🧭 Origin of "Utility Bills"（「水電費」的起源）
The concept of utility bills emerged in the late 19th century with the rise of public infrastructure. When Thomas Edison’s company built the first electric power plant in 1884, it marked the beginning of metered services—charging customers based on usage. As cities expanded, governments and private companies began billing for essential services like electricity, water, and gas. These bills formalized the cost of modern living and became a standard part of household budgeting.
「水電費」（utility bills）的概念起源於19世紀末，隨著公共基礎設施的興起而誕生。當愛迪生於1884年建立第一座電力發電廠時，開始出現以使用量計費的制度。隨著城市擴張，政府與私人企業開始對電力、水、天然氣等基本服務進行收費，這些帳單制度逐漸成為現代生活中不可或缺的一部分。🌍 Why Westerners Say "Utility Bill" Instead of "Electricity Bill" or "Water Bill"（為什麼西方人較少說「電費」或「水費」，而習慣說「水電費」？）
In many Western countries, especially the U.S., U.K., and Australia:
（在美國、英國、澳洲等西方國家，「utility bill」是更常見的用語，原因如下：）
圖片創作：Gemini
1️⃣Bundled Services: Electricity, water, gas, trash, and internet are often grouped under one term—“utilities”—because they’re all essential services billed regularly.
（服務整合：電力、水、天然氣、垃圾清運、網路等基本服務常被統稱為「utilities」，因為它們都是生活中不可或缺的。）
2️⃣Administrative Simplicity: Using “utility bill” avoids listing each service separately. It’s efficient for leases, ID verification, budgeting, and legal documents.
（行政簡化：使用「utility bill」可以避免逐一列出各項服務，在租賃契約、身分驗證、預算規劃等情境中更為方便。）
3️⃣Cultural Habit: The term became normalized through banking, housing, and government systems. Saying “utility bill” is like saying “ID”—it’s shorthand for a category.
（文化習慣：這個詞彙已被銀行、政府機構、房地產業廣泛使用，成為一種標準用語，就像「ID」是身分證的簡稱一樣。）
So while people do receive separate bills for electricity or water, they refer to them collectively as “utility bills.”
（儘管人們仍會收到分開的電費或水費帳單，但在口語或書面上，通常會統稱為「utility bills」。）
✍️ Usage Examples in Context（「水電費」的使用情境範例）
🏠 Everyday Conversation（日常對話）
I need to pay my utility bills before Friday—electricity and water are due.
（我得在星期五前繳清水電費——電費和水費都快到期。）
📄 Rental Agreement（租賃契約）
Tenants agree to cover all utility bills, including electricity, gas, and internet.”
（租戶們需負擔所有水電費，包括電力、天然氣與網路。）
🧾 Government Form（政府表格）
Please submit a recent utility bill as proof of residence.
（請提供最近一期的水電費帳單作為居住證明。）
📚 Educational Setting（教學場景）
Let’s analyze this utility bill to understand how energy consumption affects monthly costs.
（我們來分析這張水電費帳單，了解能源使用如何影響每月開支。）
💼 Business Scenario（商業情境）
Our utility bills spiked last quarter—let’s audit our HVAC usage.
（我們上季的水電費暴增——需要審查空調系統的使用情況。）
圖片創作：Gemini
