Restructuring essential services: energy in the City

Abstract

This paper critically examines how privatisation and liberalisation of electricity provision is reconstructing energy consumption practices. The paper discusses the commercial reconstructing of the electricity industry in the UK over the last 4 years, illustrating how a re-configuration of production and consumption interests is transforming the utility marketplace; differentiating the value of resource units, distinguishing between infrastructure suppliers and stratifying utility consumers. This process is shown to be resulting in new forms of socio-technical dualisation as utility companies actively engage with lucrative customer's often leading to enviromental benefits, while dis-engaging from unprofitable customer's, heightening social polarisation.