Water
Water services that connect to homes and businesses.Sewage
Services that take back water that has been used such that it has become waste.Electricity
Electricity generation and distribution with infrastructure known as a grid. In many cases, a rooftop solar system is also offered as a utility service.Gas
Natural gas is a type of energy that is commonly delivered to the home as a utility. This can be cheaper than electricity for heating.Waste Management
Trash collection and recycling services.Cable
Historically, television was delivered to the home with coaxial or fiber optic cables. This is likely to fade away due to a process of digital convergence whereby cables to the home are used for internet that can be used to access streaming media.Internet
Wired internet services that reach homes and businesses.Mobile Internet
Mobile internet and wifi services.Telephones
Communication services such as mobile phones and home phones. This is also converging with internet.Postal
The postal service is a global system that delivers mail and packages to residences and businesses. This is technically a utility but isn't always listed as such.District Heating
Services that distribute heat to a large number of buildings in an area using a system of insulated pipes. This has many types and has advanced over the years. The most modern variations use renewable energy or heat that would have otherwise gone to waste.District Cooling
Services that deliver cool water to buildings as a form of air conditioning. This tends to be an energy efficient system that uses a nearby body of water as a heat sink.Cloud Computing
Cloud computing is often described as a utility because its use can be scaled up and down on demand. As the internet reaches the home, a large number of internet services could be viewed as a utility. For example, an on-demand artificial intelligence platform could be viewed as a utility that is available to any home or business.Streaming Media
Streaming movies, television shows and music can be viewed as a utility.Summary
A utility is a fundamental resource that is delivered to the home. These are often natural monopolies because it doesn't typically make sense to duplicate infrastructure that must connect to every home. In this case, utilities are regulated by governments.
Discussion
It is common for utilities to be provided as a public service by a government because these are viewed as foundational infrastructure for a city, state and nation.| Overview: Utilities | ||
Type | ||
Definition | A service that reaches homes and businesses that is available on-demand such that resource usage can be scaled up and down. | |
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