Suppose you wanted to reduce your electric bill, how could you go about that?

This is a story of what they have been doing in Europe, and now the process has come to the United States. It involves computers. California has deregulated their electrical energy companies. A new company has moved in and is using the Oracle database to plot the use of electricity by their customers on an hour by hour basis so that they know how much power is required each hour. Now through the software and wireless network of CellNet, another California company, the new company, Utility.com, can bid for electrical power from all the generating companies in California, and, I suspect, soon they will get the power they want to sell anywhere by the use of the nationwide grid.

Now, how does this affect you? Well, at the present time, we have to await action by the legislature and then wait for the company to set up its business here. I have asked them to keep me informed of when this may be.

So, right now Tampa Electric probably sells you your electricity. If this company comes in, and if the power is deregulated here, they will connect you at no cost, and you may do one of two things, either buy your power without interruption, or you can get a free thermostat, and it will cut off your air conditioning or any large usage equipment you have, and that will allow you even greater savings each month. Right now, CellNet has 2 million remote reading wireless networks connected. They expect 4 million by the end of the year.

Go to http://www.utility.com on the Internet and see for yourself what they have to say. It's worth the time to check it out and see what we could have if the legislature were actively trying to help the folks they represent. u