I guess that particular fact was lost on Trudashian.  I too keep my house fairly cold in the winter due to the cost, but my furnace only kicks on after 7 pm when electricity rates drop.  

If I have $100 to spend and drop $95 of that on 'survival', there is insufficient funds left to spend on items that would otherwise support our economy.  I keep the $5 anticipating the next hydro bill will arbitrarily increase by that amount or more, even if I shut the main breaker off 18 hours a day.  The cost of living has increased at a rate 27 times that of my cumulative pay increases over the past 10 years.  I have nothing left to be robbed of.