It’s already happening re: costs of electricity skyrocketing. The only way I can afford ac during the hottest months is by saving money from the cooler months when I’m using very little electricity and applying it in the hot months. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to afford it NOW. And that balanced billing BS is a scam. It also defeats the whole purpose of conserving and cutting back on usage.
I was doing that too. When the kids weren’t in the house, jacking up the high temp on the AC and not using any heat during the winter (except that one really cold snap in jan).
For the past two years we have kept the whole house air off in the summer. We use a window unit in the bedroom to sleep in comfort. Of course, we don’t live in temps usually above 100 degrees. Still the 80 deg and low 90 deg temps with humidity make us uncomfortable. We just live with it because the electric costs are high.