30 sats \ 2 replies \ @skreep_ 24 Jun 2023 \ parent \ on: Streaming our financial lives with Lightning bitcoin
Do you think McDonalds would benefit from copying the energy producer's business model by allowing anyone to come and get whatever they wanted whenever they wanted something, and then billed them for whatever they consumed at the end of the month, hoping everyone pays up?
do you think their underlying costs would go up or down in this case?
The energy companies could (and most likely will) have two price models.... the "use now / pay now" price, and the "use now / pay later" price.
I top up my energy budget's lightning address, I pay for what I use as I use it, which means I save on my energy costs. It would be a no brainer to anyone who is looking to be smart with their money. "Oh, I can save 25% on my energy bill by paying at the beginning of the month instead of the end?"
That's an easy decision.
Agreed, if my sats are streaming real time as I consume the electricity, the overall amount I consume would definitely change materially. I wouldn’t ever leave any lights turned on when heading out to run errands, I’d open the refrigerator less often, maybe I’d even lose some weight and live longer.
reply
In this example, you could probably have your cake and eat it too.
If your energy bill was going to be $200 on the credit price, but since you stream your sats, it costs you the equivalent of $160 in btc terms... even if you're irresponsible with your energy use it might cost ~$180, you'll still end up saving more sats than if you were consuming normally at the credit price.
I'd assume once your wallet runs out then they'd just start charging the credit price and bill you if you don't top up within a certain period of time.
reply