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📤This Week:
Monday - (Substack) - Part VI - the Narrative & Chapter 22: Branding the Corridor - The
Foothills Corridor has long been misunderstood—by outsiders, by media,
and sometimes even by itself. Branded as past tense. Talked about as if
decline were destiny. Seen through the lens of what left, not what’s
being built... The Foothills Corridor doesn’t need a slick rebrand—it
needs a story that reflects its truth. For too long, the narrative
around this region has been shaped by outsiders: developers pitching
lifestyle fantasy, politicians romanticizing the past, or marketers
slapping on slogans that sound nice but say nothing.
Tuesday - Dear Rachel – Episode 8: Recovery, Redemption, Risk - The eighth episode of Dear Rachel
turns to lives lived at the edge of stability: the recovering addict,
the immigrant worker, and the LGBTQ+ neighbor. Together, their voices
highlight how survival, identity, and belonging intersect in the Shrinking Center.
Yet this episode also acknowledges the other side of the public debate:
the desire for boundaries, for balance, for a civic life where
tolerance does not spill into capitulation.
Thursday - 🧱Factions of Self‑Preservation 7: Fading from the Map - How Cultural Amnesia Is Quietly Undermining Hickory’s Civic Future - When churches close, libraries move,
and local storytellers vanish—Hickory loses its memory, allowing its identity
to slip away.
Friday - (Substack) - The Foothills Corridor - Chapter 23: Making the Case to Funders, Investors, and Talent - For
the Foothills Corridor to complete its transformation, it must do more
than survive—it must attract belief from those who have the power to
amplify what’s working. That means making a compelling, confident, and
unapologetically local case to funders, investors, and mobile talent who
are deciding where to place their money, their energy, or their lives.
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📤Next Week:
Monday - (Substack) - The Foothills Corridor - Chapter 24: Reclaiming Control from Charlotte and Raleigh - For decades, the narrative—and the capital—have flowed east and south. Charlotte and Raleigh have dominated political agendas, media attention, and economic development pipelines. The Foothills Corridor has often been treated as an afterthought: too rural to prioritize, too fragmented to organize, too slow to invest in.
Tuesday - 🌐⭐Toward a Healthier Hickory: A Community Investment Perspective⭐️🌐 - "This
Feature Report examines the health and cultural landscape of Hickory
and Catawba County. It builds on earlier News and Views segments to ask:
how strong is our community’s foundation of well-being, and what must
be done to secure it for the future?"
Thursday - 🧱 Factions of Self-Preservation 8 (Summary Conclusion): Walls Within - How Hickory Built Defenses Instead of
Solutions - Hickory isn’t declining from a single crisis. It’s retreating in slow
motion—system by system, choice by choice.
Friday - (Substack) - Chapter 25: The Future Isn’t a Revival—It’s a Reinvention -For all the talk of comebacks and revivals, here’s the truth: the Foothills Corridor is not going back to what it was. The furniture mills aren’t reopening. The textile plants aren’t restaffing. The industrial rhythms of the past century have ended.
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🧠Opening Reflection:
For most households, the electric bill arrives with the rhythm of the clock—steady, expected, and impossible to ignore. Some months it hovers near ninety dollars; other months it passes one hundred eighty, depending on how hot the air feels or how cold the nights turn. For a two-thousand-square-foot home with an aging HVAC system and the discipline to keep the thermostat at eighty in July, it still hurts. Electricity is not a luxury; it is the invisible current that holds a household together. Yet in Catawba County, the cost of keeping that current flowing has become one of the defining burdens separating the comfortable from the strained, the anchored from the exposed.
The first current is financial. Across North Carolina, energy costs have outpaced wages. Duke Energy’s filings show that residential rates have climbed nearly forty percent since 2000—with the sharpest rise in the past three years as fuel costs, storm recovery, and grid upgrades compound. Hickory follows the same trajectory, but the squeeze here is harder because median incomes sit roughly a quarter below the national average. For many, the light bill now competes with the mortgage, the grocery cart, and the insurance premium. It is no longer a utility line; it is a stress line.
The second current is structural. The Carolinas’ power grid was built for another generation—one before data centers, battery plants, and the twenty-four-hour appetite of the digital economy. Duke Energy’s own plans project load growth of twenty-two to twenty-five percent by 2030, much of it driven by industrial expansion and the arrival of large data campuses, Microsoft among them. Each new substation, turbine, or transmission line built to meet that demand carries costs that eventually flow into household bills. The infrastructure is modernizing, but its burden is still socialized: the ordinary ratepayer becomes the quiet investor in every corporate upgrade.
