The power company can not turn your bill over to authorities without them already having a warrant.
This is a very true statement. The state I live has a population of roughly 5.5 million people and my electric company supplies power to roughly a 30,000 square mile radius. With that being said, my wife works for a small town of less then 500 homes and the city pays the power company for usage and then charges the citizens themselves as a way to increase the city's revenue. With less then 500 accounts, she and one other person do all the billing in a matter of 1 days shift and doesn't notice increases, and the chief of police can't even ask to be tipped off without a warrant already being issued.
Granted different areas may have slightly different situations, but most people who get "caught" because of electric bills have slipped up elsewhere or have drawn attention to themselves by stealing electricity, calling and complaining about bill, or applying for discounted rates. Keep your mouth shut and worry about the things that give authorities the right to a warrant. A high power bill in and of itself, no matter how extreme, is NOT probable cause to get a warrant to search your home. I have friends who are law abiding citizens who DON'T grow and pay almost a dollar per square foot each month because of things like servers in there home, etc.
Just my two cents on the topic.
