"Residents in at least 41 states and Washington, D.C., are experiencing increased electric and natural gas bills now or will see increases in 2026, according to a new report from the Center for American Progress. Costs are rising largely due to the AI data center development boom and the resulting strain it has placed on the country's aging electric grid."
"Data centers accounted for 4.4% of electricity consumption in the US in 2023, according to a report from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. That amount is expected to triple by 2028. Utilities across the country are predicting an additional 60 gigawatts of new demand from data centers by the end of the decade. That's enough electricity to power six major cities."
Utility customers in at least 41 states and Washington, D.C., face higher electric or natural gas bills now or by 2026 as demand increases. Rising costs stem largely from an AI-driven data center construction boom that strains an aging grid. Data centers used 4.4% of U.S. electricity in 2023 and are projected to triple by 2028, creating roughly 60 gigawatts of new demand. Utilities plan multibillion-dollar infrastructure projects, and regulations often allow those costs to be recovered from all ratepayers. Regulators approved Entergy's $5 billion plants for a Meta data center; startups such as Arbor and Exceleron offer bill-reduction solutions.
Read at Business Insider
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