Of Heat Waves and Waves of Utility Shutoffs

Last month’s heatwave killed at least 20 people and sent thousands more to emergency rooms across Texas.

Most people think about grid reliability in terms of overall supply and demand. But for millions of Texas families living paycheck-to-paycheck, reliability is about whether or not they can afford their bills. 

Back in November, the Dallas Morning News reported that nearly 45% of Texans had to skip buying food or medicine to pay their energy bills. Imagine having to decide whether air conditioning or insulin or dinner was a bigger need for your family. Which would you choose?

The usually hottest part of the summer is still weeks away and the heat is getting worse every year. The higher the temperature, the higher the energy use, the higher the electric bills.

This is an affordability crisis, but too often, it’s greeted with a shrug — or outright denial…