Longtime Advocate reader and commentator Dormand Long just passed along this idea: What about having neighborhood homeowners associations work with an electricity provider to negotiate the best possible deal for electric costs? His point is that a homeowners association is basically a giant affinity group, and successful affinity groups often offer buying programs for their members as an added benefit. Dormand suggested that those participating must be homeowners association members, which serves the dual purpose of building membership and providing a pretty valuable benefit to membership, too. With the number of electric providers in the market, and armed with the knowledge that the price of electricity is certainly negotiable when purchased on a larger scale, his idea makes perfect sense to me. Any thoughts about the idea, or is any group already doing it? (P.S. The artwork is Reddy Kilowatt, an icon of my youth.)