The data: Last month, electricity and piped gas prices were up 4% year-over-year—but average utility payments increased 5.3% over that period, according to Bank of America’s analysis of internal deposit data. The drivers include 1) an unusually hot summer 2) data center demand and 3) growing grid investments. 

So, what’s in store for the winter? El Niño could bring relatively warm temps and offer some bill relief. Still, US households are set to see a nearly 9% year-over-year jump in heating costs in the coming months, the National Energy Assistance Directors Association predicts. 

As for the long(er) term: Through 2028, proposed and approved utility rate increases could add over $100B to US customers’ energy bills.

That’s a nearly 42% year-over-year increase in congestion costs, a recent Grid Strategies report found. It isn’t a brand-new phenomenon: These expenses have spiked since 2021. Why? Demand outpacing the transmission buildout, extreme weather, and high natural gas prices. 

PJM fared the worst: Last year, grid congestion cost the RTO $3.2B. “Part of it is a failure to adopt pretty simple solutions to the problem,” Julia Selker, Grid Strategies’s director of policy and strategy, told us. If PJM were to incorporate topology optimization, for example, it could cut day-ahead congestion costs by up to half, according to a NewGrid analysis.  

The planning pickle: Operators are used to planning a decade or more ahead. This leaves out shorter-term solutions, like grid enhancement tech. “We need a process for that to happen on a more immediate scale as well,” Selker said. 

One way to cut costs? Build more storage, which could help reduce the need for infrastructure upgrades and lower peak pricing. Scaling storage over the next 5-10 years could yield over $250B in customer savings, a study by the Energy Storage Coalition found. That averages out to over $1K per US ratepayer. 

In Virginia: Loudoun County—which has the world’s highest concentration of data centers—has voted to halt the review of new data center applications for a year. The pause will give officials more time to establish guardrails to protect surrounding communities, who have pushed officials to take action.

In North Carolina: State Attorney General Jeff Jackson has continually criticized Duke Energy’s response to data center demand. Now, he’s asking the state’s utilities commission to carve out a rate class for Duke’s data center customers (and prevent cost-shifting onto residential ratepayers).

On Capitol Hill: The House passed the Ratepayer Protection Act, which would require state utility regulators to consider a standard to make data centers cover their generation and transmission costs.

A turn against nuclear? Earlier this month, Holtec announced the launch of its IPO, and it hoped to raise up to $900M. Now, the nuclear powerhouse is retreating. Why? In an interview with the Financial Times, Holtec CEO Kris Singh cited the “market’s sharp turn against the AI data centre economy” in recent weeks. Other nuclear stocks aren’t doing so hot, either. 

Meanwhile, on the fusion front: TVA, the state of Tennessee, and the UK are collaborating to “accelerate the commercial deployment of fusion energy.” The trio aims to strengthen supply chains and advance manufacturing…but it’s still early days for this nascent nuclear source.

A Texas showdown: ERCOT and the state PUC approved a contract that would have handed Vegas up to $6.4M next year, The Texas Tribune reported. 

That’s not a good look, according to Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick: “During a time of increasing utility costs, this is not the time to give the CEO of ERCOT a multi-million-dollar pay raise on the backs of ratepayers,” Patrick wrote on X. In the Lone Star State, electric rates have increased by 40% on average since 2020.

What happened next: Patrick directed officials to reverse the decision—and that they did. Of course, Vegas isn’t the first power exec to spark salary backlash…and probably won’t be the last.

This marks Hitachi Energy’s biggest capital investment in the US yet. Construction is slated to kick off in late 2026, and first production is targeted for 2029. Hitachi is also expanding grid equipment manufacturing facilities in VA, TN, and PA.

Why it matters: The Trump administration is pushing power companies to rely on domestic-made equipment—and there isn’t enough of it to go around right now.

Public Utility District No. 1 of Chelan County is hiring a journeyman operator

SouthEastern Illinois Electric Cooperative, Inc. is hiring an engineering manager

NewEdge Power is hiring a principal/lead engineer for transmission strategy.