Why your electric bill is so high—and what could bring down rates

Electric bills are climbing almost everywhere—and in some states, the increases have been staggering. If you live in the Bay Area, your average utility bill from PG&E went up nearly 70% over the last five years. Between 2024 and 2025, alone, bills grew by double digits everywhere from Utah to Massachusetts to Tennessee.

The surge in AI data centers often gets the headlines as the main cause of the increase, but they’re just one of many factors. Here’s what’s driving soaring utility bills, and what could help fix it.