# Light bill, power bill, electricity bill... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 24, 2005, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-bill-power-bill-electricity-bill/313933 "2005-07-24T16:34:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2005, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-bill-power-bill-electricity-bill/313933/21 "2005-07-24T20:39:35Z")
Now that I think about it, I call it the light bill about as often as I call it the Con Ed bill. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2005, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-bill-power-bill-electricity-bill/313933/22 "2005-07-24T20:42:05Z")
‘Hydro bill’. It comes from the [Toronto Hydro [sub]electric system[/sub]](http://www.torontohydro.com/), the public utility that buys and distributes electricity to the City of Toronto. These public utilities are often named “\ Hydro”. You often see ads for apartments that say the rent includes ‘heat and hydro’ …or not. Mine includes heat, but not hydro. Originally, the electricity was mostly generated by hydroelecric plants, first at Niagara, then later elsewhere. Afterwards, there was nuclear. Coal is also used, but provides less than a quarter of the total; even now the majority of the electricity generated in Ontario is from hydro and nuclear. We use ‘hydro’ in a rather narrow sense to speak specifically of the electric utility. Otherwise we say ‘power’ or ‘electricity’. Ironically, _water_ is provided by the city also, but is unmetered. This is now causing problems. ---
**Author:** ![Fionn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Fionn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fionn)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2005, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-bill-power-bill-electricity-bill/313933/23 "2005-07-24T20:42:48Z")
My parents called it the light bill, so I sometimes think of it that way. When I had roommates, and actually needed to talk about it rather than just pay the thing, I would call it the electric bill or just “City of Austin.” ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2005, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-bill-power-bill-electricity-bill/313933/24 "2005-07-24T20:46:15Z")
> [@The Vorlon](#): > > Where is my Mr. Fusion home energy source? You realise that, when we _do_ get Mr Fusion Home Energy Units, we’ll probably have to finance the damn things, and we’ll end up with a monthly bill that is oddly around the same size as the electricity bill we sought to replace…? ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2005, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-bill-power-bill-electricity-bill/313933/25 "2005-07-24T20:47:13Z")
It’s the “electric bill” or the “DTE bill”. (DTE is the local power company, formerly known as Detroit Edison.) Nobody I know calls it the “light bill,” and I don’t think that “power bill” is commonly used around here either. ---
**Author:** ![Ms\_Macphisto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b487fb/32.png) [@Ms\_Macphisto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms_Macphisto)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2005, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-bill-power-bill-electricity-bill/313933/26 "2005-07-24T21:05:52Z")
Another Canadian who calls in the hydro bill, as in BC Hydro, the name of the power company. Something like 90% of the power generated in BC is hydroelectric, so it makes sense. And this reminds me, I need to pay this month’s bill… ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2005, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-bill-power-bill-electricity-bill/313933/27 "2005-07-24T21:15:49Z")
My mom calls it the electric bill but I include it with all my others and just say “bills” as in “I need to pay my bills”. I don’t think I’ve ever had reason to refer to it by itself. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2005, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-bill-power-bill-electricity-bill/313933/28 "2005-07-24T21:20:32Z")
I think we mostly call it the power bill, sometimes call it the electricity bill and rarely call it the electric light bill. That’s something we’ve picked up off my parents and grandparents. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2005, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-bill-power-bill-electricity-bill/313933/29 "2005-07-24T22:03:50Z")
At least in my check register I call it my e- (electron) bill. Brian ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2005, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-bill-power-bill-electricity-bill/313933/30 "2005-07-24T22:48:17Z")
My parents called it the light bill, and I did too until about ten years ago I used the term and a friend gave me a blank stare. It was only then that I realised everybody was calling it the ‘electricity bill’. These days I vary, I think. ---
