'Perverse regulation' keeps electricity high HOUSEHOLD power bills will keep spiralling out of control unless regulators stop bloated energy distributors from gouging customers and encourage electricity retailers to adjust power prices throughout the day to reflect demand. While the typical Australian family's electricity usage has fallen more than 7 per cent since 2006, the average household power bill over the same period has jumped by 85 per cent to $1660 a year, a trend that could lead to a price "death spiral" of falling usage and rising costs.