The third current is technological. The same AI revolution that promises progress is consuming power at an unprecedented scale. Former Google executive Eric Schmidt warned this year that artificial-intelligence computing could outpace U.S. generation capacity within a decade. Hickory sits inside that transformation. The region benefits from jobs and tax base, yet it also shoulders the collateral cost of demand—higher usage, higher rates, and greater vulnerability when the grid strains. The glow from a distant data center is, in part, the household’s own bill reflected back.
The final current is environmental. Every degree of heat and every hour of storm recovery now echoes through the meter. Hurricanes, ice events, and extreme summers test the system, and each repair, fuel adjustment, and reliability investment cycles through as a “rider” on the next statement. Solar and wind are expanding, but the transition is uneven, and low-income households rarely own the panels or batteries that hedge against volatility. The weather changes first; the invoice follows.
Together, these forces form another gear train. Rising rates meet stagnant wages; industrial expansion accelerates demand; aging infrastructure struggles to keep up; and climate swings push costs higher still. The middle that once measured security by home and table now measures it by voltage—by whether the meter can keep spinning without draining the paycheck that powers it.
This week’s Feature applies the Household Comfort Index to energy itself. It traces how much of each income tier’s take-home pay is consumed by the cost of light, heat, and power, and how new industries, technologies, and weather patterns are reshaping that arithmetic. If Hickory wishes to preserve its center, it must plan for energy not only as a commodity but as a covenant. Because when keeping the lights on becomes uncertain, so does everything built beneath their glow.
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⭐ Feature Story ⭐
The Cost of Keeping the
Lights On
Electricity has always been the hidden
rent of the South — cheap enough to keep industry humming, steady enough that
households budgeted without thinking. That era is closing.
Bills & Benchmarks. In 2000, a typical Hickory household paid around
$80 a month for electricity. By 2025, that same home can see bills cresting
$180, even when consumption is carefully managed. For small businesses, bills
once in the $400–$600 range now frequently run closer to $1,000 in summer
months. Government facilities and schools face the same pressures, with energy
costs consuming larger shares of operating budgets.
***Energy costs do not fall evenly across
households — they weigh heaviest on those
with the least margin. This table shows how the burden of “keeping the lights
on” shifts across income tiers, linking the October 19 feature to the broader
series on household survival costs.***
Household Energy Burden by Status in Hickory
|
Status
|
Scale
(1–10)
|
Approx
% of Population
|
Energy
Burden (Share of Income)
|
Typical
Monthly Bill (Range)
|
Energy
Realities
|
|
Well Off
|
9–10
|
~5%
|
~2–3% of income
|
$150–$250
|
Households in newer
or energy-efficient homes. Bills manageable, often using smart thermostats,
solar panels, or efficient HVAC. Energy costs don’t affect lifestyle;
discretionary spending intact.
|
|
Comfortable
|
7–8
|
~15%
|
~4–5% of income
|
$130–$220
|
Own homes or secure
rentals with decent insulation. Cover bills steadily but notice seasonal
spikes (summer A/C, winter heat). Can absorb costs, but high surges (fuel,
Duke rate hikes) reduce discretionary spending.
|
|
Average / Solidly Middle
|
5–6
|
~40%
|
~6–8% of income
|
$120–$200
|
Median-income
households feel energy costs as a consistent squeeze. Older housing stock and
inefficient HVAC common. Bills often rival grocery budgets in winter. Limited
ability to invest in upgrades, making them vulnerable to price shocks.
|
|
Struggling
|
3–4
|
~25%
|
~10–12% of income
|
$110–$180
|
Renters or owners
of aging homes. Energy burdens exceed national “affordable” threshold (6%).
Choices emerge: heat vs. medicine, A/C vs. groceries. Late payments, arrears,
or disconnections common. Reliant on assistance or nonprofits during peaks.
|
|
Poverty / Deeply Vulnerable
|
1–2
|
~15%
|
~15–20% of income
|
$90–$160
|
Below-poverty
households in inefficient rentals or trailers. Bills consume a fifth of
monthly income. Little insulation, reliance on space heaters or window A/C.
Disconnection risk high; survival strategies include cutting off rooms, using
unsafe heating, or turning to shelters.
|
Table Note: Energy burden is
shown as a share of household income across five tiers, from Well Off to Deeply
Vulnerable. The same $150 bill can be routine for one household but
destabilizing for another, illustrating how utility costs shape the broader
architecture of survival in Hickory and Catawba County.
🔑 Key Takeaways
· Well
Off (5%): Energy is a minor line-item.
· Comfortable
(15%): Noticeable but not destabilizing.
· Middle
(40%): Bills create trade-offs and erode
cushion.
· Struggling
(25%): Bills are a constant stress, often
requiring help.
· Poverty
(15%): Energy is survival-level—any spike
or arrearage risks displacement.