**Author:** ![Kiminy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Kiminy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiminy)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2005, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-bill-power-bill-electricity-bill/313933/31 "2005-07-24T23:55:26Z")
Where we used to live, we received electricity and gas from two different companies, so they were the “electric bill” and the “gas bill.” Now we live where one company provides both, and we receive a single bill for both, so I tend to call it by the company name, rather than being specific. However, the people I know who have lived here all their life often call it the electric bill or the gas bill (probably depending on the season), and are amazed to find out that some places actually have two different companies/bills for the services. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2005, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-bill-power-bill-electricity-bill/313933/32 "2005-07-25T02:22:24Z")
I call it “the power bill.” The company used to be Virginia Power, but now it’s called Dominion – I’ve never referred to “the Dominion bill,” and in my checkbook I still write “VA Power.” > [@BiblioCat](#): > > I call it the BGE bill, for Baltimore Gas & Electric. Or maybe just electric bill. I remember the days when it was the “BG _and_ E” bill. 🙂 I didn’t like it when they started calling themselves just “BGE” – I never got in the habit of using the new name, and the change made about as much sense to me as when Smokey The Bear became “Smokey Bear.” ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2005, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-bill-power-bill-electricity-bill/313933/33 "2005-07-25T02:37:14Z")
> [@Misnomer](#): > > and the change made about as much sense to me as when Smokey The Bear became “Smokey Bear.” LA LA LA LA LA…this never happened…LA LA LA LA LA ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2005, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-bill-power-bill-electricity-bill/313933/34 "2005-07-25T22:38:03Z")
I either call it the electric bill or PG&E, as in “Did we pay PG&E?” or “Did the electric bill come yet” despite PG&E being our source for both electricity and gas. For their part, PG&E calls it an Energy Statement. _La Dee Dah!_ ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2005, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-bill-power-bill-electricity-bill/313933/35 "2005-07-25T23:00:38Z")
I used to call it the 'lectric bill. My parents called it the light bill. Now we call it the Pepo bill (or just the Pepo) because we’re served by Pepco, and we think it’s funny to drop the c. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2005, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-bill-power-bill-electricity-bill/313933/36 "2005-07-26T00:51:34Z")
It’s always been the ‘hydro’ bill for me, either through HydroQuébec or what used to be known as Hamilton Hydro, now called Horizon Utilities since they merged with St. Catherine’s hydro. ---
**Author:** ![Ignatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3be4f8/32.png) [@Ignatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignatz)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2005, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-bill-power-bill-electricity-bill/313933/37 "2005-07-26T02:46:04Z")
Since Carolina Power and Light Co. (CP&L) was bought by ProgressEnergy, my bill has been the “energy bill”, I guess. Averages $50/month. The water/sewer bill averages about $5/month. COME ON DOWN!! In the previous residence town it was called the “utility bill” and it included the electric, gas (for those who had it), water, sewer and trash pickup fees, all of those services being provided by that city. ---
**Author:** ![Nature\_s\_Call](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nature_s_call/32/19006_2.png) [@Nature\_s\_Call](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nature_s_Call)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2005, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-bill-power-bill-electricity-bill/313933/38 "2005-07-26T03:01:00Z")
Grew up, and continue to use “hydro bill.” However, Mrs. Call grew up in Chicago and calls it the “light bill.” I’ve often wondered if the term “hydro” is viewed by my American in-laws similarly to how I view the British use of the word “petrol” for gasoline i.e. an odd sounding name for such a common thing. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2005, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-bill-power-bill-electricity-bill/313933/39 "2005-07-26T13:57:56Z")
I’ve always ca,led it the electric bill. Growing up on the Canadian border, I always found the term “hydro bill” to be odd, much like hearing British automotive terminology. I have heard a few Canadians refer to a “hydro outlet” and “hydro socket,” where an American would call it electrical outlet, electrical socker, wall socket or wall outlet. Don’t know how common that is, though. If Canadians call their electric bills “hydro bills” because all the electricity companies are names “[something] Hydro”, do they also call their phone bills “Bell Bills?” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-bill-power-bill-electricity-bill/313933.md?page=1)