They may be heading to more power hungry rigs, but we don't know how power hungry yet. Even 2kw isn't anything more than a small electric fire which many homes run ...most small home miners won't be running 10 neptunes, maybe 2 or three max? No problem really as long as they pay their bills.
The problem for competitors, apart from trust and proven hardware is price.. can they compete with the price per Gh? Seriously doubt that unless someone new like KNC appear, which could happen.
KNC have been very clever at marketing and timing , I'd bet they have destroyed some companies like BFL completely. No tears there though eh?
I think the power issue isn't so much paying the bill, but the wiring involved. Most US houses these days, you might be able to squeeze out 2..MAYBE 4kw circuit. Beyond that you need subpanels, and ideally dedicated panels. Most folks won't do that unless they're already balls deep (like Phoenix for example).
Personally, let's say I could only support 2kw, I'd feel almost ill owning a miner which can only do 3TH because of the limitation, knowing that if I had more power it could go twice as fast. It's like paying 2x as much for a miner than you need to. I have a feeling the Neptune will be able to hit 5 or 6TH in the right conditions.
Yes, KNC has done well with their timing. I also point to their 'protect the network' claim as part of this. They're using it as an excuse for timing, but to save themselves from a bad reputation regarding time-to-market (such as what befell BFL).
and please do don't write like there is only one manufacturer for each part of miner in world
