I'm afraid there's not a way to counteract the cable company's volume irregularity. As for the electric bill, your power amp is going to consume more electricity than the old receiver did, and over the course of the month that difference can produce a slight increase in consumption - especially if the amp is on a significant portion of the day. I'm not sure what the deal is with the Monster and your cable signal. I run my cable through a Panamax and haven't ever had a problem with the signal, except with the signal strength to the house was poor to begin with (in which case it was a problem without the Panamax). You may have a slightly weak signal coming to your house, and the Monster may knock it down farther than the previous surge protector did. Digital cable service is particularly susceptible to low signal strength.