Less than a century ago, when rural electric cooperatives first strung power lines from house to house and farm to farm, most members had but a handful of light bulbs to power. With time, they added water pumps, appliances and other electronics, but they couldn’t begin to imagine the number and variety of electrical devices in today’s homes, farms and garages.
Across the U.S., people use a growing amount of electricity at work, at home and, with the growth of electric vehicles (EVs), even on the road.