You sign up for a “flat rate” utility plan because you want one thing: certainty. You want to open your bill, see the same number every month, and move on with your life. No drama. No seasonal spikes. No sweating over whether blasting the air conditioning in July will wreck your budget.
But flat rate does not always mean fixed, and predictable does not always mean safe. In fact, under the right conditions, a flat rate plan can leave someone staring at a bill that demands hundreds of dollars in a single painful gulp.
