In the early days of electrical service, this sort of price discrimination was common. There were often separate pricing structures for consuming energy used fo

In the early days of electrical service, this sort of price discrimination was common. There were often separate pricing structures for consuming energy used for electrical lighting and "power" (everything but lighting). I presume that's why so many electrical providers are still named "X Light & Power" -- electrical light and power were originally sold as distinct products. Report of the rates for lighting and power service. National Electric Light Association., 1903: https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nnc1.cu56609884;view=1up;seq=15 https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nnc1.cu56609884;view=... See for example page 9: "Norwich, Connecticut: 17.5 cents per kWh for incandescent lighting. 10 cents per kWh for power. Discounts ranging from 5% on lighting bills of $10 to 20% on bills over $20. Discounts on power bills range from 10% on bills of $10 to 70% on bills of $400 to $600." Note that the electrical lighting prices start higher and also have lower discounts for high-volume consumption. Fortunately, the adoption of standardized electrical outlets made this sort of price discrimination less practical over time. Also fortunately, the providers didn't have any sort of fancy Deep Power Inspection systems to determine when a consumer buying "power" was beggaring the provider by converting power to light.