Some utilities have switched from gas back to coal.
Some utilities turn off their wind turbines to avoid overloading their grids.
Some utilities have installed the kind of plastic owl used to keep pigeons off building facades.
Some utilities are re-examining long-held views on the economics of protecting against the weather.
Some utilities, fearing they would not have enough money, have had to consider rationing power.
Some utilities are offering incentive rebates to reduce the cost of the Nest thermostats, which sell for $249.
Some utilities had also tried to sell power into the California market but were pinched by the drought.
Some utilities could discover, with more precise measurements, that their power lines cannot carry quite as much as they are now rated for, he said.
Some utilities offer reduced rates at night, which could provide an additional benefit for Volt owners who took advantage of the service.
Some utilities use their own antique computer protocols and are probably safe from hacking — what the industry calls "security through obscurity".
Some utilities, like RWE in Germany, which recently entered the gas market, have combined long-term contracts with buying on the spot market.
