I would expect the electric company to work like EZPass does where you're expected to maintain a non-negative account balance that they pull money from when you

I would expect the electric company to work like EZPass does where you're expected to maintain a non-negative account balance that they pull money from when you go through a toll and you either periodically top it off by stopping in and paying cash or letting them do so automatically (via direct deposit / CC). This situations where paying in advanced _every_ time would be cumbersome just means the customer has to maintain a balance. There is also a difference between a business and residence.