[morkalork]

Perhaps utilities should be state owned where any profits are used to offset the tax load on the citizens..

[fooqux]

Because there's this belief that a for-profit company will naturally be more efficient. No idea if that's actually true in practice though. Or if efficiency > the profits the company takes.

I don't know of any large community ran utilities, just small ones. I'm guessing the scale starts being a problem eventually.

[fyrn_]

They can be efficient, but I ly if the incentives align towards the desired definition of efficiency. If you give a company a natural monopoly and protection from competition. Then it's most efficient way to make money is just to raise rates

[AlotOfReading]

TVA and the NY power authority are genuinely massive, government run utilities. Both are also known for pretty low power bills.

[fooqux]

Nice! I didn't know about those. Although it's hard to directly compare rates since cost can be so geographically dependant.

[GorbachevyChase]

They basically are. It really isn’t anything resembling an open market. They are effectively extensions of the state that happen to be funded by user fees rather than general funds.