Drivers. Several factors converge here: (1) higher natural gas
prices, which feed into generation costs; (2) capital expenditures for
storm-hardening and new lines; (3) insurance and debt costs pushed onto
utilities and passed through to ratepayers; and (4) the accelerating demand of
data centers and AI clusters, which require around-the-clock power.
Housing
Link. For households already stretched,
energy is the “new rent.” A Solidly Middle family in Catawba County, earning
roughly $60,000, may see 10–12 percent of gross income consumed by electricity,
gas, and water combined — double the federal “affordable energy” threshold.
Struggling households fall even deeper, facing arrears or choosing between
running air in a heat wave and buying groceries.
Capacity
Crunch. Eric Schmidt’s testimony laid the
problem bare: America is building transmission lines too slowly. In the
Carolinas, major high-voltage projects take 15–18 years from plan to
completion. AI-driven load growth is arriving in five. The mismatch is stark,
and ratepayers are caught in the middle. The explainer chart captures the
cycle: AI demand → utility planning → capacity and wires → regulatory rate case → your bill.
Resilience. Communities adapt in small ways — weatherization programs,
space heaters instead of central systems, nonprofits helping with arrears — but
the structural issue remains. Without expanded capacity and smarter planning,
costs will keep drifting upward, and households will keep absorbing the shock.
Information
· Residential rates in Duke Energy Carolinas: up ~40% since
2000.
· Median household income, Hickory MSA: ~25% below national
median.
· Household energy burden: 10–12% of income for Solidly
Middle, higher for Struggling tiers.
· Duke IRP (2023): 22–25% load growth projected by 2030–35,
much from data centers.
· Transmission buildout: ~18 years average completion vs.
5-year demand window.
· Local household bills: $90–$180/month range, depending on
season.
----------------------------------------------------
Solutions
Matrix: Who Holds the Levers of Energy Costs and Efficiency
|
Party
|
Cost Levers
|
Technology Options
|
Efficiency Measures
|
Policy / Regulatory Tools
|
|
Households
|
Monthly
bills, choices about upgrades vs. deferral
|
Smart
thermostats, efficient HVAC, rooftop solar
|
Weatherization,
appliance swaps, reduced phantom load
|
Access
to LIHEAP, PACE financing, utility rebate programs
|
|
Small
Businesses
|
Utility
overhead, operating costs
|
Smart
meters, efficient lighting, heat pumps
|
Energy
audits, cooperative purchasing
|
Chamber-backed
grants, state tax credits for retrofits
|
|
Large
Enterprises & Data Centers
|
Infrastructure
cost-sharing, long-term power contracts
|
Onsite
solar, microgrids, battery storage
|
High-efficiency
servers, cooling optimization
|
Transparent
agreements with utilities; negotiated rate structures
|
|
Government
/ Public Sector
|
Public
building energy bills, emergency shelter costs
|
Public
solar installations, backup generators
|
Retrofits
in schools/courthouses, efficiency standards
|
Rate
design (tiered/time-of-use), weatherization funding, municipal co-ops
|
|
Utility
(Duke Energy, etc.)
|
Rate
cases, capacity investment
|
Grid-scale
renewables, flexible peaker plants, storage
|
Demand
response programs, incentivized customer efficiency
|
State
Utilities Commission oversight; integrated resource planning
|
|
Regional
/ Civic
|
Shared
tax base, community reinvestment
|
Community
solar gardens, microgrids
|
Cooperative
neighborhood weatherization
|
Civic
boards, watchdog engagement, nonprofit advocacy
|
Together, these three things are crystal clear:
1. Energy is not equal in
impact – a $150 bill means stability for a Comfortable household but
crisis for someone in the Struggling tier.
2. The shrinking middle shows
up twice – first in wages and wealth, then again in the
disproportionate bite utilities take out of their check.
3. Household reality is more
instructive than averages – national or even state statistics blur
this out, but these tiered tables reveal the survival math families are
actually doing.
It also strengthens the civic argument: when you put this table beside the Cost-of-Home
Index or the Cost of the Table (food) piece, readers
will see the mapping of the full architecture of household burden.
That makes these “News & Views” not just commentary, but a framework
ordinary people can plug themselves into.
Summary: The Cost of Keeping
the Lights On
Hickory has entered a new energy
era. What once was the “hidden rent” of the South — cheap, steady power — has
become a defining burden for households, small businesses, and public
institutions. Bills that once ran $80 are now $180, and in a county where
median incomes lag a quarter below the national average, that doubling cuts
deep. Energy costs now sort households into tiers of comfort or crisis, as the
Household Energy Burden table makes plain: what a Comfortable family absorbs without
disruption becomes destabilizing for those living on the edge .
