Most customers don't want this. You have to realize that slightly negative costs in some slots (and your power cost would not actually be negative, as it would

Most customers don't want this. You have to realize that slightly negative costs in some slots (and your power cost would not actually be negative, as it would be more than balanced by the transmission and service costs) would come with eye-poppingly high rates on other days, like 50x the normal rate. Imagine the horrible news stories and "NBC on Your Side" pieces that will come about when someone pops their A/C on at the wrong time and gets a $1000 power bill. Even with smart meters (which we all have already in CA) I don't think residential customers will ever see more than three tiers of time-of-use cost per day, although those hours may shift around. However, utilities already contract with major users like universities and large businesses to shape demand, in return for deep discounts. And, smart home devices like EV chargers and battery storage units will be connected to the grid to provide near-instant capability to suck up excess power, or curtail usage.