illustration ANTONIO SORTINO
Spike
Milligan used to tell friends a story about his electricity meter. Back in the 1950s, he received a higher than usual bill. The electricity board told him the reason for this was that his meter – the old rusty spinning wheel type, obviously – was running backwards. ‘Aha,’ said the Goon, ‘that must mean I’m supplying you with electricity. I shall send you my bill forthwith.’
The point is that energy usage meters have been a ticklish subject ever since they became commonplace 90 or so years ago – especially because the utility companies allowed most people to use energy on credit rather than making pay-as-you-go coin meters universal. This meant the bills that ensued were often as welcome as an electric shock. The resentment at being charged in retrospect for an invisible product we had already used was widespread.