Instead of asking whether electricity bills are high, the Energy Poverty Index asks a more meaningful question: high for whom? That question deserves to be at the center of energy policy discussions. Those are important conversations, but they do not change how energy policy is experienced by households. For most families, energy policy is reflected in the amount due figure in the monthly electric bill. If energy policy is ultimately meant to serve the public, then its success should be judged not only by power generated, but also by whether that power is affordable for all North Carolinians..“Energy policy should start with the people who pay the bills” was originally published on www.carolinajournal.com.