The Ideal ‘All-Electric’ House from 1950 was a Trip

Back when electricity was cheap, they wanted everything to run on it. From the cooktops to the grill, all of it, electric.

Looking at the last few years of energy cost increases, it's something we can't wrap our heads around, but at one point in time, that was our future.

Ironically enough, when you adjust for our ridiculous recent inflation, power is somehow cheaper now than it was back then. A lot of that is because our power usage isn't as cavalier as it used to be. We're more efficient with our usage.

Plus, technology allows easier movement of that power through the three tremendous power grids stretched across the East US, West US, and Texas.

In essence, we've managed to cut the cost of power by using less of it. People are turning to cheaper, more efficient things like natural gas and solar to cut their monthly bill.

By the way, did you know natural gas clothes dryers are almost popular now? How strange is that? Burning gas to dry the clothes. I thought it was an ages-old piece of hardware the first time someone mentioned it to me, but it apparently dries clothes faster and cheaper.

The more you know.

I'm pretty sure that one of these days, at some point in my lifetime, solar and individual wind turbines will be the norm in single-family homes. Maybe not so much those being renovated, but definitely those built new construction.

Is it a bad thing? No.

Does that mean everyone should aim to use as little energy as possible? Well, yeah... That's not to say I'm some sort of tree-hugging, green-energy a-typical political type, but if it saves me money I'm all about it.

It's not the use of energy that's bad. It's the shocking amount of energy on the grid that goes unused. A total waste that we all still have to pay for.

If you've ever yelled at a kid for leaving the back door open on a 110-degree day, you know what I'm talking about.