Electricity Sale Provoked Frenzy
- Share via
CONCORD, N.H. — When electricity went on sale here, the frenzy matched anything telephone companies could dream up.
The state held a lottery to pick 17,000 residents who were free to shop around for electricity. Companies bombarded them with offers.
One company promised power for a penny per kilowatt-hour, a good deal for somebody used to paying 14 cents. But the deal only included the first 600 kilowatts, and distribution costs and other fees did not change.
Other companies offered gifts, ranging from a rechargable flashlight to a bird feeder valued at $18.
Still others went straight for the wallet, offering cash bonuses of up to $50 to sign up.
The gimmicks didn’t faze George Hynes, a retired printer in Meriden, N.H. He carefully scanned 11 offers and chose the lowest price.
“I figured out the cost of the bird feeder, how much it would be over two years. And I came out better,” he said.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