We arrived here through a
convergence of forces: steady rate hikes tied to fuel and storm costs, slow but
relentless grid upgrades, and now a surge of demand from data centers and AI
clusters that utilities admit will outpace generation. Duke Energy’s filings
show 22–25 percent load growth in the Carolinas, and Eric Schmidt’s testimony
warned of a national mismatch between five-year demand windows and 18-year
transmission timelines . These aren’t abstractions — they are the mechanics
behind why a local bill keeps rising.
Where we are going depends on
how each party acts: households weatherizing, businesses auditing, governments
investing, utilities planning honestly, and civic groups pushing for fair
agreements. The Solutions Matrix shows the levers available. Yet the larger
context is clear: energy is no longer background noise but a front-and-center
line item that will shape survival, equity, and growth. Hickory’s story is part
of a wider map — the architecture of household burden that will soon tie
electricity, food, housing, and healthcare together in one unavoidable ledger.
Implications: The Consequences of Rising Energy Burdens
The rising cost of electricity is not a side issue — it is a fulcrum point
for household survival, local business viability, and public trust. If current
trajectories hold, Hickory and Catawba County will feel the following effects:
Households
Rising bills erode disposable income, forcing trade-offs between food, rent,
and heat. Vulnerable families already spend up to 15–20% of income on
utilities. Continued increases will accelerate utility shutoffs, unsafe coping
practices, and displacement risks for renters.
Local Economy
Small businesses face energy as a second rent, squeezing margins in already
tight markets. The city’s competitive edge as a low-cost place to live and
invest weakens if electricity rates rise faster than incomes, deterring new
employers and pushing prices up for consumers.
Public Sector
Government facilities, schools, and public safety agencies absorb higher
utility costs, diverting resources from staffing and programs. Slow capacity
expansion heightens the risk of outages and service interruptions, especially
during seasonal peaks.
Civic and Generational Cohesion
As energy burdens compound with food and housing pressures, household stability
frays. Younger families may leave, older residents will struggle to age in
place, and inequities deepen between those who can afford efficiency upgrades
and those who cannot.
Summary
The cost of keeping the lights on is not just a budget line. It is a dividing
line that shapes whether Hickory can hold its families, sustain its businesses,
and trust its institutions — or whether rising bills fracture the community
further.
---------------------------------------------------
My Own Time Ω
Power and the Price of Living:
The hum of electricity has followed me my whole life — at home, in kitchens, the sound of the hood, the drone in the walk-ins, the quiet rhythm of an air-conditioning current cutting through a hot, humid Southern night. When I was young, power was the one thing we never worried much about. You flipped a switch, and it worked. The bill got paid, and it stayed that way. Stability was measured by what stayed on — the lights, the job, the faith that tomorrow would more or less look like today. Even through hard times, when you looked back, things somehow found a way to get better.
Now, sometimes, that hum feels different. It sounds like the clock ticking on another bill, another climb, another trade-off — a payment that relentlessly comes due. The electric bill has become a mirror reflecting the strain on everything else — the grocery total, the mortgage, the doctor or dental visit we delay because of the budget. The same current that keeps the fridge cold also powers the data centers that make this computer work possible. Rising in our modern background, we exist somewhere between this strange new world and the reality of a household being priced out of its stability.
What does this mean here, in Hickory? This was a city that prided itself on not being wasteful. That was our ingenuity. We were efficient. That’s what small manufacturers did in the twentieth century. They had a “make it happen” mindset.
This community has weathered hard times before — recessions and layoffs — patchworking what it couldn’t afford to fix at the moment and running the air sparingly in the summer heat when necessary. But this new kind of strain represents a new normal. It’s quieter, more persistent, and harder to fight. This isn’t the old business cycle where you knew business would eventually pick up. That doesn’t happen when the company is gone. We’ve spoken about the middle drifting, treading water — and that is exhausting and eventually overwhelming.
In my own life, I’ve learned that every bill carries two numbers: the amount owed, and the time in hours it takes to pay it. When those two drift apart and the bank account tightens, the center of a person’s life starts to wobble. You see it in the faces of workers coming off a double shift, in the parents figuring out how to stretch the food budget when the utility bills run high. That’s not just inflation — that’s erosion.
Power used to be a utility. Now it’s a test of endurance and tolerance. The electric bill has become another form of rent. The dynamics I’ve been addressing have direct effects on one another, and all are necessities. The cost of shelter, the cost of food, now the cost of energy — and next, the cost of health. Which of these is optional? Shelter? Food? Electricity? Healthcare?
Because what happens when the strain that starts in the wallet works its way into the body? When the cost of living becomes the cost of being? These are the truest and most personal existential crises — the kind that can push a person over the edge. And these are issues that I will make proposals to address.
