Reply #17: Get your eyes checked and look at the graph again, and you are looking at the chart wrong

[txlibdem]

The graph clearly shows an upward trend in electricity prices, perhaps too masked by seasonal ups and downs for some to follow... it only covers a 4 year span so how much of an increase do you need in order to be able to "see" it? All 4 lines are higher in 2011 than they are in 2007. Period.

As to your chart, if you look at the "Real" column you are not seeing the actual price but instead the price: "6In chained (2005) dollars, calculated by using gross domestic product implicit price deflators in Table" So it bears zero resemblance to the actual price a consumer or industrial customer would pay for electricity. The actual price you would pay is in the "Nominal" column, which shows almost a 450% increase.

PS, 1960 it was 2.6 cents, 2009 11.55 cents. Yup, I'd call that really stable (a stable increase that you could bet on that is).

We are talking about getting off the grid, that means putting money up front to avoid the inevitable price increases in the future. You're basically pre-paying for your electricity -- except at some point your electricity will be *free* 100%. You'll never get that deal from the electrical utility.