much cheaper than coal power that even private individuals can buy it, so we shouldn't be wasting money on new coal plants or gas plants.
Same for nuclear. U.S.-Americans are brainwashed on this topic.
First, they pay with their tax dollars for the subsidies that the private for-profit companies use to build the nuclear reactors. After that, they pay again, because the private company charges them extra on the electricity bill for the electricity generated by the very same nuclear reactor so that they can make even more profit.
It's so stupid and they're brainwashed to defend it to the teeth. They also always try to deflect from the fact that renewables are cheaper than nuclear and can be owned by them instead of a for-profit company, by pretending that everyone who opposes nuclear energy must be in favour of coal and gas. It's mind boggling to watch.
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Will they really though?
Have you looked at your power bill and seen how much of the bill is not power consumption?
We have also seen multiple times where the wholesale price of electricity is below zero yet consumers are still paying for power during those times.
It's almost like utilities are a natural monopoly that do not fit within the economic ideology of "free market" capitalism.......
People seem to be forgetting that unless green power or nuclear power are socialized projects they would by default have to find a way to capitalize their products by some means. Whether it would be by capitalization via consumption rates, maintenance fees, or even subscription, a private business would have to be able to make ever increasing profits.
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Have you looked at your power bill and seen how much of the bill is not power consumption?
Not in US, but after our power went private it literally doubled. The nice lady tried to convince me the "extra" charges were always there but not itemized, but while holding the previous bill with the same (within a few points) my usage was the same but the "fees" were as much as my power usage
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Would also be cheaper if the government owned the energy infrastructure and ran at cost.
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Or the quicker way: the government nationalises all power companies, and sold electricity for cheap... Because it's necessary.... For society...
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Where I live in Scotland about 73% of electricity generated come from renewables (mostly wind and hydro). I'm hugely in favour of this, but the bills keep rising.
I firmly believe the utility companies should be nationalised. I'm not against capitalism per se, but the current setup is a racket.
Water is essential to living.
Electricity is mostly essential.
Why these two utilities are privately owned is beyond me.
To pay dividends to shareholders whilst you let the utility degrade to the point where the government steps in to bail you out anyway. Perfect investment.
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Government should be for the people not for the corporations
In many cities in America, private companies threaten cities demanding that they get paid to expand, or else they'll leave.
Comcast demanded they get city investments to expand wifi to more of the city and even promised free wifi to public places. And after millions of city dollars given, they said, "nevermind".
But your not thinking of the poor poor oil execs whom won't get their return on their ~~bribe~~ invenstment made to their super PAC.
Super PACs are so 2012. In 2024 SCOTUS ruled that officials are allowed to accept "gratuities" so long as they don't directly say it's a bribe.
Unless it's for the President. Then they can just say it's a bribe.
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Yes but how would the fascists get kickbacks and bribes then? That's a big chunk of their income. Won't someone think of the oligarchy???
Clearly this sub haven't seen this video from Technology Connections. It breaks it all down for you step by step why the statement is true.
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Why not nuclear?
You can double check it but I think solar is cheaper now. I was shocked as well, I thought nuclear was the cheapest still.
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New data centers should have to pay on a sliding scale based on energy availability in the local grid. And if they want to build out generation it should be solar and wind only.
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Spain invested in green energy and I am paying a shit ton on utility bills.
Producing the energy has become cheaper. Delivering however… and costs for maintaining the grid will only go up after the blackout from last year
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I feel like the reason is obvious. Maybe it is just me.
In the end, green energy will win. It's already happening even though, right now, the black energy lovers are doing everything to pull the brakes on green energy. They will not be able to hold on to their power forever and many countries are already investing heavily in green energy. It's only a matter of time.
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Technology Connections has a video on it...
But i doubt bills would go down; it's just that line would go up.
Lots of US states have legislation that lets you choose your energy provider. People buy from the 100% green energy providers if they wish to pay more, not if they wish to save money.
Source: Several of my friends live in these states; they pay more to buy from 100% green energy providers.
Yeah because companies in the US exploit everything and everyone until they get stopped (which they don't)
And probably because fossil energy gets subsidised heavily to compete with renewable energy. So on your electricity bill the fossil is cheaper but your taxes are sent there ten times.
Well currently the US is fucked anyway
In the US, a big part of it is that natural gas is a waste product of oil fracking. If you want the oil, you will get a giant gob of natural gas to go with it. The stuff is really, really fucking cheap because of this.
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When the price goes up it's because the renewables don't produce power when there is no wind and sun (which pretty much sums up January here). Building more of something that does not produce power is not going to help with the price shocks.
We need to figure out grid scale storage, fusion or build nuclear power to get rid of fossil fuels. Until then utility bills will be occasionally more shocking than jamming a fork in the outlet.
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At this point we should call it embezzlement instead of investment
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