Spain's National Sport: Saving Money on the Electric bill

Electricity costs in the US

I am not an energy efficient person. I'm not quick to turn off lights when I'm not using them. I like to be cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Not unreasonably so, but I'd rather not shiver in my own home. My electric bill seems pretty reasonable to me.

For example: for the month of January (pretty chilly) I paid 40 dollars for electric (220 kWh), 50 dollars for gas (40 Ccf). I live in an apartment, I think most of my appliances (water heater, washer/dryer, stove) are gas powered and relatively new/energy efficient. My electric bill seems pretty reasonable to me. I use about 7 kwh of electricity a day and 1.5 CcF of gas.

I guess what I'm saying is, I don't think electric prices are too high in the US. Knock on wood.

Electricity costs in Spain

Meanwhile in Spain, saving electricity is a national obsession, because energy costs are so incredibly high. Certain hours are cheaper than others to use electricity, so. I've heard stories of people doing all kinds of crazy things to save money on electricity in spain:

1.Shut off the circuit breaker when they leave the house

2. Do laundry in the middle of the night because the rates are lower

3. Unscrew lightbulbs from all the lamps but one in a room

4. Unplug electronics when not in use

5. Use a fan instead of the wall AC unit

But saving money on electric bills in Spain is like a rigged game--the price of electricity can spike overnight so people can't plan, they can only live like energy misers and then still get screwed by a price rally. (Spanish electric bills are crazy high for complex market reasons.)

Electricity is a basic human right like healthcare. Shouldn't electric costs be regulated by the government (that goes for the US, too)?

In summary, the Spanish electric bill, la cuenta de la luz, is the equivalent of the US medical bill.