It's worth noting that the price rise is in large part due to the switch away from coal[1] towards more expensive nat'l gas and renewables. A big chunk of the c

It's worth noting that the price rise is in large part due to the switch away from coal[1] towards more expensive nat'l gas and renewables. A big chunk of the cost "increase" can be attributed to actually paying the cost of externalities (i.e. the costs of coal-burning to others is not reflected in the price). You are right though, it does make the claim that "energy prices are going relentlessly hard" odd without further context; presumably he was talking about a more apples-to-apples comparison of how each type of energy is dropping in price (oil prices dropping, renewables getting cheaper), but that the mix is shifting towards types of energy that are more expensive (and have less externalities) so _residential_ energy prices reflect more of the cost. [1] http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-power-prices-20140426-story.html#page=1 http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-power-prices-20140426-st...